Dallas v. Troy

Dallas McPherson. Remember him?

The murmurs started even before the end of the 2004 season: The Halo’s had given up on one of their foundations, third baseman Troy Glaus. They were going to replace him with a young, talented prospect named Dallas McPherson. Even though Glaus averaged 36 home runs a season between 1999 and 2002 (the year the Angels won the World Series and Glaus was named Most Valuable Player), and even though he was an outstanding defensive player (he played shortstop at UCLA), and even though he was only 28 years old, he kept getting injured.

Glaus played in only 149 games combined during the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the same seasons he is now accused of using steroids. He insisted he would return to form with rest and rehab but the Angels were uncertain and then—luck of all luck—they found a Glaus clone in their minor league system.

Dallas McPherson was big like Glaus—6’4”/ 230 pounds to Glaus’ 6’5”/ 240 pounds—plus he hit for power and they wouldn’t have to pay him nearly as much. So while Glaus lingered on the disabled list, we got swift daily reports of McPherson’s exploits in the minors. When he was called up to the Angels for the final month in 2004, McPherson had driven in 57 runs in 67 games in Salt Lake City. By the end of that season the Angels were won over by the fact that it was time for a change; they let Glaus go to the Arizona Diamondbacks and installed McPherson at third base.

Almost instantaneously the hope that they had found another, younger Glaus in McPherson was confirmed. Regrettably the Glaus that McPherson reincarnate was the one who missed a crap load of games. And he missed a lot more than Glaus, actually. McPherson played in 101 games during the next two seasons, missing 223. His playing time was limited by a whole host of injuries: bone spur in his left hip, herniated disk in his lower back, back spasms, oblique strain and, yes, skin rash.

In his limited service McPherson has hit a total of 15 home runs. And Glaus? Well, after playing just 149 games the previous two seasons he played 149 in 2005 for Arizona, hitting 37 homers with 97 RBIs. The Diamondbacks then traded Glaus to the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2006 season. All he did there was drive in 104 runs and rank sixth in the American League with 38 homers. Meanwhile, back in Anaheim the Angels’ once-mighty offense was reduced to Vladimir Guerrero and a bunch of guys making the sign of the cross. Manager Mike Scioscia has had a trial with a parade of players at third base before he settled on Maicer Izturis and Chone Figgins.

Once touted as a 40-homer threat, McPherson was limited by injuries to 40 games in 2006 and missed all of 2007 after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back. McPherson took his first steps in a comeback from back surgery when he played in the Arizona Instructional League this fall. But McPherson, 27, played in just 11 games in the Arizona instructional league this fall, hitting .240 in 25 at-bats with two home runs. He feels better about his chances of playing in 2008 . . . somewhere. "I don't care if I'm in A ball -- I just want to get back on the field," McPherson said. "I'm so far down the list right now, and rightfully so. I've had so many injuries; I was out for a year. I don't expect to be the starting third baseman, for sure, but I would like another opportunity."

The report is that McPherson is doing yoga in hopes of improving his range of motion, and said his instructional league stint went a lot better than he expected."My biggest fear was running the bases, and I was able to do that," McPherson said. "I was able to play third, a little first. I was able to bend down, move to my left and right, get out of the batter's box. I felt like my power was fine. I hit some good shots, drove the ball to the gap a few times. It was definitely something to build on."

But can we count on Dallas finally to produce like we thought he would back in 2004? Time will tell and the fear I have is that he will but it will be for a team that surprises everyone and makes it to the playoffs and Dallas comes back to bite us like a certain White Sox closer did.