Designated Sitter

TEMPE, Ariz. – A group of reporters crowded around the locker of a prominent Angels outfielder Tuesday and everybody knew exactly what was coming next.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have four outfielders for three starting jobs so it didn’t take long for the questions about playing time in the outfield and the possibility of being the team’s designated hitter to come into play.

The player said he wants to play the outfield. The player said he’s not ready to be the designated hitter. The player was Garret Anderson.

Vladimir Guerrero said almost the exact same thing only a few hours earlier.

Welcome to the real-life Angels in the outfield where Guerrero, Anderson or Gary Matthews Jr. is going to be in the designated hitter spot and somebody is likely going to be annoyed about it each day. Only Torii Hunter, who will start in center field daily, will have a smile on his face every time he checks the lineup card. On second thought, Hunter has a smile on his face no matter the situation.

“If you look at Vlad last year, he had probably more DH at-bats [159] because he was banged up,” Scioscia said. “He DH’d pretty much the last month of the season.

“Those four bats have to be in the lineup. The DH is going to be a tool. I’ve talked to Vlad. He’s not ready for that [full-time DH role]. We’re going to have that option now. I think Vlad understands the luxury we have, that if he comes in and his legs are a little stiff, he’s going to DH.

“We’re going to take advantage of that. Nobody’s talking about an everyday DH. We’ll work through it.”

Scioscia said the DH at-bats will be allocated by health, matchups and circumstances.

Guerrero has the numbers to be a decent designated hitter. He hit .270 as a DH, with 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 159 at-bats. Overall, he is a .294 career hitter as a DH with 23 homers and 79 RBIs in 398 at-bats. The slugger made 41 DH appearances in 2007.

The tricky part is, it’s not about the numbers. It’s about perception. Let’s take a quick (and maybe dangerous) look into the mind of some baseball players. Let’s take a trip to the place where the team matters the most as long as the said player is the first player on the team.  I’m not speaking for Guerrero or Matthews or Anderson but rather for a hypothetical outfielder on a roster full of proven outfielders playing for a team that has the name of the town that houses the home park and the name of a much larger city in its official name.

Any similiarity to real people or places is coincidental. Or is it intentional?

In this world of make-believe and make-believe player thoughts, full-time designated hitter sometimes means you are at the end of your career. It means you are no longer good enough to play on a daily basis and that thing you call pride needs to be swallowed without any gagging.
Being a full-time DH means you are likely old or getting there according to this system of beliefs. It means retirement, either voluntary or forced will have to start coming up in conversation.

Few players – make-believe or real — want to face this reality. Few players want to be a full-time DH when they believe they can still play the field. Few players know when give in and take a seat while their teammates play defense – all the time.

Guerrero and Anderson are not those types of players yet. Neither is “on board” with being a full-time DH.

“No. It’s right field,” responded Guerrero when asked about the DH spot. He later added, “We’ve got to wait until the season starts and see how my body responds and then decide what’s best for me.”

Guerrero is 32 and is coming off another stellar season with the Angels (.324 average, 27 home runs and 125 RBIs in 2007). Should he be the full-time DH? No. Not with 35-year old Anderson on the roster. Anderson needs playing time in the field, he also needs more rest than he needed as a young player. Matthews needs to be in the lineup as often as possible in left or right field.

But should Guerrero start thinking about it and learning how to deal with the possibility mentally? Yes. The years of playing on turf in Montreal have taken a toll. He’s also had nagging injuries pop up now and then. Sometimes, he looks older than his age and that’s not a compliment.

It’s simple, really. Anderson and Guerrero need to get used to the reality of being a full-time DH soon, maybe this spring but definitely this year. Anything else is just make-believe.