Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-14
TEAM NOT APT TO
FINISH HIGHER Up
Nationals Need Lots of
Strengthening to Be Real
Contenders in Race.
1912 AGGREGATION
AN EXPERIMENTAL ONE
Large Percentage of Young
sters Must Make Good to
Better Conditions.
BY ]. ED GRILLo.


Eant race for the Nationals can be hoped
for there will have to be material i'm
provement in every department of the
team. Barring perhaps the catching staff
ard couple OF pitchers. last year.
team was lacking in every other re-
spect Excepting Milan. there was not
an outfelder on the team who had real
class, and that infield did not stand for
comparison with more than one in the
league. Schaefer was the only good hit
ter on the infield. and he and Mcbride,
in fact. gave that department what
strength it possessed. With one 300
hitter in the outfeld and only
enc on the infield, the winning of games
was virtually up to the pitchers. 1t
would, perhaps. have been easier for
them 20 win had the team possessed
unusual speed. but in this respect. too
it was weak, Milan and Schaefer vir-
tually being the only speed merchants
McAleer could boast of.
Before Griffith or any other man in
base ball can hope to make better
showing with this same team the bat
ting must be improved and speed must
take the place of slowness. Whether
these hoped-for changes in condition can
be accomplished depends entirely on
what sort the dozen or more of young
sters Griffith will try out prove to be.
III Is perhaps not taking long chances to
predict that the team will be faster, for
one must naturally figure that the young
fellows who are slated to take the place
OF the veterans who have been left out
win be fieeter and this will help some.
Then; too. there is a chance OF the bat,
ting being improved. Milan, Moeller and
Schaefer. the three men who at this time
seem slated for the Outfield. are sure to
be an Improvement over any combination
that filled these positions last season,
and. incidentally, the infield may look
more formidable IL the Players picked to
FIJI these positions come up to eXpecta-
lions. Schaefer. for instance, may not
be missed in any way off first base II
Flynn plays the kind OF ball that he is
expected to. Cunningham would not have
to improve much to be as good as was
Elberfeld at second. McBride's ability
is too well known to need mention here,
and as for third, surely either Foster or
Morgan can deliver as much goods as
lid Conroy. That, of course, is an optt-
1nistic view of the situation. and II these
players make good the team would, IN
deed. be stronger than it has been. but.
said before. 1t all depends on what
the new men accomplish.
II IL was necessary for Griffith to
put his team in the field tomorrow he
would choose the team as mentioned
above. In fact. ii is not divulging
secret TO say that he expects to have
Milan. Moeller and Schaefer cover these
positions. though he expects to try out
his other outfeiders. and will use the
three that show the best form. What
Is true of the outfield is also true of
the infield. and If he had to issue
. score card tomorrow it would show
Flynn on first Cunningham on second.
Mcbride short and Foster on third.
These would be the logical selections.
bat. OF course. the training period
show enough to warrant all this
To be upset
Important as is the pitching staff of
Il team. Griffith's greatest worries will
come from other sources. Condition
is much. so far as pitching Is concern
ed. and Griff expects to have his staff
ready. but his experimenting will be
done in other positions, really only two
of which are competently filled. one
in the outfeld by Milan, and short
field by Mcbride.
Perhaps there is no stronger way to
show what an experimental proposition
the local team will be next season than
10 study the teams makeup suS-
Gested above. II Moeller and Schaefer
prove competent in the outfield much
will have been accomplished there, but
IL this combination should prove a
failure, which means that Moeller or
Schaefer should not come up to ex-
pcctations, for there is no doubt about
Milan, the team would be in bad
way. 1t is even worse so far as the
inneId is concerned. for there is not
much material available for these
positions AZ there is for the garden
posts. F1yun. because of past expert
encc, has the call at first, and no one
who is familiar with Cunningham's ex-
perience here is convinced that he Is
not capable of holding down second.
AS for Mcbride, he would be a really
wonderful player If properly surround
cd xrith h nit hnV fnr
or Morgan should be able to give salts
faction at third That is the way it
looks now. but II may all be different
when the team gets in action. 1t is.
therefore. absurd to predict anything
for the Nationals, further than to ac-
knowledge the system placed IN vogue
by Griffith gives more promise THAI
those that held sway here in former
years. II must be realized that the
Nationals OF 1912 are an unknown
quantity. who have to prove their
value by their accomplishments. They
may finish higher I'm the race than
any Washington team ever has in the
American League. but to do this very
large percentage of the young ma
terial will have to make good.
The one thing that gives hope for the
future is that the clubs affairs are
now being looked after in business
like manner Griffith is at the helm and
every detail is being attended to. II
used to be that the clubs affairs laid
dormant during the entire OFF season
and there is not the slightest doubt
that "A lot of matters of vital import
ance were neglected by reason of this
condition. But now the club Is on ar
even footing with it's rivals In this
respect and that Is sure to cut some
figure I'm due time. But. Of course. the
hardest task Is to change the team
from a loser to a winner. This cannot
no done night nv M
large expenditures, but must come
about gradually as the result OF earnest
and well directed efforts.
one has but to examine last years
averages to find an explanation for the
easy victory of the Athletics. With Q
pitching staff that compared favorably
with any in the league and four danger.