The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-06
sHAKE-UP OF THE INFIELD Is
EVIDENT
Gets Catcher, from Chicago National
and Lets Ratchford Go to Au-
gusta-WiIl Sell
Burnum

First Baseman Ratchford is to go to
Augusta.
Manager Malarky has bought a new
catcher by the name of Seabaugh, from
the Chicago Nationals.
Waivers have been asked of the other
clubs of the League on Pitcher Burnum,
preparatory to his sale.
These are the salient features of a
telegram received last evening from
Birmingham, where the Montgomery
team is at present playing, having been
announced there yesterday by Man.
ager Malarky.
The announcement seems to presage a
general shake-up in the Montgomery
infeld, and is in line with Manager
Johns well-known policy, announced
when the season began, that he was
going to win games. while the work
of practically all the members of the
Montgomery team, taken individually.
has been satisfactory, the lamentable
fact remains that the teams position in
the percentage table is far, far from
satisfactory.
The information received last night
what is to be done in making up the
new team, which is to carry the Mont
gomery banner on up the list to the
very top before the summer is over.
There will undoubtedly be q number of
changes, however.
Seabaugh. 1t is learned, comes from
the Chicago Nationals Maiarky paying
$3.50 for him. 1t does not not sound
reasonable to suppose that he would
pay that price for a man unless he in
tends to use him, and the fact that the
work of both Bill Hansen and Andy
Anderson has been very satisfactory in
the past, coupled with the TACT that
Hansen has of late been called upon to
play second a number of times, sug-
gests the thought that the faithful
Westerner is to be transferred from
the receiving position behind the bat
to the infleld.
Such an arrangement. if Seabaugh is
half as good as he is represented
would strengthen the team. Hausin is
a safe player anywhere one chooses to
put him. and can hold down second
base or any other position, infield or
do credit to himself and help the team
win games. Meanwhile, Seabaugh,
with Anderson for a change, ought to
the bat.
seabaugh caught last year for the
Springfield club of the Western Asso-
citation which is a mighty fast aggre;;
team. of which Seabaugh was the reg
ular catcher, finished fourth in the
held Of eight; with a percentage of
during the season. during which he is
credited in the official scores with $50
put outs and 1O3 assists, with only
twenty seven errors; giving him field
He stood not far from the top in
the list of batters in the league. there
being only ten among all the players
100 or more games and had a better
batting record In his 126 games, of
which he caught 125, he was at bat 461
ing sixty three times. His batting per
centage was .273. He is credited with
fourteen two baggers, three triples and
two home runs. He stole fourteen
bases. He also made fifteen sacrifice
hits.
At the close of the season he was
drafted by the Chicago Champions OF
the National League, but they did not
old players and he was sold.
While Ratchford has made, many
good friends In Montgomery by the
game. it has been regarded by many
that he was hardly up to the Southern
League standard. although fast young
fans in Montgomery, as long as Malarky
felt he had to let Ratchford go. that
he has secured good berth with the
Augusta team of the South Atlantic
League
When Burnum has left. as is pre-
saged by the asking for waiver on
staff--the equal of any in the league.
There will be Malarky himself Max
WELL Walker and Walsh all of them
stellar performers on the slab, and
men who, with anything like the right
kind of support. may be relied upon
to win by far the greater portion of
their games.