Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-30
UPS AND DOWNS OF BATSMEN
How Bic League Hittsrs Advanced or
Fell Back
COMPARISON OF RECORDS INTERESTING
In the American n Majority Of the
Players Improved, svhiie I'm the
National n Majority Did
the Reverse.

Comparison Of the official batting aver
ages OF the American league of this year
with those OF the year previous shows that
OF Joe players whose names are found in
both sets the averages Of ffty-four in
creased over 1906 and forty eight decreased.
The official averages of the National
league for the two seasons reveal that forty
players had a better average for 1905 than
for the year previous and that fifty-nine
fell OF In their stick work. A majority Of
the American league batters did better In
1906 thar in 1906, while a majority Of Ma
tional league batters slumped more or less.
In short, the American league stickers made
more improvement than their National
league brethren.
There is no need for any erudite explana-
tion OF the existing condition. It might be
argued that the National league pitching
was better this year; on the other hand II
might be argued Just as reasonably that the
American league batting was better One
can suit himself as to which explanation he
prefers. Probably the best explanation
is that It Just happened so. Ups and downs
in hitting are hard things to account for.
The reverse Of this years happenings might
come to pass next year.
Individually there were many notable
performances in batting progress and ret
rogression.> There was a general improve
meut among the best hitters Of the Amer
loan league. The first eleven men. men
who played enough games both years to
have their. averages officially recorded, all
show an increase over their 1905 figures.
Three of these men, Lajoie, Flick and
Keller, are not as high in the batting order
this Jyear as last, yet improved in points.
Lajoie. next to the two leaders this year,
was first last year. but is twentysix points
ahead of his 1906 percentage. Flick, sixth
this year and fourth last year. improved
FIVE points; and Keller, fifth last year and
ninth this year, bettered his batting figures
by two points. These things, in connec-
ton with the fact that more batters inn
proved than fell Off show that the Amer
lean league as a whole batted better this
year than last.
George Stone the American league leader,
advanced from eighth to first place and
advanced sixty-two points. Catcher Clarke,
who is tied with Stone, jumped from sixty
fourth to first place and advanced 15C
points Hal Chase of New Yorks advanced
from thirty-sixth place, and improved his
percentage by seventy-four points. Jim Nc
CURE went from fifty-seventh to eleventh
place at n bound and jumped eighty points.
One player, Jack Anderson, has the same
average for 1906 as for 1905, yet rclked
twenty -seventh this year and thirteenth
last year-further proof of the general i'm
pIovement of the 1906 batting. AL Orth of
the New Yorks made big increase.
Pitcher Bernhard Of the Clevelands fat
tened his batting average to the extent of
125 points while among the pitchers retro
grade movements, equally extensive, are to
be found. Griffith fell off los points and
Patterson 1l6 Eddie Hahn. the outfielder
toboggan for ninety-eight points in his
batting and slid down from second to fifty
eighth place.
Hans Wagner, the National league bat
ting leader for 1906 improved his standing
by one position. ranking second in 1906
yet fell off thirty-eight points. Evidently
then. the National league batting cham
pionship was not as hard to earn this year
as last. 81 Seymour, who stood first last
year, dropped less this year than last
Mike Donlin also lost points. but IT is fair
10 assume might have done better had he
played the season out. Harry Steirfeldt
made big increase both in standing and
in number of points, and marked advance
made by Johnny Killing who rushed
from sixtieth place to eighth and swelled
his percentage by ninety-four points Frank
Chance, sixth last year, was sixth again this
year, and improved his average by three
points A big stride forward was made
by Sammy Strang, who from the lowly
niche of thirty-third in 1905 rose to sixth
place in 1906
A majority of the better hitters Of the
National league improved In their stick
work, even If a majority Of the whole re-
lapsed. As to the size of the leading aver.
age however the standard was not as high
as in 1906 Three National league players
Ewing, McGinnity and Siegle each lost
over a hundred points this year. AS in the
American league, one batter tied his aver,
age OF the year before. Gibson was the
man. Wiltse OF the New Yorks. one of the
best hitting pitchers in 1906. fell off eighty