Closer Will Be Looking for More

Francisco Rodriguez joined the Angels for workouts Friday, eight days late but not a dollar short. The 24-year-old right-hander, who had a 2.67 earned run average and 45 saves in his first year as the team’s closer, was rewarded with a $3.775-million contract this winter, a huge raise over the $440,000 he made in 2005.

“I was really happy about it,” Rodriguez said of his contract. “It’s something I don’t have to worry about.”

Rodriguez, delayed by visa problems in Venezuela, had plenty of other concerns, though, some off the field -- he recently accompanied an aunt to Cuba so she could undergo kidney transplant surgery -- and some on the field.

As good a 2005 season as he had -- Rodriguez tied Cleveland’s Bob Wickman for the most saves in the American League, he blew only five saves, and he struck out 91 and walked 32 in 67 1/3 innings -- Rodriguez arrived in camp motivated to improve.

“I’ve got to bring my walks down, get ahead in counts, I’ve got to clean up all those little details that caused trouble last year,” Rodriguez said. “I have to be more focused, to learn more about hitters and situations.”

Rodriguez will also try to refine a third pitch, a changeup, to go with his 94-mph fastball and nasty slider. “I’ll see how my arm responds to the changeup,” Rodriguez said, “but I don’t want it to affect the mechanics of my other pitches.”

Pitching coach Bud Black said he’d like Rodriguez to work on the changeup after he returns from the World Baseball Classic, but if he hasn’t mastered it by opening day, he’ll have to put it on the shelf.

“We’d like him to focus more on it this spring ... but it’s awfully tough to develop a pitch in a big league game as a closer,” Black said. “You don’t experiment with a changeup with Alex Rodriguez up in the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium.”

Rodriguez, under a new agreement with the Angels that drastically reduced his off-season workload, threw about 15 winter-ball innings, down from 35 to 45 in recent years. His last appearance came in the Caribbean World Series on Feb. 6, so it shouldn’t take long for him to catch up.

“I feel great as far my conditioning,” said Rodriguez, who threw long toss and an eight-minute bullpen session, and participated in fielding drills Friday. “I want to be in great shape for the WBC.”

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Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar took steps toward WBC readiness Friday, throwing all of their pitches during 10-minute rounds of batting practice.

Escobar is scheduled to pitch in an intrasquad game Tuesday and to start Venezuela’s exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Florida on March 4. Colon will start an exhibition against Milwaukee in Tempe on Thursday and then join the Dominican team camp in Florida.

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Outfielder Juan Rivera and infielder Edgardo Alfonzo are reconsidering their WBC commitments to Venezuela and might decide to back out if it appears they won’t get much playing time. “You have to weigh [being a WBC reserve] against progressing with this team through spring training,” Scioscia said. “If you’re sitting for three weeks, you’re not moving forward.”