Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-13
More Class by Far Now Than Last
Year-It viii Take Great
Club to Cop.
SLUMP OF BARON TEAM
VERY SUGGESTIVE FACT
Catchers Are Vastly Better Than
Usual, Pitchers Fully as Good,
Hitting Superior.
By Percy Fl. Whiting.

er league this season than
last" So says Whitley Al
perman. field captain of the Atlanta
club and wisest head in the league.
So say ].
So say we all Of us.
Granted. 1t doesn't have to be so
dad-blamed good, either, to land that
title.
1t was an insect league last year.
Also, the team that won it was the
worst team that ever won a pennant
in the Southern League.
THE humble position Of the Baron
team this year tells part of the
story. 1t was good enough to win the
rag last season. This year it is lucky
to be in the first division And it's
very much the same team. too. It Is
weaker in spots, but better in others.
And look where it is.
1t was lucky to "get by" last year
at all This year they have found it
out.
A YEAR ago this time Just seven
men were batting 300 or over
rms year dozen men are doing It.
The base running doesn't show any
advantage this season, though there's
no great falling off.
The pitching is surely quite as good
this year as last, and possibly a lot
better.
Last year at this time Swami. now
canned, was leading the league. Som
mers was second, Aitchison, a good
pitcher, was third, and Merritt, an
antique, fourth. Going down the list
were found Boyd, Wagner. Demaree,
Smith, HardgroYe and Foxen. Now,
that was no bad collection OF pitch
ers. Barring Swami, they were high
ly useful.
This year the pitching crop is quite
as promising. Lots OF good men are
being held down by poor teams
Brenton, for example. Others. like
Beck, Williams, Walker, Councilman
and others, are too young to have
found themselves but are corking
pitchers in the making.
The league has some nice hurlers
this season. Coveleskie is going bet
ter than ever. Councilman is promis-
ing. Sommers is having another good
season. z. Brown is a marvel-Scout
Larry Sutton says he's the best pitch
er in the league. Price has found
himself. Hardgrove Is going strong
again. Bagby looks useful. w. Rob-
er'tson has proved a star. Cavet is
pitching up to his limit Hogg. after
a grand start, is slumping; but he
looks like a wonder for all that.
Probably the pitching strength of
the league is greater now than last
year. Undoubtedly the present crop
viii look 25 per cent better in two or
three years than the 1912 harvest.
THE catching caliber of the league
this year has it all over that of
last year. Street, Schmidt and Mayer
are wonders. Adams, Of the Pels, is a
good man, though he is playing now
with an injured hand. It's been a
long time since the Southern League
has had such catchers as this year.
THE league has better batters this
year than it had last. Robert
son. Elberfeld Long. Smith, Kniseley,
Welchonce, Gribbens, Sloan, King
and Baerwald are terrific hitters in
their 1918 form
A year ago this time the leaders
were Almeida, HARRISON, Hemphill,
McGilVray, Johnson of Montgomery,
Doc Johnston. WelChOnce, Wares, Al.
perman, Sommers. Sentel, Bagby,
Moran and James. In a two-sided
batting bee the 1913 stars would win
by about million hits.
THE teams this year are, in the
main, playing better baseball.
Their fielding seems a shade better,
there seems more pepper and the in
side stuff is coming through better.
For another thing, the race is bet
ter
A year ago to-day the Barons were
out in front, with a lead of .125 over
Chattanooga. The first team was
separated from the fourth by 1913.
The first and last teams were .211
apart And the Crackers hadn't hit
the bottom. though they were but one
point away.
Now the race is tight. the Crackers
are in the running, the team is going
pretty strong, and every prospect
pleases.
Surely the good year 1918 has ii
over its immediate predecessor by so
miles, as well as by 365 IA days