. . . TO THE ANGELS, WHO HAVE QUESTIONS : THE QUESTION IS, WHO'S ON THIRD?

Byline: Joe Haakenson

There is one word that will be associated with the Angels throughout spring training, which begins today when pitchers and catchers report to camp in Tempe, Ariz.

The word is expectation, and the Angels have some high ones.

That's what happens when a team spends $80 million on one free agent - first baseman Mo Vaughn, in this case.

Many pick the Angels to win the American League West, even though they haven't won the division since 1986. The Angels, who return all of their key players plus Vaughn and pitcher Tim Belcher, nearly did it last year, battling the Texas Rangers to the final week of the season.

Although Vaughn will accept a leadership role, he is not a one-man team. The Angels have a number of players just coming into their prime.

Everyone is eager to get started. Many players, including Vaughn, have been in Arizona working out to get a jump start on spring training.

While things look good for the Angels, they aren't printing playoff tickets just yet. There are areas of concern.

Starting rotation: Pitching is always an issue and this year is no different. The Angels added Belcher, which should help, considering his experience and durability.

With Belcher joining Chuck Finley and Ken Hill in the rotation, the Angels have three solid starters. However, Hill is coming off elbow surgery and Finley is 36. Steve Sparks, Jarrod Washburn, Omar Olivares, Mark Petkovsek and Scott Schoeneweis are competing for the other two spots in the rotation.

Bullpen: The Angels lost Pep Harris, who blew out his elbow in Winter League, and Mike James, who is coming off surgeries on his elbow and shoulder. They have Rich DeLucia and Shigetoshi Hasegawa to set up Troy Percival but are otherwise thin. Percival is one of the game's best, saving a career-high 42 games last season.

Third base: Don't insert Troy Glaus' name into the lineup just yet. The Angels brought him up late last season, out of necessity more than anything else. He held his own defensively but hit just .218 and struck out 31 percent of the time in 48 games. Last year was his first full season of professional ball and it might not be far-fetched to think he'll spend some time in the minors this year.

So who plays third?

Dave Hollins suffered through an injury-plagued 1998, playing in only 101 games and hitting just .242. But at age 32, and with a hard-working attitude, the Angels hope he can return to the form he showed in 1997, when he hit .288 with 16 homers and 85 RBI.

The only other alternative would be to trade for a third baseman.

Second base: The Angels re-signed Randy Velarde, who almost retired after a slow recovery from reconstructive elbow surgery. But he returned late last season and hit .261 in 51 games.

One of the Angels' offseason goals was to get a speedy leadoff hitter who could play second, but they were unable to land one. They thought they might have one in Justin Baughman, but he broke his leg in Winter League and isn't expected back until June.

Outfield: Talent isn't the problem here. Unless the Angels trade one, the plan is to rotate Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds, Darin Erstad and Garret Anderson through the DH spot.

Edmonds and Anderson, both the subjects of trade rumors during the offseason, hit .307 and .294 last year, respectively, and might yet be traded.

Vaughn also could be worked into the DH rotation because Erstad, who is coming off his first All-Star season, can play first base.

The question is how the players will accept it, although there seem to be few ego problems. And it might be a good idea to give Salmon some time in the DH spot, considering his offseason foot surgery limited him to the spot most of last season.

Catcher: Todd Greene says he can catch now, that his shoulder is almost 100 percent. But he won't catch every day, and th e Angels don't have anyone they feel comfortable with doing so.

Phil Nevin, Matt Walbeck and Charlie O'Brien all put in time behind the plate last season, but at least one of them won't be around this year.

ROSTER REVIEW

THE PROBABLES

Starting pitchers: Chuck Finley (LHP), Tim Belcher (RHP), Ken Hill (RHP), Omar Olivares (RHP), Steve Sparks (RHP)

Relief pitchers: Troy Percival (RHP), Shigetoshi Hasegawa (RHP), Rich DeLucia (RHP), Mike Holtz (LHP)

Outfielders: Garret Anderson (LF), Jim Edmonds (CF), Tim Salmon (RF), Darin Erstad (OF-1B)

Infielders: Dave Hollins (3B-1B), Gary DiSarcina (SS), Randy Velarde (2B), Mo Vaughn (1B)

Catchers: Todd Greene, Phil Nevin, Matt Walbeck

ON THE BUBBLE

Pitchers: Jason Dickson (RHP), Mark Petkovsek (RHP), Jarrod Washburn (LHP), Scott Schoeneweis (LHP)

Outfielders: Matt Luke, Orlando Palmeiro, Reggie Williams

Infielders: Nelson Castro (INF), Troy Glaus (3B), Craig Shipley (INF), Andy Stankiewicz (INF).

Catcher: Charlie O'Brien

CAPTION(S):

Box

BOX: ROSTER REVIEW (see text)