The Washington herald., 1913-04-06
JENNINGS HOPES TO
DEVELOP TWIRLERS
AND FINISH FOURTH
Tigers Pilot Declares His Club
Is Stronger Than Last Year.
Infeld the Same.

III Manager I1ughey Jennings, or De
troit, is able to develop from among his
big squad of young pitchers taken Soutf
a couple of men able to win more than
half their games, the Tiger leader can see
a chance to make trouble in the Ban
Johnson circuit during the coming cam
paign and also a ray of hope for finish
ing within the money.
Any one who follows baseball at all
knows where the Tigers were in 1912, and
how much better the team might have
finished had il had complete harmony and
treated its tours as business propositions
rather than JOY rides. And from what
Will be shown below, il will follow natur-
ally that Jennings team. sixth in 1912.
has an excellent chance for first division
honors this season Nothing more is
claimed by the most optimistic. Nothing
more is hoped by the teams m,nager.
There are four divisions to a ball club,
and in three of these Detroit is better
than it was last season. because it has
all of its veteran talent back, with some
good recruits for each section who may
strengthen and who cannot weaken. The
veterans who hold their positions should
be of considerably greater value. because
they will be forced to attend to their work
this year. The only one Of those older
players who is missing, the man noted
as the %SCepllON, Is DdVy Jones. NedCH,
who held the left field berth last fall,
replaced the veteran lead-on man. With
Cobb and Crawford in the gardens the
outfeld is as good as any one needs. Cobb
has not signed yet, but that is a matter
entirely immateriaL He will be in. Tyrus
never vet beat himself out of any coin.
For both outfeld and infeld. Jennings
has some very promising recruits. Schall-
err, who had a trial in 1911, and who was
brought back this spring for a battle
with Veach, looks to be gone, as far as
the majors are concerned. He has had
trouble with his ankles all spring. and
does not seem to be able to get them
strong. That has almost eliminated him
already. But the team has two other good
looking youngsters for the garden-in
Powell who hit .3O9 in the Western League
and did some remarkable base stealing,
and High. from Hartford, in the Con-
necticut State League. High is a little
fellow. & half-inch taller and pound
heavier than DOME Bush, the Detroit
midget shortstop. But he hits well, is
very fast, covers ground beautifully, and,
in the writer's opinion, will be first choice
for utility outfield work.
Inlcld Same as Season Ago.
Jennings thinks that he-may retain both
High and Powell. and rather favors the
latter as first choice now. These things
argue that the gardens are better pro-
tected than last season. For the infield
the team has the four men who were
working the positions last fall-Gainer,
Louden, Bush, and Deal, besides the vet
eran Moriarty, Witt, who was utility in
fielder last season. and Stanley, a short
stop from Burlington, in the Central AS
ISOLATION, for which club he hit $40 last
year.
In the practice games Jennings has been
using Stanley at second base and Deal
at third, Louden and Morarity having
been placed on the second team Stanley
was bought from Burlington last fall by
ST. Louis, which planned to use him at
short. It was decided that he was too
big for the position-he is exactly six feet
tall-and st. Louis asked for waivers. De-
troit claimed the man, taking him to pro-
tect first base. there being some doubt
about Gamer coming back. The recruit
has the necessary height and, on his minor
league record. should hit enough. Gamer.
however. seems to be recovered entirely
from the accident that put him out in
1911, and is hitting and fielding as he did
that spring, when he was q league sensa-
ton.
Fourth place Is the real height of Jen-
nines' ambition this season, though he
would like to do better, and will not ad-
NIT that he does not think he has q
chance for one, two, three. The Tiger
leader will admit that, IL they play to
form, both Boston and the Athletics
should beat him out. Apart from these
clubs, he maintains that his squad Is
better than some, and that 1t has a good
chance to beat out the others. The team
should field and hit bit better than last
season, and viii be a much stronger run.
ming club, all Of the recruits being fast
men. It finally resolves itself to the old
question Of the pitching. and Jennings,
rs said, has the best looking bunch Of
hurting recruits that he has ever car
ried