A Look Back Clouds Predictions for Angels

Everyone makes mistakes, miscalculates--or in the Angels’ case, just plain overdoses on wishful thinking.

The Angels were going to challenge for the American League West title.

The Angels were going to prove that you can teach an old second baseman new tricks, this time in left field.

The Angels were going to feature a farm club-produced infield, a revived starting rotation, a dependable bullpen.

The Angels were going to steal bases, steadily manufacture runs. They were going to be young and fun.

We’re waiting.

The Angels we know are 17-25 and in last place. The Angels we know don’t resemble the team that was promised before the season’s beginning. Here now, a refresher course of Angel predictions.

The Past: “Just like everyone else in our division, we like our outfield (offensively). Now we’ll see who catches the ball the best.”--former Angel Manager Gene Mauch on that formidable preseason trio of Johnny Ray, Devon White and Chili Davis.

The Present: Mauch would become a Marlboro junkie again if he had to witness the daily defensive adventures of Ray and Davis. Catch the ball the best? The Angels consider it an organizational victory if Ray and Davis catch the ball at all. Easily the worst defensive outfield in the American League.

The Past: “I am very hard-pressed to think of another young infield that might be better.”--General Manager Mike Port on the Angels’ home-grown group of Wally Joyner, Mark McLemore, Dick Schofield and Jack Howell.

The Present: So why then is Port actively pursuing a trade that reportedly would involve the aforementioned Schofield? And how come owner Gene Autry has said he would consider any deal that would aid the Angels, including one that included the prized Joyner? And while we’re at it, Port might be very hard-pressed to think of a better young infield that has performed so below its capabilities.

The Past: “I wouldn’t trade my infield for Minnesota’s. At the corners, I’ll take Joyner and Howell over (Kent) Hrbek and (Gary) Gaetti. Maybe Gaetti has a little more power, but he’s played longer than Howell. At shortstop, I’d take mine. Schofield knows the hitters better. At second base, theirs is not better. At first base, theirs is not better. Joyner runs better than Hrbek and he’s going to last longer.”--Manager Cookie Rojas on comparative infields.

The Present: So far, the only real running Hrbek has had to do is around the basepaths--he is tied for the major league lead in home runs. Meanwhile, Joyner tries to regain his past form. As for the Gaetti vs. Howell debate, give me Gaetti. Sorry, Cookie, but Gaetti is only three years older and has averaged more than 30 homers and 105 RBIs the last two seasons. Schofield wins hands down at shortstop. McLemore remains too inconsistent at second.

The Past: “This season, if a couple of these kids come through for us, we might be right up there. I think we could surprise a lot of people.”--Autry in his preseason predictions.

The Present: Oh, they’ve surprised a lot of people, all right, mainly Autry and front-office types everywhere. This wasn’t a division winner to begin with, but not even Autry expected to be so far back this early in the season.

The Past: “My velocity is back up, and I feel good. I think I’ll be ready.”--reliever Donnie Moore.

The Present: And as soon as Moore returns from another stay on the disabled list, he’ll show you.

The Past: “Stew has been outstanding. He’s shown no ill effects from his previous arm problems, and he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s actually doing some things better than before the surgery. His slider is a little better and his straight change is much better.”--Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann on reliever Stewart Cliburn.

The Present: So outstanding is Cliburn that Rojas only occasionally uses him in pressure situations.

The Past: “You’d like to feel Mike Witt will have as good a year as he’s ever had. And that’s 18 wins. I feel the same way about (Kirk) McCaskill--17 wins--and why couldn’t he? I feel the same way about (Dan) Petry--18 or 19 wins. And why couldn’t he do that? You’d like to feel there’ll be a normal amount of improvement by (Willie) Fraser. And that would mean something over 10 (wins). It could all happen. It’s not like any one of them are decrepit.”--Mauch on four members of the Angel starting rotation.

The Present: You’d like to feel that way, but you can’t. Not with this team. Witt will be fortunate to win 15 games, McCaskill 14. Petry, who can’t seem to catch a break these days, would do well to reach 13 victories. And Fraser spent the last week in the bullpen rather than the rotation.

The Past: “He can be as good as anybody. He can be as good as he wants to be. What he’s done already is amazing--and he’s just going to get better.”--Rojas on Joyner.

The Present: Although Mr. Amazing has raised his average to .275, he has only 2 homers and 14 RBIs. Not all of this is Joyner’s fault. It would have helped if McLemore had not bombed as a leadoff man. . . . and Davis not faltered as a run producer . . . and White not injured his knee. If anyone has the swing to revise his numbers in a hurry, it’s Joyner.

The Past: “The way I hit last year was not the way a leadoff man is supposed to hit. I lost confidence toward the end of the year. But this is a new year, and it comes down to me doing the things I’m capable of doing.”--McLemore on leading off.

The Present: The way he hit this year also was not the way a leadoff man is supposed to hit. Which is why McLemore can be found near the end of the batting order now.

The Past: “I think it’s all right that people don’t think of us as being that good a baseball team. But I pitched against the Angels last year, and that was no last-place team, not in terms of talent. It’s good everybody is picking us fifth. That way, we can sneak into the season and when we’re one or two games out in early September, everybody’ll be saying, ‘Where did the Angels come from?’ “--Petry on the Angels.

The Present: As opposed to the question everybody is asking nowadays: “Where did the Angels go?”