Stability soothes Angels

This shouldn’t happen to anyone. But if a talented 22-year-old pitcher was going to get killed hours after a brilliant performance, it figured that it would be someone who played for the Los Angeles Angels.

For a franchise only now entering middle age, the Angels – no matter their name – have endured more than their share of tragedy. From the murder of outfielder Lyman Bostock in Gary, Ind., in 1978 to the 1992 bus crash that left manager Buck Rodgers hospitalized for three months, they have weathered some awful storms.

Rookie reliever Dick Wantz died of a brain tumor only one month after making his major league debut in 1965. Minnie Rojas, who had racked up 27 saves in 1967, was paralyzed in a car wreck that claimed the lives of two of his children in 1968. Backup infielder Chico Ruiz was killed in a car wreck in 1972. Pitching prospect Bruce Heinbechner died in a car wreck during spring training in 1974. Infielder Mike Miley was killed in a car wreck in 1977.

Perhaps most notably, reliever Donnie Moore shot his wife and himself in 1989, three years after allowing a Dave Henderson home run that deprived the Angels of their first World Series.

Now Nick Adenhart.

What a nightmare. What a shame.

But if any team is situated to cope with the Wednesday night hit-and-run that killed Adenhart and two of his friends (another remains in serious condition), it just might be the Angels.

Like the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Indians, they are an extremely stable organization. Their owners don’t have a history of changing managers and executives on the fly, and they rarely go outside the organization to make major changes in personnel.

A lot of people have been throwing around the term “family” since Adenhart’s death. That’s so easily said it tiptoes toward being a cliche in the response to someone’s death, but you have to admire the environment that prompted Jim Adenhart, Nick’s father, to thank Angels general manager Tony Reagins for helping to raise his son.

Reagins, who was the farm director when Adenhart was drafted out of Williamsport (Md.) High School in 2004, replaced Bill Stoneman as general manager 18 months ago. He has been in the organization since 1991, initially serving as an intern in the marketing department. Mike Scioscia has been the manager since 2000, and there never has been a rumor that he was going to be replaced.

It helps that the Angels have dominated the American League West, but it’s also true that owner Arte Moreno has shown a steady hand since buying the team from the Walt Disney Co. in 2003. He’s the sort of out-front owner who develops personal relationships with everyone he deals with, including players and their families.

The Angels also have a veteran team, with strong leadership from the likes of Torii Hunter and John Lackey.

As far as the on-field situation goes, it doesn’t help that Lackey opened the season on the disabled list, alongside fellow starters Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar.

Lackey has begun playing catch, and Santana is on the verge of joining him. Escobar suffered a setback last week, however, feeling more tightness in his shoulder.

The internal options for replacing Adenhart on the pitching staff are putting reliever Darren Oliver into the rotation or rushing a prospect such as 23-year-old Anthony Ortega or 21-year-old Sean O’Sullivan. The team called up outfielder Reggie Willits Saturday to fill Adenhart’s roster spot.

But those are mundane considerations. The Angels’ priority remains saying farewell to a teammate and dealing with the grief, which is unlikely to go away soon.