AMERICAN LEAGUE.(baseball teams)

Anaheim

RESERVE TROUBLE: When asked who his backup third baseman would be if utility player Scott Spiezio wins the first-base job this spring, manager Mike Scioscia said, "Scott Spiezio." Seriously, though, the team could find itself in a bind if Spiezio, who can play second, third and the outfield, beats out Wally Joyner and Larry Barnes at first. If 3B Troy Glaus leaves a game, Scioscia likely will move OF Darin Erstad to first and Spiezio to third. Scioscia expects Jose Fernandez to compete for the backup job at third, but visa problems kept him from reaching camp last week.

HEAD TO HEAD: With Gary DiSarcina sidelined until at least May while rehabilitating his surgically repaired right shoulder, Benji Gil and Wilmy Caceres will battle for the shortstop job. The player who is most reliable, shows good range and makes all the routine plays will be the starter, Scioscia says. But he also needs a player who can get on base consistently and provide leadoff batter Erstad with RBI opportunities. Caceres has excellent speed and is a good bunter, but he has played only as high as Class AA, and there is some concern that he is not ready to handle big-league pitching. Gil provided solid, if not spectacular, defense last year. He struggled offensively in the first half, batting .218, but his .284 average after the All-Star break helped him finish at .239. --Mike DiGiovanna

Baltimore

IN CONTROL: RHP Josh Towers has made an early impression with his impeccable command. In his minor league career, he walked only 85 batters in 627 1/3 innings, an average of 1.22 per nine innings. In comparison, David Wells led the A.L. in 2000 with a 1.21 average. Towers once went a month without allowing a walk, and he had stretches of 48% innings and 42 2/3 innings without a walk that same season. Coaches sometimes have to remind him to throw a pitch off the plate every now and then. Other pitchers' fastballs lap Towers' 88-mph four-seamer, but he also throws a two-seamer, circle changeup, curveball and slider. And he throws them all pretty much anywhere he wants.

HEAD TO HEAD: With RHPs Luis Rivera and Mark Nussbeck out with shoulder injuries, LHP John Parrish and RHPs Jason Johnson, Jay Spurgeon and Towers are the top contenders for the one or two spots at the back end of the rotation. Of those, Johnson has the most big-league experience, having pitched for the Orioles in parts of the past two seasons. However, he finished 2000 with a 1-10 record and a 7.02 ERA. Parrish and Spurgeon also got brief auditions in the second half of last season. Towers, who was supposed to have been called up last August but separated his shoulder on a fall down a flight of stairs two days before, might be a sleeper. --Dave Sheinin

Boston