Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1913-10-03
MEN BEHIND THE BAT
. BIG BASEBALL SERIES
COMPARISON OF cArcHERs OF
GIANTS AND ATHLETICS.
GREAT ARRAY OF BACKSTOPS
Giant Catchers Are Better at the Bat
But Athletics Overcome This BY
Being swifter Base
Runners.
GREAT ARRAY OF BACKSTOPS

| new YORK, Oct. 3.-The catchers oil
the New York Giants and Philadelphia
Athletics will play an important part
in the coming battles for the worlds
championship in baseball, and the man
ayers of the rival clubs are fortunate
in having dependable trios for the po
sition behind the plate. Connie Mack
has Schang, Lapp and Thomas to use
as his judgment dictates and McGraw
in Meyers, Mclean and Wilson has
an opposing squad of catchers, which,
viewed in broad manner, suffer lit
tie, If any, when compared with the
Philadelphia wearers of mitt and
! mask.
Myers and Schang appear to have
first call for the position, with Mclean
and Lapp second choice, and Wilson
and Thomas as third string catchers.
Meyers and Schang will be called upon
to do the brunt of the work, barring
Illness or accident and therefore first
20 be considered in a comparison Of
the catching strength of the two clubs.
From an offensive standpoint, Meyers
is the better player of the two, due to
his ability as a batter. The big In
dian has an unofficial record of $40
for lis games this season. as against
.259 for Schang in rs games. On the
bases the Philadelphia backstop is a
faster man, but this asset is more or
less nullified by the fact that Meyers
gets TO the initial bag more frequently
than mis- chief rival in the worlds Sc
ries. Both are accurate and fast in
throwing to the bases, but the Athlet-
les youngster has a margin over Mey-
ers in this respect, for he shoots to
second with less apparent exertion
and more speed than the chief Tortos.
Lapp has taken the ascendancy over
Thomas during the past season, and
Judging from present indications will
be Connie Mack's second choice for
the stand behind the home plate. He
will have formidable opponent in Nc
Lean, who Joined the Giants via the
trade route from st. Louis after the
mid-season mark had been passed. As
in the case of Meyers and Schang, the
Giants second string catcher has
decided advantage over Lapp in bat
ting. for the records show that the |
former Cincinnati-St Louis catcher |
has an average of .2S5, as against |
l.app's .21s. The figures are all the
more Impressive since both catchers
have worked in about the same number
Of games. AS an offset, the PhiladeI. |
phia catcher has proved to be deadly |
in throwing base stealers out at sec-'
ond and third and in this respect out
ranks the veteran who was traded into
a worlds series pot of gold after his
new team mates had secured a COM
lead in the race for the pen
nant.
Ira Thomas, one Of Mack's veterans,
n point of experience, at least. out
'anks Wilson easily, but the old adage
If youth VS.. age may equalize this,
should the pair don masks and pads
n the same game. Thomas is catch
,r who rises to emergencies. and as a
actician has few equals. AS far as bat
ing is concerned. he is far superior
o Wilson, but the latter has been i'm
proving steadily and may surpass ex-
,ectations in this respect in case he
las an opportunity to break into the
eries at a critical period. Once on
he base lines. he will have an excel
ent chance to pick up Thomas advant.
Ige with the bat. for he is fast, consid.
red frcm the standpoint of catcher.
The records of the catchers OF the
wo clubs this season follows:
Philadelphia.