The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-27
MANY STYLES
OF LEADING
BATSMEN
Not All Hard Filters Good
Batters- Davis and Craw-
ford Best SluggerS.


good hitter Is not necessarily a hard hitter
hard being used in the sense OF driving
the ball away from the bat hard, hitting it
with great force. There are good hitters
who do not send the ball away hard, but
who are proficient with the club because
they are skilful and make many hits-be-
cause they make big averages. The hard
hitter, however, is likely to be a good
hitter because the forcible impact Of bat
against ball often drives the ball with
such speed that 1t gets by the flelders.
Little men produce their share of hard
hitters. AS with the big men, 1t may be
because of a hard swing or because of an
accurate swing that meetsthe ball squarely
and thus makes every ounce of exerted
muscle tell. Willie Keller is an example
of a player who is a good hitter rather
than a hard hitter. lie beats out a good
many infield grounders with his speed in
getting to first base, and he taps many
safe hits to unguarded spots. Fred Penney
is another who makes fewer long hits than
hits in between just over the intielderS
and just inside the outfielders.
George Stone, the American Leagues
champion batsman. is a ferocious hitter.
He swings hard, though there is no great
length to his swing, and from his crouch
gets SO much weight into his swing that
when he meets a ball flush it fairly huns.
He makes many a line drive through the
with such force that they/are difficult to
handle, and when the ball lifts its force is
likely TO carry IL over the nGlQeT y Uedu.
There is no harder hitter in baseball than
Justin Clark, the ball-breaking catcher of
the Clevelands. He Is a powerful batsman.
He times the approach of the ball from
the pitcher beautifully, makes the bat
meet it so as to get the greatest resistance
and Just far enough from the end of the bat
to impart all the force Of the swing.
Wagner a Free Hitter.
Wagner, a fine batsman and one Of those
free hitters who connect with any kind of
n ball, is another of whom it may be said
that he sometimes hits a ball too hard for
distance. The ball, having been reversed
by the bat, may go straight as a bullet,
but having started at a downward slant
describes no are at all and tears into the
ground.
speed and converts into a one-base hit
what would ave been a tWo-bagger or
better had the ball gone up a tritie as It
left the bat. But the Dutchman lands g,
hard that what would be an out for a ball
struck with less force. but In precisely the
same way. becomes a base-hit with him.,
Wagncr's hard hitting owe Is further
shown by the way his curving fly balls
carry when there is any sort or solidity
to the hit. A t-hree-quarter impact-the
ball being struck below the middle-would
be al ordinary outheld fly and a sure OUT
il made by anybody putting less force in
the blow than does the burly Teuton.
Wagner, however, does not always take 3
long swing. lie can shift his style ana
chop a bail, but he generally gets tofne
dtd uClElbi Ahh hREH $500
hit on the handle than most, players
that is. a ball hit o n the handle by INN
is more likely to go safe than IL made by
a less robust slammer.
Laioie Hits Easy.
Dajoie is an easy hard hitter SO to
| sneak. He does not wrench himself when
he swings. Every part of him is under
control and adjusted TO what he wants TO
do. He never is out OF a position, DuL
with all the apparent ease OF his SWING
tl,-,. aaSayarifU in If hnCal1Gn III Is so Ar-
He sends a ball with destructive force
when he meets 1t on the nose. His long
flies seem to gather speed, and the near
est Inielders do not relish the task of
being called on to stop one OF his smasnes
coming straight at them. There are times
when it's the better part Of valor to side
step.
When Johnny McGraw was playing ball
he was a very hard hitter, despite his
lack of weight. Miller Higgins, OF the
C~fncinnatis, is a little man who has a
mighty punch. He can wallop them on n
bee line and give the outfielders a chase.
He meets the ball nicely. Cobb, Of the
Detroits, is a slashing hitter. He sends
many balls along the ground and with
Sam Crawford. of the Tiger team, hits
hard and drives the ball for long distances.
So does Harry Davis, OF the Philade lphla
Americans-as wicked a sticksmlth as
there is. Davis is a dangerous hitter at
all times, having a free, powerful wrlsE
swing that inculcates in the ball a desire
TO 20 to the fence. He IS perhaps the
hest distance hitter in the game. His
record fol 1906 was forty two-baggers,
eight three-baggers and twelve horne runs.
Crawford Swings Hard.
Both Davis and Crawford made a con-
siderable proportion OF their hits by tho
aerial route. by whaling the bulb with
such force that it sails over feeders heads.
Crawford makes fewer home RUS ana
fewer two-baggers than Davis, but more
three-baggers, a difference In the appli-
cation of force hard 10 explain.
In .90e he made two home runs, twenty
three two-baggers and sixteen three-bas-
gers. 1t appears that for extreme dis
lance he does not hit as hard as DaYis or
rs hard for mean distance, but hardes To-
distance between mean and. extreme-a
fne point in science, on which the eleVa-
ton impaired to The ball probably has Il
Fearing.
Elmer Flick and Ralph seybold are
powerful wialders Of the stick, and n
much smaller man who pumnels the CLONE
Viciously is ''Topsy" Iiartsel, who lands
With a force worthy Of a heavyweight,
His drives 20 sharply aud straight
Hard hitting pitchers are Al Ortiz and
"Chief" Bender. SO are Powell. Chesbro,
Mullin, Walsh and Mathewson when they
meet the ball on the seam. Old jim Nc
Guire can cut loose short line drives thai
arc scorchers, and one Of the prettiest
hitters when it comes 10 taking swift air.
Inc clouts Is Pat Donsherty of the White
5ox.
Dougherty and Laioie can hit as far ON
a line as anybody, and another batter OF
this type Is Cy Seymour. Of the New York
Nationals. Crashing drives best describes
what follows when Seymour and Dough-
erty collide with a ball amidships.
Ginger Beaumont, of the Boston Ma
tionals, is a hard hitter with an easy
swing. The secret Of the force which he
gets lies in his accurate, well timed swing
The ball goes straight and fast, and not
infreduently far. one Of the National
Leagues hardest hitters is Sherwood
Magec, OF the Philadelphia. His bat
comes around with a powerful sweep, bnt
with his body under control. He IL n us1-
ful distance hitter and makes the bah
travel even when his bat gets oniy a
slice Of Il.
sPRINTERs HAVE REACHED LIMIT.