EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

4. Anaheim Angels

A new attitude and a potent lineup won't make up for an old, flammable staff

By Jeff Pearlman

Offense Defense Starting Pitching Bullpen Manager First year 1999 Record 70-92 (fourth in AL West) Batting Order LF Darin Erstad 2B Jim Edmonds 1B Mo Vaughn RF Tim Salmon 3B Troy Glaus LF Garret Anderson 2B Scott Spiezio C Matt Walbeck SS Gary DiSarcina Bench OF Todd Greene OF Orlando Palmeiro C Bengie Molina SS Benji Gil Starters RH Ken Hill RH Ramon Ortiz LH Kent Mercker RH Tom Candiotti RH Tim Belcher Bullpen RH Troy Percival RH Mark Petkovsek LRH Shigetoshi Hasegawa RH Lou Pote RH Al Levine Next Up... Eight years ago, when 17-year-old Bengie Molina was discovered in his hometown of Dorado, Puerto Rico, by an Angels' scout, he was a smooth-fielding, strong-armed shortstop. "I thought of myself as an infielder," says Molina, "but the scout looked at my body and said, 'Can you catch?'" The 5'11" 207-pounder made the switch instantly. Molina, who spent half of last season with the Triple A Edmonton Trappers before a 31-game stint in Anaheim, has quick feet, soft hands and an above-average arm, and was named the minors' top defensive catcher by Baseball America. This year he'll push Matt Walbeck for the Angels' starting job. He's hoping his opportunities to play in the majors won't be curtailed by the nagging injuries he has suffered in four of his seven minor league seasons. "He's a defensive catcher with pop," manager Mike Scioscia says of Molina, who hit .286 with seven homers and 41 RBIs in 65 games in Triple A last year. "He just needs to stay healthy." The Book An opposing team's scout sizes up the A's "The Angels will bounce back with a better year for a couple of reasons. Now that all their players seem healthy, I like their offense. They won't have trouble scoring runs, and Mo Vaughn looks like he's going to have a big year. The other reason Anaheim should improve is new manager Mike Scioscia. Terry Collins, the former skipper, was a drill sergeant, and you can't be that way anymore. Scioscia isn't too far removed from playing to know that.... Now the bad news: The general manager, Bill Stoneman, hasn't done anything to improve the team. The pitching is a problem. Ken Hill has good stuff, but he's not close to being a No. 1 starter. Tom Candiotti and Tim Belcher? They're way past their primes. I like righthander Ramon Ortiz. He's got a plus fastball and a good breaking ball with good command.... Troy Percival, the closer, is coming off a shoulder injury. He looks good, but he still has to show he's ready to pitch two or three days in a row. With this staff the Angels will need to score six or seven runs a game to win. Even with their offense, that's too much to ask. I can't see them finishing higher than third."

It's 1994. There's an obscure new TV show called Friends, Hootie and the Blowfish are on the early path to stardom, Monica Lewinsky is a student at a small college, and you're a very bad Rotisserie baseball player. The draft is today, and you've wasted your first 15 picks on position players. You have no starting pitchers. You scan the list of those who haven't been selected: Ken Hill. Kent Mercker. Tom Candiotti. Tim Belcher. "I can still compose a pretty good rotation," you tell the other guys at the draft table. They laugh, and laugh, and laugh.

Mercker, who will work the corners more, is one of many questions on a staff that, though newly armed, is anything but dangerous.Ronald C. Modra

It is 2000. You are Mike Scioscia, the optimistic new skipper of the Angels. You've got a couple of good power hitters, a steady shortstop, a logjam of solid outfielders and a good closer. Then you scan the list of possible starting pitchers and see these four names included among them: Ken Hill. Kent Mercker. Tom Candiotti. Tim Belcher. Six years ago those four would have been decent complementary members of a staff. Hill, a righty, was a strong No. 2 starter. Mercker, a lefty, was a decent long reliever and spot starter. Righthanders Candiotti and Belcher seemed past their prime but ate some innings. Now, thousands of pitches (and hits) later, they're key components of what could be the majors' ugliest staff since the Rockies debuted in 1993 with David Nied as their ace. "You're dealing with more hypotheticals than you'd probably like," says new pitching coach Bud Black. "We have healthy competition, which is nice. But the couple of ifs can drive you crazy."

Black's ifs number more like a couple of trillion. If Hill, 34, can rebound from the myriad injuries (inflamed right elbow, strained right groin, tendinitis in his left knee) that made him unproductive (4-11, 4.77 ERA) last season.... If the 32-year-old Mercker's new paint-the-corners approach transforms him into a consistent winner.... If Candiotti, 42, can still get hitters out with his knuckler.... If the 38-year-old Belcher, who is recovering from right elbow surgery and won't return until May, can make a strong comeback.... If 23-year-old rookie phenom Ramon Ortiz, who has a big league fastball and changeup, is mature enough to be the No. 2 starter.... If lefthander Jarrod Washburn's spring poundings were only a matter of rust from a ribcage injury that limited him to 16 appearances last year.... If Jason Dickson, an All-Star in 1997, can bounce back after missing last season with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.... If closer Troy Percival's abysmal second half (6.00 ERA, seven blown saves in 15 chances) was a fluke, not the result of a tired arm.... If new general manager Bill Stoneman can swing that Matt Walbeck for Pedro Martinez blockbuster....

Last season, surprisingly, Anaheim's staff was something of a bright spot during a hellish year of finger-pointing, whining and an inordinate number of injuries. The Angels' 4.79 ERA was fifth lowest in the American League, and opponents batted just .269. But Anaheim didn't even try to re-sign its ace, 12-game winner Chuck Finley.

Scioscia admits the Anaheim pitching is questionable. To offset it, he's hoping that his lineup, which has the potential to put up big numbers, remains healthy enough to do so. Last year the nine hitters in the Angels' projected lineup missed 440 of a possible 1,458 starts. First baseman Mo Vaughn sprained his left ankle on Opening Day and missed 43 games. Shortstop Gary DiSarcina broke his left forearm when he was struck by a coach's fungo backswing and was on the disabled list for three months. Outfielders Tim Salmon and Jim Edmonds, the Nos. 4 and 5 hitters, respectively, were plagued by various maladies and played a combined 153 games. Though Anaheim was 11th in the league in homers and last in batting in 1999, this year's offense, which also features leftfielder Darin Erstad and third baseman Troy Glaus, has plenty of firepower. "This is one of the most explosive lineups I've ever been with," says Vaughn, whose .281 average was his first below .300 since 1993. "When I was in Boston, this team always scared me. The thing is, last year we weren't together."

In 1999 the Angels' clubhouse atmosphere was toxic. Vaughn ripped Edmonds for waiting until the season started to undergo right shoulder surgery, which kept him out until August. Randy Velarde, now with the A's, Vaughn and other players met with G.M. Bill Bavasi in June to protest a proposed contract extension for manager Terry Collins. Collins resigned in September. Finley was the subject of nonstop trade rumors.

"This is a new season, a new feel," says Vaughn. "We all saw Mike Scioscia when he was catching with the Dodgers -- a hard-nosed guy who knew how to play the game. Now we've got someone to play hard for, someone we respect."

But unless Scioscia can pitch, his leadership probably won't be enough.

Issue date: March 27, 2000

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