New-York tribune., 1915-03-14

base. Another thing to remember IS al
ways run out your hits. Even though a
fielder has the ball safely in mis- hands
before YOU are half way to first, you
can't tell when he will make Wild
throw.
50 il is that when a scout goes into
the minor leagues looking for major
league material he watches Tor these
things. They are the first signs Of the
finished ballplaycr. Many times play
ers have been sent up 10 the majors
from minor league clubs when they
were anything but stars. They were
poor hitters and possibly only fair field
ers il the bushes. The scout, however,
recognizes diamonds in the rough in
them. He realizes that they had a
"head." could learn and needed but a
little development before being ready
for the big show. He grabbed them.
They have gone to the spring training
camp with major league club. The
manager has recognized the same quail
tiles in them, and has decided either
10 carry them on the bench for a sea-
son. from where they can study big
league baseball and its methods OF
play, or else he has sent them TO some
capable manager in the minors to fur
ther develop them.
These players have wandered into
the majors without the blare Of trum-
pets. and yet you will find the ma
jority Of the big stars OF the game
were players like these. | have seen
minor lcaguerS come into the majors
every year heralded as wonders, only
to see them fzzlc out and fade back
ward.
The scout looks for fielding and bat
ting ability, even though II may be OBJ
scured by want of perfection. and the
manager, depending upon his scouts
for this part of the work. looks for the
head" That's the system.
! This brings me up TO one of the
most important departments OF base
( ball scouting. 1t is department
about which very little has been writ
ten, and yet it is just as important as
any other department Of the game.
/ In my last story | explained that a
manager. no matter how great gem
/ eral he is, is helpless unless he is sup
piled with the proper kind OF material.
For this material he has 10 depend on
I his scouts. 1t is only occasionally dur
/ ing the season that manager finds the
/ time to slip away from his club and
Journey 10 some minor league plSct "
/ look over young player who has
I been recommended TO him. Then the
manager cannot stay as long as he
would like He cannot devote the
necessary time 20 studying the player.
A player cannot be sized up in one
afternoon. nor even in two afternoons.
| have known scouts who have trav-
elled around a minor league circuit
watching a player in action for as long
as two weeks before passing judgment
on him. Ard then they may have
turned the player down because they
discovered him 10 be what is known TO
the profession as star minor
| Lacquer" This means that the player
is a whale in the minors. but misses
being major league prospect by a
hairiinc-one OF those players who
regularly for three or four springs is
signed by some major league club, only
to be shipped back after a month or
two.
The qualifications OF good sco.t ere
about as exscting as those OF a good
player or manager. In the first place.
the scout mus, be a good judge of a
! players ability. Second, he must have
the knsck of being secretivec both about
his intentions and his presence. A
scout can do his best work when no one