Evening star., 1912-11-15
GR|FF HAS 81 MEN
ON HIS 1913u|ST
Is Well Fortified With Material
for All Positions
on Team.
SOME TO BE CUT LOOSE
BEFORE TRAINING BEGINS
Pitchers and 0utfieIders Need
ed to Strengthen the
Nationals.
Players on Washington C1ub.
Reserve List for 1913.
BY j. ED GRILLO.

Griffith has thirty-four players on his
reserve list. OF this number five or six
will probably be dropped before the team
goes into training next spring.
There are eleven pitchers on the list,
three caNchers, eight infielders and eleven
outfielders.
Griffith has made no additions to his
catching staff. He seems content with
the three men he has, but he proposes to
do some experimenting with both the in
and out fields. and, of course, is hopeful
of developing a couple Of young pitchers.
1t is not likely that Kenworthy or
Moran, the two outfelders tried out last
fall, will be asked to come back for an
other trial. Neither displayed major
league ability. But it is almost certain
that all the pitchers will be taken into
the training camp. for there is always
possibility of a capable twirler being
found among the untried youngsters The
outfield department will also be given a
lot of attention. The team needs one
more hard hitting gardener. and Connolly
and Wellchance are picked to have the
best chance to win one of the regular
places in the outfield, but to do this they
will have to beat out Howard Shanks, and
that will be no easy matter.
Sheers Morley and E. Williams are the
the only position either of them stands
chance to secure is second base, which
was turned over to Laporte last fall. He
filled it fairly well and proved himself
the second best hitter on the team, Alva
Williams being the only one to finish with
a better average.
Even If it should happen that none of
the recruits makes the team, Griffith
should present stronger front in the
next campaign than he did i'm the last
To begin with. he will open the season
with his team intact 1t will have been
benefited by d years experience and the
youngsters should show Improvement.
What an ideal pitching staff Ed Walsh
of the Chicago White Sox, Walter john
son Of the Washington Nationals, Joe
Wood OF the Boston Red Sox and Vean
Gregg Of the Cleveland Maps would make
for any one team. Between them they
could pitch every one of the 154 scheduled
games during championship season and
few others for good measure If called
upon.
This quartet was the real hard workers
in the American League last season.
walsh led by working in 1913 innings.
Johnson followed with 1858 innings Wood
with 3i4, while Gregg came across with
other right-hand tWirlers who pitched
in a greater number of innings than
Gregg, but he was the Understanding
ieft-hander, and as a good southpaw is
d
staff Gregg is given the call
Walsh, Johnson, Wood and Gregg arc
credited with decisions in 16O games, or
six more than the scheduled number of
Contests Waod Id IN ;n regular - playing season
Johnson with 31-12-.727; Walsh 27-17.-
.614. and Gregg, 2O-13-.6O6. That makes
a total of 113 victories and Al defeats.
an average of .7O6. In ALL these four
men performed in 1876 innings which is
1I3 nine-inning games, lacking one round.
Among the other hard workers of the
league was Bobby Groom, who was on
the firing line in 316 innings; Plank and
Coombs of Philadelphia, Dubuc and Will
lett of Detroit, O'Brien of Boston. Bland
ing of Cleveland and Ford and Warhop
of New York. all of whom worked in
more than 230 innings
After all, it is the men who possess
the stamina to go to the hill every time
they are called upon who are really the
most valuable to their teams. And Walsh
is king of them all. Big Ed, with John
son. Wood and Gregg as pitching team
any manager.
On his arrival at his Los Angeles home,
Manager Stovall was asked about the
pitchers in the American League This
is what he said:
II don't think there is any pitcher in
the country that can approach johnson
for speed, curves and control l am
very fdlr hitter. but when johnson was
pitching / could not do much. About
the first ball he pitched was ii beaner at
my head and j would fal! to the ground
OF course, the next two he would put
over. but was afraid of them like every
one else is 1t is his speed that scares
V u. OF all the pitchers | ever batted
against, he is the hardest to hit, for ha f
the time the ball slips by you before you
can sec it.
Iris Speaker is telling the fans at his
home at Hubbard City Tex, about some
things in the worlds series, and here is
where he gave Matty great boost
Il regard Mathewson as one of the
greatest pitchers in the history of the
national game, and he works superbly
i'm the face of heartbre aking support.
McGraw showed us. too, that he is d
wonderful general on the neld- and knows
how to get the best possible resu is
from his men. / am not in a position
to hazard a guess to the outcome OF
the National League next year. but the
Giants have a strong organization. and
will no doubt be up in the running. l
see no reason why the Boston Americans
should not repeat next year, and in my
opinion they will do SO. l expect to play
with the Boston cub next year, and, in
fact as long as / am In base ball.
YALE RULES FAVORITE.