The New York herald., 1921-01-09
HUGGnS HAS JOB
TO ARRANGE His
BATTING ORDER
New Sluggers Must Be Put
in Proper Shape in
Wrecking Crew.
GIANTS HITTING ARRAY
Official Records Call Attention
to Throwing PrOwess Of
George Kelly.
BY WILLIAM h. HANNA.


A new element enters the batting
order of the Yankees the season ahead
The newcomer Bobby Roth must be
placed to the best advantage Of the
teams attacking strength; and with
him and Wally Schang, another ca
pable stick man, Manager Higgins
has a problem-an important and
agreeable one-to work out. These
two men add substantially to the
Yankee batting force, and how to
place them with relation to the bat
ting array as a whole will engage
Huggins's attention to considerable
length.
A delightful and productive arrange
nlent for the Yankees would be one
providing a hitter just back Of Ruth
Of sufficient power with the ashen ord
nance to make it a risky thing to
pass Ruth in order to get at this other
batter. In that happy event Ruth
would get more chances to hit, with
the natural assumption that he would
make more hits; or II he didn't get
more chances there would be man
back of him to make the most of the
many passes to the Babe.
Last year Huggins found the COM
hination of Ruth in third place and
Pratt in fourth about the best he tried
all season. 1t may be doubted whether
Roth will do any better batting for
Huggins than Pratt did. but Roth is
hitter Of excellent ability, including
long distance ability. and a good fourth
place man. He is fast, he can bunt,
4. 1,A arfn "a A
the hit and run--a useful man in any
of the first four positions. Batting
either third or fourth, he will be par
ucularly handy.
Roth will have to do top batting to
come up to the Pratt standard, and as
between him and Pratt the Yankee bat
ting strength has not been augmented
by the trade; but Roth and Schang pre-
sent moro powerful batting combine
than Pratt and Ruei and certainly bring
more versatility. in which comes speed,
TO the New York team.
There's Schang, too, for whom the
proper place in the New York batting
order must be found. More source OF
cogitation for the Messrs. Huggins and
Barrow. Schang has been batting higher
up than the eighth place of most catch
ers. He hits so well that managers have
found IL helpful to place him up with
the other good hitters so that that con-
centration of fire so valuable in ATTACK
may be attained.
With good lead off man and
cluster Of capable hitters such as Peck,
Ruth, Roth and Schang following In
close order. with the bat of Pipp or
Meusel and Bodie to bring UP in support
OF their offensive, Higgins might be able
TO fling together right dangerous
wrecking crew.
II Chick Fewster is tit and able this
year the most likely place for him Is
second base on detence, first place on
offence He is we'll fitted for lead off
man He is fast afoot. can worry
pitcher. is pretty good at getting on.
He and Roth and Ruth are the best
base runners on the team, though Pipp
Is fairly fast. Peck fits in as a second
place hitter. for he bunts we'll and Is
clear headed and adaptible man at bat.
Then come a group of wallopers-Ruth.
Roth and Schang-with Roth versatile
as well. and should not be surprised
70 see Higgins bat them In that order or
at least group them in some order.
Many combinations are open to Hug.
and 10 hit upon the right one will be
no light task He might put Pipp in
among the first five, and IL Meusel wins
a regular place his 300 per cent. bat
ting ability Is almost sure TO place him
in the firts five. Shcang going to. say.
seventh place. The following looks as
n Il would be n useful distribution or
the New York batting strength and
units, though numerous distributions can
be arranged:
Fewster, 2b: Peck, IS. Ruth, ]. e.:
Roth. r. f.; Schang. C.; Pipp. 1b.; Bodie,
C. f.; Ward. 3b. pitcher.
Anybody else doing the catching would
mean his dropping TO eighth place and
Pipp. Bodle and Ward moving up. The
possibility OF McNally or Mitchell, the
new infielder from the coast, winning
regular place adds piquancy to the prop
lem. An important point Is that the
acquisition of the hard hitting Schang
enables Huggins to strengthen the bonn
bardment with another big gun.
The Giants did so we'll last year after
Bancroft became one of them and after
they Strengthened out that the batting
order Of the latter half of the season ap-
pears to be entirely satisfactory in the
arrangement of component parts. Unless
the personnel OF the regulars is changed
there Is no reason to rearrange the in
dividuals. Runs were made on a large
as II stood. Witness the significant fact
that the Giants scored more plentifully
In 1920 than any other National League
team. No need TO redistribute batting
forces when that Is the case.
The Giants can be strengthened In
material, not in arrangement of what
material they have--exoept the changes
incidental to season when this or that
batter strikes slump.
That Is, at first glance. How would
II do to put Ross Young. who ranked
third last year with the splendid aver
age of .35t. in fourth place instead OF
third? He is easily the best hitter on
the club, outranking by seventy points
Frank Frisch, on whose youthful shoul-
ders last year reposed the burden of
batting In the cleanup position. He
did pretty well there too, and Young
and Frisch make an exceptional pair
In speed and batting. Yet Il does seem
that the great number of base hits
Young is capable of making. following
three such fleet men and adopts at get
ting on as Burns, Bancroft and Frisch,
would drive more men piateward than
they do In third position-unless II
should happen that Young didn't hit as
well in fourth place as in third. OFT
times IL is a wise manager who lets
we'll enough alone.
AZ a lead or man for the Sian;s
Continued on Second Page.