Cabrera Merely Wants a Chance

TEMPE, Ariz. — If last weekend’s Angel Fest in Anaheim is any indication, fans are still having a difficult time coping with the loss of popular shortstop David Eckstein, who was let go in December -- there seemed to be as many fans wearing Eckstein jerseys and T-shirts as there were wearing Vladimir Guerrero apparel.

But give new shortstop Orlando Cabrera a chance, Manager Mike Scioscia said, and even the most ardent Eckstein boosters will understand why the Angels, who signed Cabrera to a four-year, $32-million contract, made the switch.

“I think fans will be drawn to Orlando because he has the same passion, the same heart, the same love for the game that Eck has,” Scioscia said Friday. “Once people see what kind of player Orlando is, fans will bond with him.”

Cabrera, who helped key Boston’s run to the 2004 World Series title after last July’s trade from Montreal, began bonding with his new teammates Friday when he arrived in camp four days before the first full-squad workout.

Guerrero, his former Montreal Expo teammate, is one of his best friends, and Cabrera was very pleased to be given the locker next to the American League most valuable player.

“Even though I’ve been working out every day back home [in Colombia] I wanted to get here early,” Cabrera said. “I’m so excited to be here.”

Cabrera, 30, is a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop with excellent range and a superb throwing arm. While Eckstein was a slap hitter, Cabrera brings more power -- he averaged 43 doubles a season from 2001 to 2003 and hit .294 with six homers and 31 runs batted in for the Red Sox after last summer’s trade.

Cabrera helped spark the Red Sox to baseball’s best record (42-18) from Aug. 1 on and hit .288 (17 for 59) with 11 RBIs in 14 playoff games.

“My motivation isn’t to make Angel fans forget about Eckstein, it’s to win,” Cabrera said.

“I know if I have a great season and we don’t do anything, they’re not going to appreciate my numbers. When you win, the numbers will be there.”

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Dodger pitcher Jeff Weaver said Friday that his younger brother, Jered, the Angels’ first-round pick in the 2004 draft, was growing impatient with negotiations that have dragged on for more than eight months.

“We had similarities, but I had a different approach -- I went back to school,” said Jeff Weaver, who spurned a $750,000 offer from the Chicago White Sox in 1997 to return for his senior season at Fresno State and eventually signed with Detroit in 1998. “I know what it’s like to wait it out. My brother doesn’t want to wait.”

Jered Weaver is seeking a package in the $10-million range; the Angels would prefer to pay something closer to $5 million.

Asked if Jered could just tell agent Scott Boras that he wanted to sign, Jeff Weaver said, “Absolutely. Your agent works for you -- not the opposite.”

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Kelvim Escobar, who went 11-12 with a 3.93 earned-run average in 33 starts last season, experienced tightness in his arm when he began throwing in Venezuela in mid-January and said it would be “about a week to 10 days” before he throws off a mound in Arizona.

After throwing a career-high 208 1/3 innings in 2004, Escobar did not pick up a baseball for three months. When he felt some discomfort when he began throwing off flat ground about a month ago, “I just shut it down,” he said. “I wanted to be careful.”

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Staff writer Steve Henson contributed to this report.