The Topeka state journal., 1908-12-10
In National 90 Gained in Points
and SO Dropped.
BAD FOR STAR MEN
Heaviest Hitters Of 1897 Show
Big Loss This Year.
Frank Chance and Laioie We're
Two Notable Examples.


their stickwork than gained In the
National league So gained in points
and SO took drop. In the American
league only As gained, whereas II had
slump. 1t is plain, therefore, that
the National leaguers held up their
work better than the hitters of the
younger baseball organization 1t is
also plain in both leagues that the
batsmen are not holding their own in
their struggle with the pitchers, that
the reverse of headway is being made
by the batters in the cease1ess duel
with the occupants of the box for the
upper hand, a duel which is one of
the salient phases of the national
game.
There is in each of the big leagues
one batter who may be said to be in
a class by himself One is Wagner,
of the National league, the other
Cobb, of the American league. There
are no batters quite of the grade of
these two exceptional performers
with the locust wand. and of the two
Wagner is the greater. He is again
at the top. and if his gain this sea
son was small it was because his bat
ting of the previous year was about
as high in percentage as it is human
ly possible for a player to go. Cobb
ond this year, but the man who
ranked ahead of him did not play in
nearly as many games and was not
at the bat often enough to go against
the same law of chance, the likelihood
of having his average pulled down,
as Cobb was.
In the National league the best
gain among the everyday players was
made by Brans1eld, who advanced
II points over his 1907 form. 1t is a
trihnte John MCCEraU nd mt
the way BridweIl improved in the hit
ting. He was 67 points better than
in 1907, and became not only a first
class but timely batter. One of the
best natural hitters in the country,
Sherwood Magee, or the Philadel-
phia slumped appreciabIy but that
probably represents only a temporary
decline Three of the players whom
ton-Browne. Bowerman, and Nc
Gann-an fell off in their batting, as
did Shannon, who was disposed of to
Pittsburg. For that matter, so did
Tenney, who was had from Boston in
the trade. .-r -.
The biggest gain in the National
league was made by Lew Moren, the
Philadelphia pitcher, who jumped
forward 164 points. The biggest loss
fell to Sammy Strang-15S points
but Strang played only few games in
the big league last season before he
was released to Baltimore, and doubt
less would have done better had he
had more opportunity. Wiltse, of the
New Yorks, was another pitcher who
was much better with the ash this
year than last. He boosted his aver
age 102 points. Ferguson, the Bos-
ton pitcher. improved a great deal,
and largely because he had more
opportunity to go to the bat than he
had with the New York club.
Frank Chance, a good batter season
in and season out, fell from seventh
to twentieth place. Another classy
batter who dropped and dropped
natis, who ranked eighth in 1907 and
seventy-seventh in 1908. Mclean, of
the same team, had a big tumble, too.
Bridwell moved up from eighty fifth
to tenth place, Doyle from thirtythird
to third. Bransfield from SEVENTEEN
to fourth, Evers from fifty-fifth to
fifth, and Lobert from sixty-th third to
sixth. Tommy Leach fell from fourth
to thirty-first, and Beaumont from
third to twenty-third. Chick Fraser
finished in the same place both
years, 146th.
The biggest gain in the American
league was made by Ira Thomas, the
catcher. When with the HighIanders
but with the Detrofts the past season
he climbed up to sixth place and ad
vanced lis points. Ed Killian, the
Detroit pitcher, took a big tumble.
in 1907 and he dropped from fifth to
150th place. Pitcher Bill Donovan,
of the same team, also took a long
shoot down the batting toboggan.
Thielman, the Cleveland and Boston
pitcher, scared to the extent of 101
points and ranked seventh last sea
son to 103d for the season before.
The once peerless hitter, Lajoie.
was in fifteenth place among the 1908
batters, the lowest he has been since
he became major Lacquer. That is
six PAGES lower than he was the year
before, and his average shrank 10
points. Jim Delehanty of the Wash
ingtons, advanced from nineteenth to
third place, and added SO points to
his percentage. The doughty Sam
Crawford was fourth last season.
fourth the year before. and lost
points. Ty Cobb lost 16. Hemphhl
improved his position by SO notches,
and added 36 points to his batting
average.
Willie Keller made gain over his
1907 average, though still far below
his normal percentages when he was
in his prime.