There Is Less Fielder but Just as Much Talent

TEMPE, Ariz. â€”  It’s obvious Angel designated hitter Cecil Fielder has lost a significant amount of weight since last year. How much is anyone’s guess, including Fielder’s.

“I don’t get on a scale too much--that’s a bad influence for me,� Fielder said. “It doesn’t really matter what I weigh. It’s the determination to perform that drives you. I’ve seen a lot of chiseled guys who couldn’t play. I mean, do you want to look good in the lobby or on the field?�

Fielder’s weight has fluctuated throughout his 11-year career, from about 240 to 270 pounds, but he appears to be about 245 this spring. He shed between 25 and 35 pounds in 1997 while recovering from thumb surgery, and maintained the lower weight through winter workouts.

But just because Fielder has a sleeker chassis, don’t expect him to be racing around the basepaths and adding to his two career stolen bases.

“I’m not going to be stealing many bags,� said Fielder, who has 302 career home runs and 940 runs batted in. “There have always been doubts because of my size, but I’ve made believers of a few people during my career. Looking good does not get the job done. It’s performance.�

Fielder didn’t look too good in the cage Saturday, fouling off numerous pitches during a live batting-practice session on the second day of full-squad workouts, but there’s a good reason his timing is off.

“I don’t hit or even pick up a baseball during the winter,� Fielder said. “It’s good to leave the game alone because then you’re eager to start back up again in the spring. This early in camp, I’m just getting the kinks out.�

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The Angels already have three pitchers--Omar Olivares, William VanLandingham and Rich Robertson, competing for the rotation’s fifth spot, and if they sign either Jack McDowell or Orlando Hernandez, the free-agent pitchers they’re negotiating with, there will be even more competition for starting jobs.

“I guess the more the merrier,� pitcher Allen Watson said. “It puts a lot of pressure on certain guys. It’s going to be some spring training, just watching how these guys react.�

Olivares reacts by blocking out the distractions.

“I only look at the newspapers to see what movies are playing,� he said. “You can’t worry about what the front office is doing. If you work hard and pitch your best, things will fall into place.�