Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-03-13
few MINOR BAT
KINGS IN MAJORS
Only Five Leading Ritters Get
Trials In Big Show.
DETROIT HAS A SLUGGER
Ellison, Champion Of the Central Asso-
citation, Expected to Mako Big Hit
With the Tigers--Sevsrai Other Swat
Artists Who Have Broken In.

The small number of minor league
batting champions who are being
given trial in fast company this
spring indicates that the majors aren't
very strong for last seasons bush
league smuggling talent.
OF the five minor league swat cham
pions purchased for the big show the
st. Louis Americans grabbed two
kenworthy. the Pacific Coast league
batting leader, and Jacobson. cham
pion slugger of the southern league.
Both Of these FASTENERS have been
up" before, kenworthy having been
tried out by the Pittsburgh Pirates and
Jacobson by the Detroit Tigers. Their
failure to show consistent stick work
sent both back to the minors
Last season Jacobson played center
field for the Little Rock team and hit
SAG in 139 games. kenwOrthy per-
formed at second base for the Oakland
team and stung the pellet5for ,.3l4 in
POO games. II they can continue their
brilliant work of 1916 Jake" and
Ken" are certain to become fixtures
with the Browns.
The other battiag wizards from the
minor circuits who are about to show
their wares to big time managers are
Ellison. champion of the Central asso-
citation, who is with the Detroit Tigers
Mathes. the Central league leader, who
has been COPIED by the Boston Braves.
and Holke. king of the International
league batsmen, who is a member of
the New York Giants, having performed
brilliantly for McGraw the latter part
Of last season.
Central association averages show
that Ellison, the Muscatine intelder.
took part in LIT games and hit for .36l.
Mathes. who played second base for
Terre Haute, had batting mark of 3J4
in seventy-four games. and Holkes
International league batting figures
show that he hit for .344 in l22 games
while holding down first base for Roch-
ester.
Rather out Of the ordinary Is the fact
that four Of these five champion bats
men are intielders, Jacobson being the
only Outticlder. Heretofore big ma
jorty Of the star clouters gathered an
nually for the major leagues from the
smaller circuits have been outtielders.
Now. it would seem that the infield-
ers are fast developing the art Of hit
ting and are to give the gardeners a
good run for the single honors. The
same improvement in hitting by the in.
flelders is noticeable in the major
leagues, especially In the National. in
which organization eight Of the dozen
leading batsmen played infield posi-
tons.
Among the veteran players who led
their respective leagues in batting last
season were Beals Becker Of the KaE-
sas City American association team,
Hank Butcher of the Denver Western
League team, Bill Kay Of the Bing-
hamton (New York State league, team
and Howard Wakefield of the Rock
Island Three-I league team.
Butcher heads the list Of veteran
sluggers with batting average Of .377
for 145 games. Kay took part in 124
games and hit for 800. Wakefield hit
for $50 in 1874 games, and Becker had
an average Of .343 for 1913 games,
Other minor league batting leaders
include Kippert Of Butte. the North
western league champion; Maloney OF
Worcester champion Of the Eastern
league; Bittle Of Waco. who led the
Texas league. and Flynn OF Newman
the Georgia-Alabama league leader
Bittle is to be tried out by the Mobile
Southern league club next season, and
Flynn is to go to the San Antonio team
Of the Texas league.