March  4, 1992, Metro Edition

SECTION: Sports; Pg. 1C
LENGTH:  1029  words
HEADLINE: Older, wiser; Twins believe Erickson learned from hectic '91 -- and he agrees
BYLINE: Jeff Lenihan; Staff Writer
DATELINE: Fort Myers, Fla.

 BODY:
    Scott Erickson is 24 years, one month and two days old, exactly one year older than he was March 4, 1991. Yet the Twins brass will tell you Erickson has matured much more than that one year would indicate.

A year ago, Erickson was trying to land a spot in the rotation of a team coming off a last-place finish. He made the most of his first major league camp, and seemed to have fun with things both on and off the field. Pressure and conflict were foreign concepts.

    Today, Erickson is being asked, along with Kevin Tapani, to anchor the pitching staff of a club attempting to defend its World Series championship. The baseball world has been heaping pressure on Erickson's broad shoulders for eight months, and the fun-loving Californian has been steadily trying to shrug it off.

    Yet Erickson, who signed a one-year contract for $ 425,000 Tuesday, cannot help but be a changed man. Consider what has happened to the righthander the past year:

    He earned a spot in the 1991 rotation and, after losing his first two decisions, won a club-record 12 straight games. His right elbow was injured just as his winning streak came to an end and he spent most of the next two months feuding with the coaching and medical staffs over the arm's condition. He won his 20th game on the season's final weekend, then helped the Twins win the World Series. Three weeks later, he finished runner-up to Boston's Roger Clemens in the Cy Young voting. Erickson spent the first part of his offseason traveling around Arizona, Nevada, California and Hawaii, but spent as many as 30 hours per week in the weight room after he returned home.

    Yes, it was quite a year for Scott Gavin Erickson, a year that proved highly educational.

    "It sure should have been," said pitching coach Dick Such. "He should have learned a lot. I'm sure he learned that playing in the big league can be very strenuous. I hope he learned how to deal with it all."

    Erickson believes he did. "I experienced life in the major leagues at the far end of each spectrum," he said. "I went from the top of everything to the bottom. But overall, I think last year was a real good experience."

    Yet last season, the attention Erickson received was suffocating. "I think before last year I knew a lot about baseball on the field," he said. "But off the field, I didn't know what it would be like, all the attention and everything. It was more than I expected and I had to adjust to it."

    Erickson, who was 20-8 with a 3.18 ERA in 204 innings pitched last season, is determined to keep last season in perspective. His goal always has been to achieve longevity. So, even though 1991 was a dream season, he is convinced it should only serve as the start of a long career. "Even after all that happened last year, I don't anticipate having any problem finding things to look forward to," he said. "I'm looking forward to seeing my career stats, seeing what I can do over 15 years. One year doesn't mean anything in any job."

    Although Erickson tries to downplay his accomplishments of last season, he admits he would take another season like 1991 - with a couple of significant exceptions. "Without the injury, who wouldn't take a year like last year?" he said. "It's every pitcher's goal to win 20 games, but you can never count on it.  Even if I won 20 eight straight years, I wouldn't predict that for the ninth season."

    In the Twins' front office and clubhouse, there is talk the team must have a big season from Erickson to be competitive. Jack Morris and Allan Anderson, members of the 1991 season-opening rotation, are gone, so Mark Guthrie must move back into the rotation and a fifth starter must be found. If Tapani or Erickson falter, much of the burden will shift to unproven arms. If Erickson can remain healthy and perform even remotely close to the way he did the first half of last season, he and Tapani will give the Twins one of the best 1-2 combinations in baseball.

    "It would be real nice to have Scotty go out and have two good years together," Such said. "He seems to have himself under control now and seems to have his hyperness and adrenaline under control. He needs to do that to pitch well."

    Said Erickson: "I'm certainly not going to be worrying about Jack this year. I've got enough to worry about with my own numbers. I'm not going to put that much emphasis on myself, either. If I do my best and work as hard as I can and still go 10-10, I have no choice but to be satisfied.

    "I really want to have a good year and help the team, but I don't think anyone can really say if I have a bad year we're going to go down the drain. You need to have five guys, not just one or two. . . . On the other hand, I think it is important that I go out there and have a solid season."

    Which brings us back to the issue of Erickson's health, a major question the second half of last season and something that will be a popular topic of conversation this spring. "If he stays healthy, then we should be in good shape," said general manager Andy MacPhail. "And right now, everyone is very, very happy with the condition he is in and the way his spring has gone."

    Said Erickson: "I felt good at the end of last year but I feel even better now after getting three months of rest and two months of weightlifting. It's 100 percent. It feels great and I'm just ready to get going."

    Just as Erickson does not want to be viewed as the staff ace, he does not want to be viewed as a team leader. He wants to be treated like any other 24-year-old.

    "I don't see how with just a year and a half in the big leagues I can tell a guy with six years' experience what to do," Erickson said. "Even though I won 20 games, baseball is a sport based on seniority. That's why I would never walk out of camp over my contract or anything. That's for guys with four or five years.  It's a seniority game and I'm still at the bottom of the totem pole. At least that's where I've put myself. And I don't think I'll change. I'll probably be that way the rest of my life. I still don't have a reputation in this game. I just had one year."