It Took a Lot to Hatch a Thief

It takes a village to raise a stolen-base king, and that’s why utility player Chone Figgins circulated through the Angel clubhouse Sunday afternoon like a politician, pressing flesh at every turn.

A number of players took a number of pitches hitting behind Figgins, and their patience was part of the reason the leadoff batter stole a major league-high 62 bases this season, including two in Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Rangers.

“It means a lot to me on the personal side,” Figgins said. “As a guy who has speed, you always want to lead the league in stolen bases. I went around and personally thanked all my teammates for letting me accomplish something like this.”

Figgins, who edged Chicago’s Scott Podsednik (59 stolen bases) in the American League and the New York Mets’ Jose Reyes (60) in the National League, was more than a base-stealer.

He started at six positions, playing capable, sometimes spectacular defense at all of them, and he hit .290 with a team-leading 113 runs, 25 doubles, 10 triples, eight home runs and 57 runs batted in.

Figgins’ on-base percentage (.352) was a little low and he struck out too often (101 times) for a leadoff hitter, but he was invaluable to the Angels, as evidenced by his teammates’ voting him a share of the Angels’ most valuable player award with pitcher Bartolo Colon.

“Figgy had a heck of a year,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He really sticks out as a guy who we wouldn’t have gotten here without. His versatility gives us depth, he settled into the leadoff role and took off. Everything he did was so important.”

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With so much focus over the weekend on Yankees-Red Sox and White Sox-Indians, the Angels’ finishing flourish may have slipped under the national radar.

But the Angels are as hot as any playoff team, winning 14 of their last 16 games. The offense emerged from a season-long funk, averaging 5.3 runs in those games, the bullpen rebounded from its August slump, and the rotation continued to shine.

The AL West champions are playing their best baseball at the right time; the question is, will it matter come Tuesday?

“It’s not like we’ve been to the playoffs 10 times -- we’ve been there twice before this year,” first baseman Darin Erstad said. “But it seems like whatever happens in the regular season has zero bearing on the playoffs. It’s a whole different animal. But considering how inconsistent we’ve been on offense, it’s nice to see that start to come around. This is a good time for that.”

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Vladimir Guerrero doubled to left field in the seventh inning, extending to 36 games his hitting streak against the Rangers, passing the previous high for a player against one team. Ken Griffey Jr. hit in 35 straight against Cleveland from 1992-96. Guerrero is hitting .437 with 13 homers and 29 RBIs against Texas. ... Ranger shortstop Michael Young singled in the first inning Sunday and was pulled for a pinch-runner after walking in the third. Young, who left to a standing ovation, clinched the AL batting title over New York’s Alex Rodriguez with a .331 average. ... Angel second baseman Adam Kennedy did not ask for the day off, but Scioscia gave it to him, a last day of rest before the playoffs. As an added benefit, the move assured that Kennedy would finish the season with a .300 average.