Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-01-20
FEW MINORS GO ID bIG LEAGUES
 FOR TRY OUTS
Jacobson of Little Rock, Southern's Slugger, to
 Work With Browns.

The small number of minor league batting champions who are to be giv- en a trial in fast company this spring indicates that the majors aren't very strong for last seasons bush league slugging talent.
 Of the five minor league swat champions purchased for the big show, the St. Louis Americans grab bed two-Kenworthy. the Pacific Coast league batting leader, and Ja- cobson, champion slugger of the Southern league. Both of these pas timers have been "up' before. Ken worthy having been tried out by the Pittsburg Pirates and Jacobson by the Detroit Tigers. Their failure to show consistent stick work sent both back .C the minors.
 Last season Jacobson played cen ter field for the Little Rock team and hit for .346 in 139 games. Kenwurthy performed at second base for the Oak .314 in 200 games. If they can con- tinue their brilliant wohk of 1916 Jake" an Ken are certain to be- come fixtures with the Browns.
 The othe" batting wizards from the short ship circuits who are to show their wares to big time managers are Ellison, champion of the Central as- sociation, who goes to the Detroit Tigers; Mathes, the Central league leader, who has been copped by the Boston Braves, and Hoelke, king Of the International league batsmen, who is already a member of the New York Giants, having performed bril- liantly for McGraw the latter part of last season.
 Central association averages show that Ellison, the Muscatine infielder, took part in 127 games and hit for .361. Mathes, who played second base for Terre Haute, had batting mark of .354 in "A games, and Hoelke's ln- ternational league batting figures show that he hit for .344 in 122 games, while holding down first base for Rochester.
 Rather out of the ordinary is the fact that four of these five champion batsmen are infielders, Jacobson be- ing the only outfielder. Heretofore big majority of the star clouters gathered annually by the major leagues from the smaller circuits have been outfielders. Now it would seem that the intielders are fast de- veloping the art of hitting and are to give the gardeners good run for the bingle honors. The same improve ment in hitting by the infielders IS noticeable in the major leagues, es- pecially in the National. in which or ganization eight of the dozen leading tatsmen played infield positions. The fact that so many of the minor league batting champions are veteran pastimers and former big leaguers may account for the small number of minor league leaders coming up" this year. Nowadays major league managers prefer taking chance In developing youngster.
 Among the veteran palyers who led their respective leagues in batting last season were Beals Becker of the Kansas City American association team, Bill Kay of the Binghamton New York State league team. and Howard Wakefield of the Rock Isl and Three-I league team.
 Butcher heads the list of veteran sluggers with a batting average of .377 for 145 games. Kay took part in 124 games and nit for .360 Wake field hit for .352 in 134 games and
 Becker had an average of .343 for ! 153 games.
 Other minor league batting leaders | include Kippert, of Butte, the North
 western league champion; Maloney of Worcester, champion of the East
 ern league; Bittle, of Waco, who led
 the Texas league. and Flynn, of New nan, the Georgia-Alabama league 1 leader. Bittle is to be tried out by 1 the Mobile Southern league club next season and Flynn is to go to the San Antonio team of the Texas league.