The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-28

Value Ndlut NdluC
 in in in in
 Offense Defense Season Series Hoblitzel .....-sS2 61 704 fS7 Luderus ......S61 SIS 717 7l0
 There are few ball players in the coun- try about whose ability there is as much question as there is about Dick Hobitzel. From first baseman of the National league, he retrograded until he was not considered good enough for the tail end Cincinnati club and every club in the Ma tional league, five of which needed first basemen, waived claim and he went to Boston. There he struck his old stride and seemed as good a ball player as ever, although he has played by streaks the greatest in the league for time and far off his work at another. That he has lost some of his sensational speed around first is undoubted and his base running is not what he promised.
 Hobby is a left handed first saeker, handles the ball like a flash along the line, and makes the play down to second or across to third as handily as anyone. That he is strong enough to hold the steady job with Del Gainor on the bench shows that Carrigan thinks he is going well and relieves us of the necessity of figuring Gainor in this series save as d pinch hitter or a capable understudy if Hoblitzel should be incapacitated in any way.
 I.uderus Is more like the old type of first basemen than any man now in the game He is big, heavy, flat footed ball player, slow and a bit awkward in his movements and only fair first baseman. His chief defensive strength lies in the hot Ia, nt,d rtn 6xF that he makes an excellent mark for the other infielders to throw at. He Is a plodding earnest worker, cool under all circumstances and just about as good player, mechanically, in worlds series as he would be in an exhibition game. Iuderus has been normal .2S5 hitter ever since he broke into the National league in spite of his sloWness. He IS a terrific driver and the fact that he plays on the Philadelphia grounds adds 15 points to his percentage because he hits hard towards right field. The ma- jority of his long hits are over or against the right field stone wall
 Batting against Hooper and Speaker will cut down his chance on the long Boston field but the short wall at Phll- adelphia will hep him and handicap them
 This season Luderus is rappinG the onion to the tune of about .340 and keeping right on He is helped by the fact that the pitching in the National league has been worse this season than it has been fin long time.
 To see how it is likely to bat against Wood. Shore, Leonard, Ruth and Foster l looked over his batting against 10 Ma tior.al league pitchers who are similar to them in style Against these 10 (which dncluled Toney of Cincinnati Ragan and Nehf of Boston, Pfeffer and TesreaU, l discovered that his average against these 10 was .23S-a rather remarkable diher- ence. The indication is that Luderus is not liable to be so formidable In the worlds series as one might think from the bare averages.
 Neither Hobby nor Luderus has been hitting the left handlers very well. Studying Hobbys figures against five American league pitchers, including J Johnson, Scott and Caldwell, find his batting average must also be reduced considerably when he faces Alexander, Chalmers and Rixey, who will, beyond doubt, carry the burden for Moran.
 Neither man is a good base runner Hobby having some advantage in that regard. He gains in speed taking two bases, going faster from second to third than from first to second
 Indeed, in studying these figures it will strike you as rather remarkable that the pennant winning teams in 
 out and battle for the worlds cham pionship, are about the poorest base running aggregations in either league and their first basemen are fair rep resentatives of the team.
 Luderus is a quiet, phlegmatic and international fellow with considerably more brains than the fans may give him credit for possessing when they Judge from his deliberate movements and lack of enthusiasm The pitchers tell me that he is deceiving in this; that he looks easy to fool, but is just las likely to be fooling the pitcher, for after he has looked bad swinging at Ione ball he may kick the cover loose from the next one of that kind. He has one bad weakness as a batter and the Boston pitchers undoubtedly know what it is and will try to pitch to it. If they have good control, then can stop him.
 Hoblitzel is a different type. He is