Reprieve for Stocker

CLEVELAND —  The Angels, hoping a change of scenery and playing surfaces will spark a resurgence in Kevin Stocker’s career, agreed to terms on a contract with the veteran shortstop Tuesday and will give him a chance to win the job vacated by the injured Gary DiSarcina.

Stocker, 30, cleared waivers Tuesday after being released last week by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who must pay all but about $134,000 of his $3.3-million salary. There is no option for 2001 in the Angel deal.

Stocker, who will be in uniform Friday, had an offer from the Yankees to be a utility player, “but this is a perfect fit,” agent Joe Urbon said of the opportunity in Anaheim created by Benji Gil’s sporadic play.

Gil is batting .185 with eight runs batted in and 32 strikeouts in 43 games, and committed his 12th and 13th errors Tuesday night. He has made several outstanding plays but has botched some routine ones.

Stocker’s performance, at least defensively, wasn’t much better. He hit .263 with two homers and eight RBIs and committed 11 errors in 40 games, but 10 came on Tropicana Field’s new artificial surface, which damaged Stocker’s confidence as well as his fielding percentage.

“It got so bad that, for the first time in my life, I was standing at shortstop in the eighth inning of a game and wishing the ball wasn’t hit to me,” Stocker said in his final days with the Devil Rays.

With Tampa Bay, which this season boosted its payroll to $62 million, struggling with a league-worst 16-34 record and looking to shake up its roster, Stocker and pitcher Dwight Gooden were released Thursday.

Stocker, who had knee surgery last summer, is a switch-hitter who has little power and limited range. But he’s an extremely low-risk investment for the Angels, who also explored a possible trade for San Diego’s Chris Gomez in their efforts to upgrade at shortstop.

Stocker, who has a career .259 average in eight seasons with the Phillies and Devil Rays, will probably take over immediately for Gil, who will return to his utility role. Keith Luuloa probably will be sent back to triple-A Edmonton Friday to make room for Stocker.

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Indian pitcher Chuck Finley, who will start against his former team tonight, chuckled when asked Tuesday if he had seen anything like Cleveland’s recent spate of injuries--five starters are on the disabled list, and slugger Manny Ramirez is probably headed there because of a strained left hamstring.

“In Anaheim, it seemed like we had a guy go on the DL every other week, and a lot of times they were out for four or five months,” Finley said. “At first, I thought [all the injuries in Cleveland] were because of me. The one thing different about this team is it has a lot more to pull from when it needs replacements.”

There are plenty of other differences between Cleveland and Anaheim--Finley had to adjust to a new coaching staff, new teammates, new clubhouse personnel and a new spring training facility in Florida. He had to adjust to living in a hotel at home, a new Midwest city and some new weather, for sure.

“I miss the weather the most, those 75-degree days every day,” Finley said. “We’ve been in the 30s, 40s and 50s and had rain. But it’s hard not to like seeing a packed house every night. And I don’t miss those five-hour [coast-to-coast] flights. I get on a plane now and barely have enough time to get my peanuts and Coke down.”