The evening times., 1896-08-11
AVERAGES OF sHoRrsrors.

Up at the top of the siortstops stands
Jennings, and in his case the average seems
10 he deserved, for an Investigation OF his
figures Will show him to have accepted
and attempted as many chances in the
aggregate as anybody; While fewer chances
have got away from him than from any
other shortfieider. In this case the figures
are evidence of perfection, seldom narred
by the slightest flaw. In Dablen's case
they show that the little fellow has gone at
everything, but that n number OF grounders
have eluded him or been thrown too low.
Farther down the list will be seen the
name of young DeMontreyille. He stands
way down in the figures, yet n couni-up
would show that he has had as many
chances per game To handle as either Jen-
Mugs or Dahlen. The inference here again
is liain and correct-DeMontreville shrks
nothing. but lacks the finished perfection
which would make him the equal OF Dahlen
and Jennings.
AT the extreme bottom Of the DIST, with
large bunch of errors, will be found tie
name nj Charley Farrell ;and again the fig
ures tell their own story-that Of a. CATCH
er trying to play an mfield position and
Year after year Charley Bennett used to
lead the catchers, and in his case the fig
ures told the best of stories Bennett was
the surest man on ball that ever donned
the mask and glove Few very few, passed
balls ever figured in his average and his
errors were as infrcQuent. No one ever
heard Of Bennett shirking chances, the To-
tai ofput outs andassists to game showed
that he did his duty as well, and the lead
he maintained-one year having q per.
ceniage of 944 while no other catcher
topped the 800 mark-showedthat he WAS,
in truth, the best backstop in America
GREAT DEAL EXPLAINED.
Down at second, third, in fact at all the
positions. the figures can be interpreted to
explain a great deal, The fact that one
man stands .956 atsecond to another mans
.931 means nothing at first glance With
the figures laid out and dissected it may
mean that the higher Of the two did really
go after and handle the hall better than
the lower, or it may mean that the higher
man lodged desperate chances that the
lower went after and fumbled. The fig
ures are there, and the number Of chances
attempted TO game, put-outs, assists and
errors combined will pretty nearly tell the
story.
outfield figures have come to be pretty
nearly record OF caught flies and missed
groupders Few, very few are the flies
which are dropped by the league fielders
of the present day. A ball sent within
reach OF any outfielder OF the whole league,
from Ryan OF Chicago TO Selbach of Wash
tOn NAV he set down as caught in ninety
five cases out Of one hundred.
Jimmy Ryan has muffed about five flies
in ninety games. Bill Lange has dropped
one The errors of both these men have
been passed grounders and wild throws to
the home plate Many league outficlder
leads Bin LaDge in the percentages, but
the patent fact stands out in the figures
that he has caught more flies than any of
them, barring Burke of Cincinnati, whose
position at the top of the list seems well
deserved indeed.
The batting figures, now that the sac
rifice hit is deducted from the times at
bat, should be perfectly reliable as an in
dex of a mans hitting ability, but the
favoritism and varied ways of scoring tn
the different cities spoils this fairness con-
siderably.