It’s Veterans day

TEMPE, Ariz. -- While so many dwell on what the Angels offense lacks -- an Alex Rodriguez, a Miguel Cabrera, a Mark Teixeira -- Manager Mike Scioscia prefers to focus on what it has.

That would be Vladimir Guerrero, still a prolific slugger; Torii Hunter, who has 25-homer power and excellent speed; Garret Anderson, who, when healthy, drove the ball with authority for long stretches last season; and Gary Matthews Jr., who had 18 homers and 72 runs batted in despite a variety of injuries in 2007.

Chone Figgins, one of baseball’s most productive leadoff hitters in 2007, returns, and Howie Kendrick and Casey Kotchman, two young players with considerable offensive upside who were limited by injuries last season, are sound this spring.

“If everybody can do what they’re capable of doing and stay healthy,” Scioscia said, “this lineup could get deep in a hurry.”

The problem, though, is the Angels don’t have enough guys who can go deep in a hurry.

Hunter is a nice addition, a superb two-way player who has won seven Gold Glove awards, but he’s not the 40-homer, 130-RBI threat the Angels have been trying for years to acquire. Only two current Angels -- Hunter (28) and Guerrero (27) -- hit more than 18 homers in 2007.

So, as position players joined pitchers and catchers for the first full-squad workout Wednesday, a familiar question hung over camp: Do the Angels have enough offense to compete in an American League filled with powerhouse lineups?

The World Series-champion Boston Red Sox still have David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell to the heart of their order. The New York Yankees have everyone back, including Rodriguez, from an offense that led the AL in home runs (201) and runs (968) last season.

The Detroit Tigers should be prolific after a winter trade with Florida added Cabrera to a lineup that featured Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield and Curtis Granderson.

And the Cleveland Indians, who fell one victory short of the World Series in October, have a powerful one-two, middle-of-the-order punch back in the fold in Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez.

“I don’t want to compare offense to offense,” Scioscia said. “I want to compare their offense to our pitching, because when you’re playing against some of the dynamic offensive teams in our league, you better be pitching well.

“I think we’re going to get enough offense to support our pitching. I think we’re going to score enough to win.”

The Angels will need typical years from Figgins, Guerrero and Hunter and a full, productive season from Anderson, limited by hip injuries to 108 games last season, to win their fourth AL West title in five years.

But to contend for the pennant, they’ll need Kotchman and Kendrick, who probably will bat sixth and seventh, to reach their full potential and Matthews to bring on-base ability and some pop to the second spot, which Orlando Cabrera filled capably last season.

Kendrick hit .322 in 2007, but a pair of fluke hand injuries sidelined him for five weeks in April and May and another month in July and August.

Kotchman hit .296 with 11 homers, 37 doubles and 68 RBIs but spent much of June in a fog while recovering from a concussion and was slowed in late August by a bruised left thumb.

“Kendrick and Kotchman will really be key for us,” Scioscia said. “If we can get Howie 600 plate appearances, that production is going to be there, and if Kotchman improves on the foundation he laid last year. . . . I think we can go seven deep with guys who are pretty good offensive players.”

Hunter calls Matthews “the most important piece of the puzzle,” because the switch-hitter will be batting before Guerrero.

“We need him on base -- we need him, period,” Hunter said. “That two-hole is very important. To have Figgins and Matthews on base, that speed changes the whole lineup, the way the other team pitches -- are you going to throw an off-speed pitch in the dirt with those fast guys on base?”

Matthews was bothered all last season by a sore left shoulder that affected his right-handed swing; a career .246 hitter from the right side, he hit .175 right-handed in 2007. A left knee injury slowed him in the second half, and a right ankle sprain sidelined him for much of September.

Scioscia believes Matthews will hit better from the right side and should benefit from hitting second this season.

“If you have Figgy on base and Vlad behind you, that’s a pretty good spot to hit in,” Scioscia said. “Maybe it won’t translate to more fastballs, but they’ll have a tendency to go after you more, with the potential for a stolen base ahead of you and one of the best hitters in the game behind you.”

The Angels, as usual, will maximize their offense by running the bases aggressively, going from first to third on singles.

And if catchers Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis and shortstops Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar provide offense at the bottom of the order, they could have one of their deepest lineups in years, even without Rodriguez, Miguel Cabrera, the player they nearly traded for last winter, or Teixeira, the slugger they pursued last summer.

“We didn’t get the bat we were looking for, but you know what? We made our team better,” Matthews said. “When you have balance in the lineup, it provides protection for everybody.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com