The Washington times., 1915-03-27

year than ever before when IL comes TO
driving out the hits when most needed,
and the Old Fox is hopeful Of their
sticking to 1t after the bell rings. Allow
ing that they keep up their present good
form. Moeller, Milan, Foster. Morgan.
Gandil, and Mcbride are going to be
dangerous In the pinches. Foster and
Mcbride have usually been considered
worthy of respect in tight places. even
last season. With the others going we'll
&c the outlook seems to have 1t. the
Griffmen may prove the dark horse of
the coming campaign. Couple tight
pitching and good pinch-hitting and you
come mighty close TO producing a PEN
nant winner.
Manager Griffith is we'll aware of the
fact that he has no collection of MUIR
dcrous clouters. If Milan and Gandil
finish above the charmed 800 mark, the
Old Fpx will be content. So he is lay
ing all his stress upon pulling up the
other lads. forcing them to get in their
hits In timely places. With another
player. say. in the outtieid. capable OF
reaching .2so or 800 with the bat, the
long as their pitching remains high
class.
Mark you, ] don't claim any PEN
nant." says the Old Fox, but do think
our chances better this season than at
any time since 1872 The Athletics are
out of the way and that's great help
10 US. II my team can hit merely up
to it's rightful standard, III be satisfied.
III you recall the 1912 season. you will
remember that Morgan and Gandil
proved excellent in pinches. So did Nc
Bride. Well. Gandil and Morgan arc
still occupying positions in the batting
usually filled by good men in pinchcs.
am in hopes OF their coming tnr3ugn
this year with hits when we need them
most. Foster is now one Of the most
dangerous place hitters in the history
of baseball. Let him hit for go behind
| Moeller reaching 30. and it'll mean
lot more runs for us.
GO on down the line. II Mcbride can
reach 20, getting most of his hits III
| the right place. interspersed nov ana
then with long sacrifice hies, he II DC
holding his own. His principal value, OF
a stonewail out of the infield. I'm never
going to kick about George.
'Of course. $50 hitters are might val
| liable things. They are also growing
complain, even IL don't find one.
! though I'll grab any one ! do find. SH
i let my players as now In the lineup hit
up to their rightfui standard, getting
their hits when we need them most,
and wen be deciding where the pennant
goes
There are many hopeful signs about
the ball club this spring. In the first
place. with no Federal League agents
| dogging their footsteps with fancy OIL
fers. the boys are devotinR all their at
! tention to the work at hand. which hap
pens to be baseball under the Old Fox
| Secondly, several who were not in the
best OF condition last year, are much i'm,
proved this season. notably Gandil nnu
Morgan. Thirdly. those Erecn younE
pitchers. Shaw. Bentley. Harper. nnt
Engel, are much improved after theil
years experience In 1914.
In 1917. his first season in Washington
Gandii proved slugging 800 hitter. lit
got many of his longest drives, too, witt
runners on the paths. He was then IL
good health. He seems better this
spring than he was then. II this mean'
another 1912 hitting performance. II,
hit for .2Ss last year. If he can better
that by fifty points. it will mean a dis
tlhct difference in the offensive strength
of the Griffmen.
Raw Morgan could reach only 257 il
'9lf. but he Is expected to hit for .2SO
anyway, this season. Morgan is out I,
better his work in every particular, anc
the OLD Fox is confident that the watcl
charm second sacker will do it.
John Henry Is another greatly i'm
proved batsman this spring. Henry wa
one or the All-American team last fal
paying ball on the trip as far as tn
Pacific Coast. Last season his pitifl
batting average was .169. but no on
believes IT will be SO low this year. TIL
big fellow Is hitting well here, and h
Is facing some stiff twirling. too. lie
with the plebes and has TO bat againS
: the first teams pitchers. 1t may /
, rash, but Henry will certainly get IN I
.230 in 1915. This difference. coming
j at the tail end of the batting order,
= bound to have its effect.
Boehling was out of the game man
weeks last year. With him in IL
lineup in his turn, his stickwork
D bound to be noticed. Furthermore, JaC
Bentley,w pitched very few inning
\ last year, is no mean hitter nor is jill
= Shaw. Johnson's Viciousness with Il
A fail is too well known TO be elaborate
4 upon. If this quartet pitches it's shaI
c OF the coming games, its batting ma
9 prove a factor in the general offense (
I the team.
J., Allowing that the players are corre
e in assuming that their chances are in
proved by the elimination of the Atl
= letics from their list of hoodoos, Il
I Grinmen may become contenders fro
5 the beginning, II they mere hit up
= their own standards. The Athletics al
d considered weakened almost 30 per Gel
= by the loss of Collins and Bender al
D Plank. The AS never looked twice
, good as the GTiftmen at any time sinC
1911.
s The Red Sox. admitted to have a VOL
fIl tRin af ri