Hollins Wants to Earn His $2.4 Million

Dave Hollins has a guaranteed contract that will pay him $2.4 million this season. The only questions: Who will be paying it? And for what services rendered?

Hollins could be the starting third baseman or designated hitter for the Angels. He could be a super utility guy, playing three or four games a week at first base, third base and DH.

He has no desire to be a spare part.

“I’m going to play somewhere--I’m not going to steal money,� said Hollins, who is battling touted youngster Troy Glaus for the third-base job. “If not here, it will be somewhere else. I need to be out there.�

Hollins is one of baseball’s most intense players, an aggressive, hard-nosed, linebacker-in-spikes type who knows only one speed: full throttle. Great qualities for an everyday player, they are not conducive to starting once a week or pinch-hitting.

“I wouldn’t be much fun to be around,� Hollins said of a prospective bench role. “They know that. If I’m not the third baseman or the DH, they’ll try to move me.�

Hollins doesn’t want to move. This is his third season in Anaheim, and he believes with the addition of Mo Vaughn and Tim Belcher that the Angels finally have a legitimate chance to reach the World Series.

“This is the team to be on,� Hollins said. “Being on a team that could win it all makes you more flexible [in terms of accepting a lesser role]. I can do whatever as long as I’m in the lineup, hitting.�

But if he’s not? “I wouldn’t want to leave,� he said, “but I wouldn’t shed any tears if I did.�

Hollins’ immediate future will hinge on how he returns from surgery to repair his rotator cuff. He won’t have the arm strength he used to have, but Hollins believes he might be more accurate if he doesn’t try to throw too hard.

“I’ve watched him real close this spring,� Manager Terry Collins said. “His arm and release point look good, and he’s swinging the bat as well as I’ve seen him this early in camp.�

*

Angel ace Chuck Finley has been experiencing some stiffness in his upper back, a recurring spring-training problem for the left-hander, so Collins gave him Saturday off. . . . Matt Luke, the former Dodger who is bidding for a reserve job in the outfield or at first base, has not been able to take batting practice yet because of a strained muscle in his back, an injury he suffered while lifting weights during the off-season. He should be able to hit by Tuesday or Wednesday. . . . The Angels agreed to terms on a one-year deal with pitcher Scott Schoeneweis, who is expected to start the season at triple-A. . . . Today marks the Angels’ last practice before they transition into a game mode. They’ll play intrasquad games Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and an exhibition game against Arizona State on Wednesday night before Cactus League play begins Friday.