PRO BASEBALL / JEFF FLETCHER : Heavenly Matriculation Anderson’s Next Move

If minor league baseball were like college, Garret Anderson would have graduated.

But, while many college graduates wait for an opening in the job market, Anderson is waiting for an opening in the Angels’ outfield.

Anderson, a former Kennedy High standout, is having his best minor league season, hitting .353 with six home runs and 53 runs batted in for triple-A Vancouver.

“I don’t think you can ask him to do much more,� said Ken Forsch, Angels’ director of minor league operations. “He’s done everything you could ask in triple-A. The only thing he can do is wait for the call.�

Although Forsch said Anderson is ready for the majors, it is not his call. That decision will be made by General Manager Bill Bavasi and Manager Marcel Lachemann.

The problem is the Angels have no openings in their outfield. Center fielder Chad Curtis and right fielder Tim Salmon are entrenched in the lineup, and left fielder Jim Edmonds has played himself into rookie of the year contention by hitting .331 and playing good defense.

But Anderson, who turns 22 on Thursday, continues to improve while he waits.

After starting slowly this season, he raised his average with a 27-game hitting streak. He hit safely in 42 of 44 games during a stretch. And his home run total is two more than his career high.

“I think with maturity, he’s gotten a little stronger and has a little more pop,� Forsch said. “I’d say he’s done all he can do in triple-A.�

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Add Angels: Vancouver left-hander Andrew Lorraine, from Hart High, might also be ready for the major leagues.

“We are very pleased with him,� Forsch said. “I would say if (the Angels) needed an arm, I wouldn’t hesitate to bring him up.�

Forsch is impressed by Lorraine’s work habits.

“Last year, we asked him to go to winter ball because we thought he needed to get some innings in, and the next thing I knew, he was in Miami trying to get a visa to go to Venezuela. You have to admire a kid like that,� Forsch said.

Lorraine, 21, is 7-3 with a 3.59 earned-run average in his first full pro season. He was drafted in the fourth round out of Stanford last June and shot near the top of the Angels’ list of prospects by going 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA at Class-A Boise, Idaho. He spent a few weeks in the major league camp this spring before he was sent to triple-A.

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Movin’ up: Joe Rosselli, who missed virtually the entire 1993 season with shoulder problems, doesn’t seem to have been slowed on his progress through the San Francisco Giants’ system. Rosselli was called up to triple-A Phoenix this week, and he made his first start Thursday night.

Rosselli, 22, an Alemany graduate, was 7-2 with a 1.89 ERA for double-A Shreveport, La., when he got the call. Although he gave up seven runs in 5 1/3 innings and lost in his first start for Phoenix, the Giants are optimistic.

“He should really do well at triple-A because of the type of pitcher he is,� said Brian Sabean, Giants’ president of scouting and player personnel. “Hopefully this should be a springboard for his promotion to the big leagues, if not this year certainly next year.�

Rosselli progressed steadily until last season, when he had shoulder surgery, limiting him to 23 innings at double-A. He needed only 90 2/3 innings this season before the Giants determined he was ready to move up.

“You don’t know how anybody is going to respond after an injury, but Joe is such a hard worker that he is a little ahead of schedule,� Sabean said.

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Buy a ticket: Buffalo first baseman Rich Aude created a stir earlier this season when he stood at home plate and watched his ninth-inning, game-winning home run sail over the fence against Louisville.

The umpires had to escort Aude, a former Chatsworth standout, around the bases to prevent a fight, according to Brian Green, who works in the Bisons’ front office.

“The pitcher said a few things to me and I said a few things to him,� Aude said. “It was just one of those things.�

Reggie Jackson imitations notwithstanding, Aude, 22, has done his best to push himself into the major leagues. He is hitting .293 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs, all at triple-A. Aude spent last season bouncing between double-A, triple-A and even a short September stint in the majors.

“I have moved up a level and it’s a little tougher, but I think I am keeping my head above water,� Aude said.

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Comeback trail: Montreal Expos’ prospect Brad Fullmer is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation from April shoulder surgery, he said.

Fullmer, a former infielder at Montclair Prep, said he feels no pain and will be able to hit after his July 11 follow-up examination with Dr. Frank Jobe, who performed the surgery. Fullmer said he expects to be able to throw about two months later.

“I could probably do everything now, but they don’t want to rush it,� Fullmer said. “It’s ahead of schedule, though.�

Fullmer, 19, who said he was lifting five-pound weights a week after his surgery, is expected to play in instructional league in the fall, and he may then move to an off-season league for prospects such as the Arizona Fall League.

Fullmer was drafted by the Expos in the second round last year, and he subsequently received a $417,500 bonus, the largest ever for a second-round pick. But he has yet to play a regular-season professional game because he signed late last year and the shoulder problem kept him from playing this year.

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Short hops: Tim Laker, a graduate of Simi Valley High, has been a hot hitter lately with Ottawa, the Expos’ triple-A affiliate. Laker, 24, is batting .301 with four home runs and 27 RBIs. Last season, Laker hit .230 in 56 games at triple-A and .198 in 43 games with the Expos. . . .

Calgary, the triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, was the highest scoring team in the minors through the end of May, and one of the contributors was former Hueneme High and Oxnard College standout Jerry Willard, who is hitting .326 with 41 RBIs. Willard, 34, has 14 home runs, tied for fifth in the Pacific Coast League.