ANGELS NOTEBOOK : ANGELS SIGN BORDERS TO IMPROVE CATCHING.Hoping to improve their catching defense, the Angels on Saturday acquired former World Series MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. Pat Borders The price was cheap: the Angels traded minor-league left-handed pitcher Ben VanRyn to the St. Louis Cardinals For the National Football League team that played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987, see . The St. Louis Cardinals (also referred to as "the Cards" or "the Redbirds") are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. for the 33-year-old catcher. In doing so, the Angels sent a clear message of their displeasure in the defense of Don Slaught Donald Martin Slaught (born September 11 1958 in Long Beach, California) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who had a 16-year career from 1982 to 1997. He played for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, California Angels and Chicago White Sox, all of and Jorge Fabregas. Throwing out runners attempting to steal has been the pair's main deficiency. Slaught was hitting .317 and Fabregas .261, but in sharing catching duties they had combined to throw out only 18 of 88 (20 percent) would-be base stealers. ``We felt we needed to strengthen ourselves from a throwing standpoint,'' Angels manager Marcel Lachemann Marcel Ernest Lachemann (born June 13, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is a baseball pitching coach and a former relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. After a three-year stint (1969 - 1971 in the majors, he became the pitching coach for the California Angels in 1984. said. ``(The reason for the trade) is pretty self-evident. We got another catcher. We need help catching.'' Borders will report Monday and when he does the Angels will have to make room for him on their 25-man roster. Teams rarely keep three catchers, but general manager Bill Bavasi said it's a strong possibility. ``We're leaning toward keeping three catchers but we're not dead set on that,'' Bavasi said. Lachemann refused to say if Borders would be the everyday catcher. ``I'm not going to put any specific number on it, but he will play,'' Lachemann said. ``It will depend on the matchup and depend on who's hot.'' Borders, a nine-year veteran, hit .319 in 26 games for the Cardinals before being designated for assignment Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. on Thursday when Dennis Eckersley was activated. A career .254 hitter, Borders played in four American League Championship Series
``He's been a catch-and-throw guy and he's another guy who played on a winning team,'' Lachemann said. ``He's a pretty quiet, hard-nosed guy.'' Angels signings: The Angels announced the signing of 10 of their draft picks, including third baseman/catcher Eric Gillespie, their 10th-round pick from Cal State Northridge. |
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