AMERICAN LEAGUE.(brief notes on American Baseball League teams and tournaments)

Anaheim

NO CHEATING: RF Tim Salmon's batting average hovered in the .260 range for the first four months of last season because he had to "cheat" to hit fastballs. He picked up the bad habit after returning from the D.L. in 1999. He started his swing earlier than usual to catch up to high-velocity pitches, which made him vulnerable to off-speed and breaking pitches. But Salmon finally found his groove in late July and thinks the problem is corrected.... The Angels' offense ranked only seventh in the league with 864 runs, primarily because 147 of their 236 home runs came with the bases empty. To maximize their run potential, they must improve their on-base percentage in the second, eighth and ninth spots in the order.

STARTING PITCHERS ANALYSIS: Veteran RHP Pat Rapp should chew up innings and keep the Angels in games, but he's hardly the ace the team needs to contend. The team's most talented starter is RHP Ramon Ortiz, who can be erratic. But he had four quality starts in his last five games, which is reason for encouragement. LHP Jarred Washburn can win when healthy, but he must avoid nagging injuries. Tim Belcher, 39, should win a rotation spot if he is sound. Scott Schoeneweis, the sinkerball-throwing lefty, and RHP Matt Wise, who showed promise during a brief big-league stint before succumbing to an arm injury in September, will compete for the fifth spot, but both could wind up in the rotation if Belcher is not healthy. --Mike DiGiovanna

Baltimore

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Melvin Mora has been honing his outfield skills in the Venezuelan League this winter, preparing for a full-time move to center in 2001. Mora, 29, became the official center fielder the day the team re-obtained free-agent SS Mike Bordick. After coming to the Orioles from the Mets in a swap for, of all people, Bordick, Mom played shortstop, but he was woefully inconsistent, making spectacular plays but botching easy ones. The team wanted to avoid having to play Mora at shortstop again in 2001, and signing Bordick made it a done deal.... The team declined to offer a contract to RHP Calvin Maduro, making him a free agent. However, the team might try to re-sign him before spring training.

STARTING PITCHERS ANALYSIS: The dangerously thin rotation got a boost with the signing of RHP Pat Hentgen. He becomes the opening' day starter, taking away some pressure off RHP Sidney Ponson, 24. Hentgen hardly replaces ace RHP Mike Mussina, but he is a dependable innings-eater who won 15 games for the Cardinals. Hentgen heads a rotation that includes Ponson, veteran journeyman (and 14-game winner) RHP Jose Mercedes and two question marks. LHP Chuck McElroy, strictly a reliever for 10 years, was impressive in two emergency starts in September. But the last two spots both could go to youngsters, among them LHP John Parrish and RHPs Luis Rivera, Jay Spurgeon, Josh Towers and Mark Nussbeck. --Dave Sheinin

Boston