New-York tribune., 1918-06-09
Baker Promises
ToLeadLeague
In 1918 Batting
Unlike Cobb's, Trappe Maui.
er's Average Must Come
From Cleanest Hitting
BY w. ]. Macbeth


league experience that dream which
prompts every stellar performer to his
best efforts-the distinction Of leading
the big show in batting.
Baker is natural hitter; always
was. He had to depend on his keen
ness Of eye and strength Of shoulders
for his base knocks, for he was never
fast man afoot, not even Judged by
the standards of speed of the slug
ging Sam Crawford in his prime No
one, since the mighty Napoleon Lajoie
and the great Honus Wagner passed
on, is possessed Of the natural hitting.
or rather slugging, ability of this same
Baker. except perhaps Babe Ruth, one
Of the real sensations Of the present
campaign.
Grand Average Above 800
Frank Baker is possessed of such
natural hitting ability as to average
we'll over the 300 mark for his long
term of service in the big show. Dur
ing the many years his name was so
prominent as the anchor man of Con-
ME Mack's famous "hundred thousand
dollar infeld" he was always we'll up
in the fight among the great, but like
many others Of the same school-not-
ably Shoeless Joe Jackson-was un-
fortunate enough to have ptted
against him at the time no less
menace than Ty Cobb, perhaps the
greatest ballplayer Of all time. The
hitting of Baker many time would
have won the National League crown.
1t was his misfortune to be pitted
against man whose offensive efforts
knew no limits and whose ambition
drove him to any length of almost
supernatural endeavor to hold his lau-
rels.
With the speed of Cobb, or even a
young Wagner, the name of Baker
years ago would have taken the front
rank among the sluggers Of the Dele
hanty, Brouthers and Anson schools.
Of necessity Bakers hits have to be
clean as the proverbial hounds tooth
Both infeld and outfeld can lie back
deep for this fellow as they cannot do
for such a speed merchant as Cobb; the
outfield, knowing that Baker cannot get
extra bases unless he hits the ball over
percentage against Bakers slowness Of
pace. Outfelders play so very deep
for Baker that they are able to kill
off many wickedly hit line drives that
would be extra base knocks for one
like Cobb, q speed phenom Of hitting
rather than slugging propensities.
Usually Slow at Start
1t was limited at the start that Baker
might be able to lead The American
League in hitting this season. This
surmise is not based on the ctrcum-
stance that the Maryland Mauler hap
pens to be near the top the moment
of writing. With perhaps any other
player in the league the matter Of posi-
tion at this time might count for
little. But in Bakers case it is likely
major league history J. Franklin
Baker was always slow beginner
every season. He never reached his top
form until the latter half Of the run.
Indeed, he always batted after July
at clip 100 points better than that
shown before Independence Day.
This year every element Of dope
favors successful drive by Baker.
He has attained in the early campaign
a pace he never before struck until
long after this stage Of the journey.
And, as in past years, he appears to be
improving all the time. He Is bound to
do at some stage of the long campaign.
But he is not likely to fall far from
his present form, while he is quite
likely the rest of the way to improve
the pace he has shown to date.
Several other circumstances favor
him also. not the least of which is
Ty Cobb's unusually slow getaway. At
no time previously in his brilliant
career was the name of the Georgia
Peach so far down in the batting list.
If Baker maintains the prowess he has
shown or anything approximating it
Cobb Will have to even out-Cobb him.
self to make up the existing discrep-
ancy.
Jackson Often Close
One other fatal element, too,. has
been eliminated in the departure from
the White Sox of the great Joe Jack
son. This fellow for years was the
most serious menace to the peace of
mind of Ty Cobb. Year after year the
Detroit marvel barely managed to nose
out the Shoeless menace. With Jack
son eliminated and Cobb off so poorly
Bakers chances for championship
never were brighter.
Oh, Baker has the nerve and self
assurance, ali rlBhC, 10 do his cause
justice the rest of the long, nerve
rackng way. There never was a play
er OF greater self confidence. The
world marvelled in 1911 and 1913 when
Bakers home runs continued to foil
the Giants in the worlds series tus-
sles. Baker didn't marvel. To him it
was just the ordinary routine of
days work. He firmly believed he
should be able to deliver a home run
any time needed. His self-assurance
was by no stretch of the imagination
anything approximating "swell head
edness." For there is no more modest
player than this same Baker, despite
the fact that he is at the same time
unusually self-reiiant
Baker is of the Wagner type of
player He is clean as they come, al
ways ready to take the worst of it to
avoid injurng & rival, for he himself
Is strapping big fellow, strong as a
horse and almost impervious to in
jury He is player who, like Wagner
and Lajoie, should be able to go along
almost indefinitely near his present
wonderful form. Compared to the
score Of years that Lajoie and Wagner
were in the game Baker is still more
or less of rookie.
Efficiency Sustained
The fact that Home Run Baker. like
the other illustrious names Just men
toned, does not decline to the ordi-
nary span of athletic slife has been