Cabrera seen in a new light

By: GREG BALL - Staff Writer | Thursday, April 14, 2005 11:10 PM PDT ∞

Orlando Cabrera may not be the next coming of Vladimir Guerrero, but he sure is happy to have followed his former teammate to Anaheim.

Buried for the past six seasons in the baseball purgatory that was the Montreal Expos, the Angels' new shortstop said he's overjoyed to have started the 2005 season on a team with a chance to win.

"I love that. I never had that chance before," Cabrera said. "Playing for the team that everybody wants to beat, that's the thing I've always liked.

"Everybody comes out here and wants to beat the Angels."

That's not to say Cabrera didn't have high expectations for himself and his team when he played north of the border. But it would have been hard for anyone to be optimistic given the Expos' situation.

Owned by the major-leagues' other 29 clubs, the team ---- which has since relocated and played its first home game Thursday as the Washington Nationals ---- played some home games in Puerto Rico the last two years and played the rest in front of tiny crowds at Olympic Stadium.

Because they couldn't pay to keep their stars, the Expos of recent years essentially became a farm club for the rest of the league. The list of players developed by the Expos before going on to become stars elsewhere includes Randy Johnson, Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez and Moises Alou.

Guerrero joined that group when he signed with the Angels before the 2004 season and won the American League MVP award in his first year in Anaheim. After being traded to Boston midway through last season and then inking a 4-year, $32-million Angels contract in December, Cabrera hopes to experience similar success.

"Here, everybody expects you to win the division," Cabrera said. "It makes you work harder. There are a lot of responsibilities to show up every night and do your best and help the team win games."

Because he was hidden in Montreal for so many years, Southern California baseball fans might be surprised to find out what a good player they acquired in December. Both offensively and defensively, Cabrera is a significant upgrade over David Eckstein, the undersized fan favorite who served as a key ingredient in the team's 2002 World Series victory, but was limited physically.

Eckstein signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after being let go because of Cabrera's acquisition.

Cabrera has good pop at the plate and some speed on the bases. In six full major-league seasons, he has hit .268 with 412 RBIs and 97 steals, and through the Angels' first nine games, he is hitting .290 with five extra-base hits, six RBIs, six walks and a stolen base.

Defensively, major-league scouts rank Cabrera in a second tier of shortstops, just behind players such as the Dodgers' Cesar Izturis and the Giants' Omar Vizquel.

"He's got to be at the top," said Angels second baseman Chone Figgins, who as a minor leaguer admired Cabrera's skills watching him on TV. "Just the way he moves ---- he goes in the hole, he comes and gets it, he goes up the middle. On double plays, he's always on time.

"You just appreciate that more when you actually get to play with him. You see how good he really is."

Cabrera's superior range and his veteran presence should help anchor the Angels' inexperienced infield.

To Cabrera's left is Figgins, a utility player filling in at second base until Adam Kennedy's expected mid-May return from a knee injury. To Cabrera's right, the team plans to start rookie Dallas McPherson at third base once he recovers from a back injury. Thus far this season, the Angels have used Robb Quinlan and Maicer Izturis as stopgap solutions.

"With Cabrera and Figgy up the middle, the defensive chemistry up the middle has been terrific," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Those guys in the middle are a big part of what we need to do."

Pitchers like Cabrera's skills almost as much as Scioscia does. If they weren't already aware of the shortstop's vacuum-cleaner status with the glove, they could have talked to Dodgers right-hander Derek Lowe.

Lowe was struggling through an up-and-down season with Boston last year before Cabrera joined the Red Sox in a trade-deadline deal. A sinker-ball pitcher, Lowe saw his ERA drop from 5.66 in July to 4.16 in August, and watched his opponents' batting average shrink from .310 to .261 in the same time frame.

Some of that was attributed to Cabrera's defensive presence.

"He makes the routine play, and he makes the exceptional play. He comes with a good reputation, and I thought he was even better than his reputation," Lowe said.

"He's going to be a huge addition."

On deck

At Oakland

Friday, 7:05 p.m. (KCAL9, KSPN/710) RHP Bartolo Colon (1-1, 4.97) vs. LHP Barry Zito (0-2, 11.57)

Saturday, 1:05 p.m. (FSN, KSPN/710) LHP Jarrod Washburn (0-0, 4.76) vs. RHP Rich Harden (1-0, 1.69)

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. (FSN, KSPN/710) RHP John Lackey (1-0, 6.52) vs. RHP Kirk Saarloos (1-1, 5.59)

Western swing: The Angels continue their trip through the AL West with their first visit to Oakland since clinching the division there last fall. They play 14 of 25 games this month against division foes. So far, they are 4-2 against the West, all games against Texas.

Ace struggling: Zito, the only remaining member of Oakland's vaunted "Big Three" ---- Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder left as free agents in the offseason ---- is off to a rough start as the A's ace this season. In his first start, he allowed four earned runs in six innings, and last Friday, he got hammered for eight earned runs on seven hits and three walks without making it out of the fourth inning. Harden could be good enough to replaced one of the departed Big Three ----- he won 11 games last season.

For starters: The Angels are hoping to get better performances out of their starting pitchers in this series. Colon gave six runs on 11 hits in his last outing, an 8-3 loss to Kansas City. Washburn allowed six runs on 12 hits when he last pitched, Monday against Texas.

Greg Ball can be reached at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2629 or gball@californian.com.