By Any Name, Angels to Keep Plugging Away

By Mike DiGiovanna

Feb. 16, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. —

The Angels lost some heart, some soul, some grit, this winter when shortstop David Eckstein was let go, and they lost some conscience when veteran closer and team leader Troy Percival was allowed to leave as a free agent.

They lost a chunk of muscle when they made no attempt to re-sign third baseman Troy Glaus, who is capable of hitting 40 home runs a year, and traded left fielder Jose Guillen, who had 27 homers and 104 runs batted in last season.

They even lost some identity in January when owner Arte Moreno went through with his controversial name change, discarding the Anaheim Angels in favor of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Yet, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training today in advance of Thursday’s first practice, and as position players gear up for the first full-squad workout Tuesday, the defending American League West champion Angels seem as whole as ever, as complete a package as they’ve ever assembled for camp.

And that’s with veteran designated hitter Tim Salmon probably sitting out most of 2005 because of knee and shoulder surgery and second baseman Adam Kennedy expected to be out until late May or June because of knee surgery.

“Nobody can compare us to the Yankees and their payroll, but we definitely have some top-quality players at a lot of positions,” outfielder Garret Anderson said. “When you have an ownership that keeps plugging holes with top-quality players, it’s exciting.”

A reminder to those still upset about the name change: Remember the not-so-old days, when the Autry- and Disney-owned Angels plugged holes with over-the-hill players such as Eddie Murray and Cecil Fielder, and their idea of a rotation upgrade was Kent Bottenfield or Pat Rapp? When one major free-agent signing, such as Mo Vaughn -- six years, $80 million in 1999 -- prevented them from improving elsewhere?

“Those teams before were set up to compete,” said Anderson, who is beginning his 11th season with the Angels. “This team is set up to win.”

The new name might sound silly, but the intentions behind the switch -- Moreno wants to broaden the team’s fan base to maximize television and advertising revenues so he can continue to run the Angels as a big-market franchise -- are anything but.

The second-year owner didn’t make as big a free-agent splash as last winter, when his $146-million spending spree netted star outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, the 2004 AL most valuable player, top-of-the-rotation pitchers Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar, and Guillen, but the Angel off-season still had a big-market feel.

The Angels filled their outfield void by signing four-time Gold Glove center fielder Steve Finley, a 16-year veteran who averaged 28 homers and 87 RBIs over the last six years, which will allow Anderson to return to left field, the position he excelled at in 2002 and 2003.

They replaced Eckstein, whose production the last two seasons fell far short of his popularity, with Orlando Cabrera, a flashy, rangy, strong-armed shortstop who helped key Boston’s run to the 2004 World Series title and should be a major upgrade over Eckstein, both defensively and offensively.

They remained in house to replace Percival and Glaus, handing the closer job to 23-year-old Francisco Rodriguez, who has quickly established himself as one of baseball’s dominant relievers, and replenishing their bullpen depth by signing veteran reliever Esteban Yan, who has that power arm the Angels want.

They are confident rookie Dallas McPherson, who had 40 homers and 126 RBIs in the minor leagues last season and showed flashes of his considerable potential during a September call-up, is ready to take over at third.

After failing to lure top-of-the-rotation starters such as Matt Clement and Brad Radke, the Angels settled for a back-of-the-rotation upgrade, replacing the inconsistent Aaron Sele and Ramon Ortiz with Paul Byrd, who says his recovery from elbow surgery will enable him to return to his 2002 form, when the right-hander went 17-11 with a 3.90 earned-run average for Kansas City.

The Angels committed $53.5 million to Cabrera, Finley, Byrd and Yan, but with so many hefty contracts having expired in 2004, their payroll will actually go down, from $112 million last season to about $95 million in 2005.

The net result: The Angels, with Gold Glove-winning first baseman Darin Erstad and catcher Bengie Molina, who has lost 22 pounds; Kennedy and capable second-base fill-in Chone Figgins, and an impressive outfield of Guerrero, Anderson and Finley, should have one of baseball’s best defensive teams.

With Guerrero coming off an MVP year in which he hit .337 with 39 homers and drove in 126 runs; Anderson convinced he has overcome the arthritic condition that limited him to 112 games in 2004 and confident he can regain his 2000-2003 form, when he averaged 30 homers and 120 RBIs; Finley, Cabrera and McPherson, the Angels have enough power to fuel their offense while retaining enough speed and bat-control to incorporate some of the situational hitting game Manager Mike Scioscia favors.

And what a rotation of Colon, Escobar, Jarrod Washburn, John Lackey and Byrd lacks in sheer night-to-night dominance, it should make up for with depth.

“I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t win the division again,” Washburn said. “We improved the team, filled some holes, got some good players.”

So did Seattle, which fortified a sagging offense with the additions of Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson and should provide a more formidable challenge this season.

Texas, which improved to 89-73 in 2004, again will field one of baseball’s most promising and potent young lineups, but all the Rangers did to improve a mediocre rotation was add Pedro Astacio.

And what of Oakland, the Angels’ longtime division nemesis? A vaunted rotation that once featured the Big Three is down to the Big One, the A’s having traded Tim Hudson to Atlanta and Mark Mulder to St. Louis, leaving Barry Zito behind.

The A’s figure to have a competitive rotation with Zito, Rich Harden and Danny Haren, but they will be hard-pressed to match the Angels offensively.

“It doesn’t upset me to see what Oakland did -- it’s nice to get those two guys out of the division,” Washburn said. “Seattle has improved, and Texas is going to be good. It’s going to be a long, tough road ... but we should come out on top.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Then and Now

A look at the Angels’ opening-day lineup last season, and their projected lineup this season:

*--* Pos. 2004 2005 C Bengie Molina Bengie Molina 1B Darin Erstad Darin Erstad 2B Adam Kennedy Chone Figgins 3B Troy Glaus Dallas McPherson SS David Eckstein Orlando Cabrera LF Jose Guillen Garret Anderson CF Garret Anderson Steve Finley RF Vladimir Guerrero Vladimir Guerrero DH Tim Salmon Jeff DaVanon

*--*

WHO’S NEW

* CF Steve Finley, SS Orlando Cabrera, P Paul Byrd, P Esteban Yan, OF Juan Rivera, OF-INF Kendry Morales, SS Maicer Izturis.

WHO’S GONE

* 3B Troy Glaus, P Troy Percival, OF Jose Guillen, SS David Eckstein, P Ramon Ortiz, P Aaron Sele, INF Alfredo Amezaga.

BIGGEST QUESTION OF SPRING

* Is Dallas McPherson ready to become an everyday major league third baseman? The Angels took a huge risk letting Glaus, a proven power hitter with plate discipline, leave because they believe McPherson, who hit 40 home runs and drove in 126 runs in 135 minor league games last season, has similar potential. But McPherson is not as polished as Glaus defensively, and although the 24-year-old showed promise at the plate after being called up last September, he hit only .225 with 17 strikeouts and three walks in 40 big league at-bats. Should McPherson struggle, the Angels have a decent safety net in Robb Quinlan.

JOB SEEKERS

* OF Jeff DaVanon, OF Juan Rivera, OF/INF Quinlan, OF/INF Kendry Morales. All four will slug it out for the designated-hitter spot, and Quinlan will push McPherson for time at third. Unless one emerges with a dominant spring, Manager Mike Scioscia probably will revolve DaVanon, Rivera and Quinlan through the DH spot, while also using DaVanon and Rivera in the outfield and Quinlan at third. Morales is the most intriguing -- and least known -- of the DH candidates. The former Cuban national team star has power from both sides of the plate but has never faced big league pitching regularly. He could start in the minor leagues.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON

* OF Garret Anderson and OF Vladimir Guerrero. Anderson, who missed six weeks last season because of an arthritic condition in his upper back, said his body was free of the inflammation that slowed him in 2004. Spring training should provide some indication whether Anderson can return to his pre-2004 form, when he averaged 30 homers and 120 RBIs for four seasons. Guerrero, the reigning American League MVP, sprained his right thumb in a Dominican winter league game Dec. 26. If the injury inhibits his powerful swing and aggressive approach in any way, that would not bode well for the Angels.

REASONS TO BE EXCITED

* The rotation, though lacking a dominant ace, is as deep and talented as it has ever been, and the Angels have a more-than-capable replacement for closer Troy Percival in Francisco Rodriguez. A sound Anderson and the addition of veteran Steve Finley should more than make up for the power void left by the departures of Guillen and Glaus. Throw in Guerrero, and the Angels should have one of baseball’s best outfields. Orlando Cabrera should help fans understand why the Angels let shortstop David Eckstein go, and overall team defense should be superior.

REASONS TO BE WORRIED

* McPherson could endure growing pains. As deep as the rotation is, it lacks the kind of starter who can match up favorably with aces such as the Yankees’ Randy Johnson, Boston’s Curt Schilling and Minnesota’s Johan Santana, leaving the Angels vulnerable in a playoff series. Rodriguez can be overpowering, but as the closer, he’ll usually be confined to one inning, preventing the Angels from capitalizing as much on his mastery of the seventh and eighth innings. Can Brendan Donnelly and Scot Shields be as effective in the setup role, and can Yan provide consistent middle relief?

PROJECTED LINEUP

2B...Chone Figgins

1B...Darin Erstad

RF...Vladimir Guerrero

LF...Garret Anderson

CF...Steve Finley

SS...Orlando Cabrera

DH...Jeff DaVanon/Robb Quinlan

C...Bengie Molina

3B...Dallas McPherson

PROJECTED ROTATION

RH...Bartolo Colon