ANGELS : Sojo Needs to Work More on His Timing

MESA, Ariz. â€”  Luis Sojo’s timing at the plate is fine, but the Angel second baseman’s ability to tell time needs improvement.

Sojo missed his first workout with his new team because he missed his flight from Los Angeles to Phoenix Tuesday night. He arrived at Gene Autry Park too late for the first full-squad workout, but he took part in Wednesday afternoon’s batting practice.

“It was the time change,� he said with an embarrassed smile. “I got my watch on Venezuela time, four hours different.�

Besides the time difference, Sojo must adjust to a new team and a relatively new position. He was surprised when the Toronto Blue Jays traded him to the Angels last December, but he says the move will help his career. The success of the switch from shortstop to second base is yet to be determined, because he has played only 15 major league games at second, but Angel Manager Doug Rader has no qualms about installing him there.

“He knows the position. He just needs to become a little more adept at the subtle things, like moving his foot on the pivot,� Rader said. “He has no glaring deficiencies at second base. It’s a matter of technique and getting him to be the best he can be.�

Sojo played second base in the Venezuelan League last winter and won his second consecutive batting title. He now hopes to become as proficient in the field.

“The first couple of months I didn’t like it and I said, ‘I want to leave this position.’ But now it’s OK,� said Sojo, who will probably bat second. “Now I don’t worry about hitting because I make contact. Right now, I worry about my defense. Cookie Rojas (an Angel scout and former second baseman) was in Venezuela and he worked with me.

“When Toronto moved me to second base I thought they wanted to give me a chance to play in the big leagues because they had Tony Fernandez (at shortstop). I didn’t think they would trade me, but I think it’s a good move. You get a chance to play every day, a big break, that’s your dream in baseball, to play every day.�

With Gary Gaetti at third base, Rader is looking at Jack Howell to be a backup at third and second and in left field. But Howell sees himself as a front-line player, a vision he’s reluctant to give up.

“I still definitely feel I can play every day. I plan on keeping focused that way until I’m told otherwise,� said Howell, who hit .228 last season and spent a month with triple-A Edmonton. “I definitely think I can still play third every day for another team.

“If (backup at various positions) is what they plan on doing and I’m going to see a significant amount of playing time, well, as long as I get games and at-bats, I’ll play anywhere. I’m still young (29), and I think I haven’t reached my potential as an everyday third baseman.�

Dave Winfield began his first spring training with the Angels by predicting he will have a “typical� season. By his definition, that is 100 runs batted in, a batting average of about .290 and scoring 100 runs.

The 39-year-old outfielder said he would have done that last year had the season lasted another few weeks, so strong was his finish and so positive was his outlook after leaving the New York Yankees. Although he hit .233 and drove in 13 runs in the first month after he was acquired from New York, he finished at .267 with 21 home runs and a club-leading 78 RBIs.

“The first half, I was ready for spring training, then we were locked out. When we came back, my timing and fitness were off and that set me back,� said Winfield, who missed the 1989 season after undergoing back surgery. “The second half, what was so important is the club never gave up on me. That vote of confidence was better than anything I’d gotten in nine years in New York.�

He is basking in the tranquility he has found with the Angels. “I might be able to put away my Mylanta and Zantac (antacids),� Winfield said. “I’m not bitter. The Yankees did me the biggest favor they could.�

Rader plans to rotate his designated hitters based on the opposing pitcher and which of his veterans might need a rest. He wouldn’t identify the candidates, but catcher Lance Parrish expects to be among them.

“I see myself DH-ing a little more,� said Parrish, who caught 131 games last season and will be 35 in June. “I’d just as soon take a break DH-ing as sit on the bench. I did a lot of that in Detroit. Sparky (Anderson), rather than take me out of the lineup, used to DH me to give me a rest.�

Mark Langston isn’t sure how the rumor got started, but he has read it in several newspapers--and even Rader has referred to it.

The scurrilous scoop? That Langston has altered his delivery. He said he hasn’t changed anything, but is refining adjustments he made last season.

“There’s nothing new, except to re-emphasize what we found in the second half of last season when we went over videotapes of when I was with Seattle,� Langston said. “I don’t know whether the things I was doing wrong had anything to do with last year. Last year was just a bad year. Now the slate’s clean. Erasing the videotapes from last year is the best thing I can do.�

Kirk McCaskill, recovering from surgery on his right elbow, displayed probably the best curveball of the spring Wednesday. . . . Bert Blyleven probably will test his right shoulder in some B games, which start March 8.