Anaheim

NEW TEST: The team has done little to shake up its roster--adding 2B Scott Spiezio late last week, signing 2Bs Pat Kelly and Jason Bates to minor league contracts--so new manager Mike Scioscia's biggest task, outside of squeezing every drop of potential from a shaky rotation, will be to restore discipline in the clubhouse. Scioscia, unproven with only one year of minor league managing experience, will begin with the same core of players that forced out manager Terry Collins and G.M. Bill Bavosi. No one knows for sure what kind of manager Scioscia will be, but former Dodger G.M. Fred Claire thinks Scioscia's reputation as a team player will command respect

MIDDLE RELIEF ANALYSIS: This could be a strength if the team can find a quality lefthander to replace Mike Magnante. LHP Mike Holtz is the top candidate for the job. But after a superb '97, Holtz has struggled to regain command of his breaking ball and has spent the past two years shuttling between Class AAA and the majors. Juan Alvarez showed some potential and could push Holtz, and Greg Cadaret (recently signed to a minor league deal) is a fallback option. From the right side, the team has a solid duo in Mark Patkovsok and Shigetoshi Hasegawa. Hasegawa has increased his velocity and can be effective when he throws breaking balls on the corners. Petkovsek is most effective when he changes speeds on his breaking pitches and fools hitters with his sinker. But he also gets in trouble when he's not hitting the corners. RHP Al Levins ate up innings in lopsided games but also provided some solid relief in key situations, and he'll assume a similar role. --Mike DiGiovanna

Baltimore

FALLING OUT Signing free-agent RHP Aaron Sele--the team delayed the announcement last week while it perused his medical history--would give the dub four solid starters to go with promising RHP Jason Johnson as the fifth starter. Sele won 18 games last year and is tied with Greg Maddux and Jose Lima for the second-most victories among major league starters the past two seasons (37). With Sele, the team would have one of the majors' best rotations.... Former Orioles OF Don Buford was named minor league director and former Orioles manager Tom Trebelhorn was named director of minor league instruction as part of the club's front office reorganization.