New Britain herald., 1922-12-11
Changing AROUND
IMPROVES HITTING
Many Major League Players Were
Successful During Past Season

New York. Dec. I'm odern base
ball. which calls for nearly every ma
jor league team to have two sets of
outflelders, one for use against right
handed pitchers and the other for use
against southpaws, Is more and more
coming to the point where men who
bat from both sides OF the plate are
not only handy to have around but
are actually needed. These turn
around hitters we're scarce in the ma
jors a few years ago but the past sea-
son there were exactly 20 Of them,
nine being pitchers.
Hitters who have been VIGOROUSLY
weak against certain kinds OF pitch
ing have changed their batting stance
with success and each year more are
following the shifting styles. Players
who hit well only against certain kinds
of pitching are not wanted. Only the
man who hits all kinds of hurting is
sure OF a regular berth and regular
Jobs are the ones sought after. Bat
ters who hit right handed pitching
well but do not have success against
the fork handed style have changed
their batting style to be able to meet
the requirements.
Max Carey of the Pirates probably
Is the best of the men who hit from
both sides of the plate. With the Pr
rates the past season he hit 1923.
Wally Schang of the Yankees. with
q mark OF 1926. topping the turn about
.hitters in the American league. Carey
was originally a right handed batter
but being gifted with extreme speed
The figured he would gain a couple of
steps by shifting to the other side OF
the plate. He did change and with
excellent results.
The Giants have two stars who hit
from both sides of the plate, frankie
Frisch and Dave Bancroft. Frisch hit
for 1926 the past season and Bancroft
for .321. Johnny Gooch of the Pi-
rates, another turn about hitter, bat
ted for 1928, although 1t was his first
year in the major leagues. None Of
the other National leaguers who hit
both ways landed in the 300 class
but few were close.
Other National leaguers who hit
from both sides of the plate and their
averages for the past season follow:
Arnold STATE, Cubs, .297; Walter
Holke, Braves, .291; Larry kopf,
Braves. .2ee: Goldie Rapp. Phillies,
.253; Bernie Neis, Dodgers. .229. Neis,
q right handed hitter when he entered
the majors few years ago, turned
about on the advice of Manager Rob-
inson who believed Neis would profit
because of his speed, but the change
did not work we'll for the youthful
Bernie.
Lu Blue of the Tigers with mark
Of 800 was the only member Of the
junior circuit besides Schang to land
in the select circle. Most of the turn
about hitters in the American League
were pitchers whose batting averages
meat little or nothing.
In the Eastern
In the Eastern League Jiggs Don
ahue Of Waterbury probably is the
best OF the ambidextrous ,hitters al
though a team mate, Joe Cosgrove,
also hits well from either side. Al
least on two occasions the past sea-
son. Ccsgrove turned around at
League Park and batting right
handed drove the ball over the lett
fleld fence. He is nominally lett
handed hitter. Francis Duffy OF
Springfield and Gene Martin Of New
Haven are others who are about as
successful in hitting from one side OF
the plate as the other.