The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-11-04
HIT IN PINcHES
San Francisco Man Offers New
Method of Rating Players.
Would Credit Them for Bases
Advanced.

The man VINO can SuldoA tAo S"--
when needed, or can lay down bunt
or can drive out sacrifice fly In an
emergency is the chap the baseball
maenates are looking for. There is no
way by which this sort OF man can
he told. according to the present-oay
mode of computing batting averages.
hut a writer in the san FRANCISCO
evening Post believes he has evolved
way and submits it for consideration.
1t is to give a batter credit Tor bases
made by all hands through his EFFORT
whether it be a safe hit. sacrifice or
a plain out In making his argument
the San Francisco man writes:
AS the game is now played. batting
averages" are not worth much much.
The man who for long time led the
National League batsmen this season.
Mcdonald of Boston, was sent to the
minors about the middle of the year
because he could not hit when wanted.
By the figures Mcdonald Is mighty
swatsman-he is up with Daubert ana
ahead of Cravath. But he hit when
men were not on bases. When the real
test came, he fell. Johnny Evers. who
has never accumulated more than an
ordinary respectable batting average"
is about as dangerous a man in a pinch
as the country has.
That there is required some change
in the method of keeping this sort OF
dope, is admitted by every follower OF
the game. Various schemes have been
proposed, but none Of them has been
found that compared with the "batted
bases" plan which was proposed year
or two ago. and which, it is understood.
will be taken up again this winter by
the powers that be in the game.
Theory n SimDle One.
The theory and it's application are
easy to understand. Suppose that the
bases are empty and the batsman
makes a single; he gets one batted
base. He has gained a base by the
use of his bat. If first is occupied and
the batsman, in accordance with or
ders lays down a bunt on which the
base runner gets to second, the bats
man gets batted base. If second and
third are occupied and the batsman
makes a single on which two runners
score, he would be credited with four
batted bases, one for his own hit, one
for the base runner who scored from
third and two for the base runner who
came in from second. A home run with
the bases full would have given the
batsman credit for ten batted bases.
So. too. a sacrifice fly on which
runner scores from third. would entitle
the DdtSIudn TO CTeOlC 1OF a OaItcO OaSo.
The application of the rule is capable Of
many variations, but in every instance
it will be found that a man who hits
when wanted will get more credit than
the batsman VINO hits when two are
out and the bases vacant.
How this 'batted base rule would
apply to the worlds series that has
just closed has been worked out in de-
tail John McGraw is credited with
the statement that Eddie Collins is the
most valuable man in the game today,
not only on account of his brilliant field
ing. but because he hits when hits are
wanted.
Home Rum Baker led the batting
procession for the Athletics in the
series with the Giants. according to the
old way of figuring. He made nine hits
out of 20 times at bat Collins was Sec
ond with eight hits in 10 times at bat.
But under the proposed plan, Collins
would lead. His stick was responsible
for rs 'batted bases;" Bakers for %.
Schang, whose timely hitting was one
of the features of the series, ranks
ahead Of Baker in this respect.
McInnes There in a Pinch.
Still more striking is the comparison