The Washington times., 1912-12-29
Nationals Boss Realizes
First Week of Season
+" Means Lot to Team.
HUGHES EXPECTED
TO REPEAT IN SPRING
Manager Will Point Pitching
StaR During Training
-. Season.
By SENATOR"

The. success Of the Nationals In 1918
10 going to/depend upon Carl Cashion
and Joe Engel. Manager Griffith will
look to these youngsters to round out
his pitching stan and believes that his
success In the race will depend In Q
measure on what the kids are able to
produce.
Well fortified In all Of the other de.
partments Griff is looking to his pitch
ers, their early season form and the
efficiency with which they weather the
first weeks Of the campaign 10 going
TO count heavily. The Old Fox knows
this and will pay especial attention to
pointing tho twirlers up for q whiri-
wind. start.
II look to Cashion and Engei to come
through this spring. II Cashion comes
around he Is able to do q tremendous
amount Of work. Engel should be ef-
fective too and with these men In
TO repeat. ! shall be ready" says Grit.
y intend 10 point my pitchers up for
a fast start and they VIII be ready
ns Wnsp the "a Se With
last years performance and Cashion
coming to the front with Joe Engel tho
stan should be well rounded out"
Counts On Hughes.
And Grln isn't forgetting the veteran
OF the troupe. Tom Hughes. Hughes Is
= being counted upon to do the bulk Of
the spring work. Last season Hughes
won the ten out of his first fourteen
games pitched, and had 1t not been
for the disasterous trip In which Dixie
Walker blew the Nationals would have
done even better than they did.
hughes has always been counted upon
A. a warm weather pitcher and sur
s sxsrS sss ss his rsss ssr"s nss
jumped In at the start OF the season
and pitched the best ball OF his career,
and barring johnson and Groom was the
= When the others went TO pieces Hughes
Grir Is counting heavily on the
veteran to show the same caliber that
characterized his early seasons work
last year and believes that with ny-
ing start the Nationals can cut loose
after the stan Is well pointed up.
Fears First Weeks.
Il am counting on Hughes to come
along In the same form he showed early
last spring." says Griffith. land II can
get by during the first three weeks
everything will suit me perfectly. L
am planning the campaign just as l did
last season and II we can do better this
spring than We did last there Is no rea-
son why We cannot do as well as we
did last year"
Grift expects to develop one or two
OF the youngsters In the outheld. The
new men will be given every oppor-
tunity to develop and show what they
have In them before they will be al.
lowed to 20. Grif Is a believer in try
that many young players get out Of the
league before they have had real
chance 10 show what they have In them.
AZ far as catchers go Grin Is not
worrying. He would like to have John
,enry in shs pc early In the spring. but
II the examination Of his knee reveals
the necessity OF an operation. Ainsmith
and williams will do the bulk OF the
work. Ainsmith writes that he Is In
shape and Williams tells his manager
that his visit to Bonesctter Reese has
done him good.
Gandil, at first, expects to have a bet
ter year: Morgan and Laporte with
Gedeon at second. Mcbride at short,
Foster at third. with Sheer. the YounGs-
town recruit. who was tried last year.
will get into the infleld workouts.
Outfeld Looks Good.
The outHcld will be taken care of with
Shanks. Milan, Mocller. Connolly, Long.
and the other youngsters while the re-
cruit pitchers will be given good
working-out.
Griffith is impressed with what he
hears about Eddie Dent. the Interna-
tional League pitcher Dent may bios
som out into Il big league twirler OF the
hest type. In this event he will be
worked into the stan as a regular.
No declarations as to where the Ma
tionals will stand In the race are COM
ing from the Nationals manager. He
knows wha; was done last year with
the material on hand and values highly
the talent reporting in tho spring. Griff
10 too wise and careful about making
any predictions and nothing can be
construed to mean a pennant claimed.
II will depcd largely upon the work
OF the pitchers Grift realizes this and
" looking forward to having things
shirshapc when the season opens bar
ring accident and unthought Of cxigen-
ccs which may arise.