Evening star., 1915-12-19
GOOD MATERIAL IN 1915 CROP
OF COLLEGE BALL PLAYERS
Picked Team Should Make Pretty Fair
Showing in the Big Leagues.
Couldn't Win Pennant.

NEW YORK, December 1S.-The col
lege base ball field of 1915 was fairly
rich in material Of potential worth for
the major leagues. One sign OF this
was the numerous offers received by
college players from big league clubs
There was, in fact. much good timber
for the professional set in the seasons
college output. The term much" f.
however. comparative. Getting down
to hard facts. there never is much ma
terial for the big leagues in any OF
the sources from which they draw
their material. but there was more
than usual in the colleges this year.
Yet with all this promising material
lit Is scattered over a wide ground
the best standard of college play is
considerably below the best profess
sional standard, fully Is per cent be-
low. To the present capabilities of the
collegians drafted for the professional
arena must be added in considering
their value in the major leagues what
Improvement they are capable Of max
ing. From what the writer considers
which could be selected this year there
could be nodded a team which would.
because of what 1t Is capable of be-
coming, do fairly well in big league
base ball, not right away. but with the
experience which is one of its chief
needs.
The only way to get at the question
Of college players as compared to pro-
fessionals is by concrete example.
Here is a college team which In the
writer's opinion is one Of the strongest
that could be recruited from the best
individual performers:
Cream Of Colleges.
Pitchers-Neyland, Army; Way. Yale;
Sisler. Michigan; Deyo, Princeton: Re-
gan, Cornell; Robinson, Amherst; !;
Crowell, Brown.
Catchers-Kenney. Notrs Dame;
Wanamaker. Dartmouth; Oliphant.
Army.
Infleld-Mills, Notre Dame, first base; /;
Watt, Columbia, second base; Legore.
Yale, shortstop; Babbington, Brown,
third base; Carroll, Fordham. extra
infielder.
field; Middlebrook, Yale, center held;
Wescott, Tufts, right field. Frye, Har-
ward. extra outfielder.
This is a complete team. 1t carries
enough men to weather q pennant cam
paign with the players distributed as q
big league team distributes them. Wes-
colt is center fielder. but could be
transposed to right, thus making room
in center for Middlebrook. The latter
is not a strong batter. but that would
not be a grave defect on team with
SO many handy hitters. and he Is fine
defensive player and one who ought to
be in center field by reason OF his ex-
ceptional ability to cover ground.
Seven OF these players batted over
800. It is therefore a formidable
batting array. The pitching stan is
unusually proficient and represents all
styles Of pitching. 1t has the necessary
left-harader in Sisler and a spit ball
pitcher in way-two twirlers Of fine
ayers think Of several of these players.
II may be mentioned that Sisler, Regan,
Mills, Crowell, Kenney, Wanamaker
and Babbington became professionals
last summer and most Of the others
have had offers from the big leagues.
Ex-Collegiate Outfit.
To compare this team with the best
which could be put together in the pro-
fessional ranks would be unfair. The
difference would be too great. Let US
compare it with professional team
composed Of former college players, or
as many of them az can be found for
the purpose. Such q team, ~ the
names win bear witness. would be no
weakling in the fastest company. Here
1t is:
Yankees; Coombs, Brooklyns; Conzel-
man, Pirates: Davis, Braves: Lear, Gin
cinnati. and Plank, st. Louis Federals.
Catchers-Henry, washington; Mey-
ess. Giants and Snyder. Cardinals
collins. white sox. second base: Barry.
Red Eox. shortstop: Grant, Giants, third
base, and Pratt, Browns, extra fni1elder.
outneld--carsy. Pirate. left nsad;