The Washington times., 1923-05-21


.chanicaI ball player, q good fielder
But Ty has still additional OUT
field strength--A lot OF IL. Bob Foth-
ergill can smack that apple. He
smacks 1t 30 well, az a matter of
fact, that against left handlers he
has been given the preference over
Veach, although Veach hasn't been
in the best shape. Fothergill was
especially effective against QB, and
they tell us he won quite q few
games for Ty before we hit De-
troit. He seems to be tough egg
in a pinch.
Ty has also Manush, a fellow
who came through i'm a pinch with
base knock against US. 1 didn't
see much of him but Harry He'll
mann and Lou Blue told me ne
takes q beautiful swing at the
ball and win come in mighty
fore the season ends. \
Everything considered, the Detroit
outfield is just about 40 good 40 any
in the big leagues.
f Let's take up the infield now.
Blue, at first, is smart ball player.
fast as a streak, a cofklng good
fielder and corking good hitter
and lead-off man. Like the fellows
in the outfield and as a unit of the
team as a whole he is OF pennant-
winning strength.
At second base there is Del Pratt,
good hitter, but Del has slowed
up in the field and doesn't get
around as fast as he used TO. Never:
theless. he'll get by pretty well. II
he doesn't Ty can use George Cut
shaw, another veteran who knows
as much baseball as the next man,
and a useful fellow to have around
on general principles.
Shortstop has been worrying Ty
a little. Rigney, who was his
regular last year, looked like a
fine in the field at the end of the
season.
But he has been out Of the
game with an injury most Of the
time so far, and Ty has been
using Kerr. kid, who is a
game and hustling little upstart.
I think he's going to be a peach
of a sIlOrtstOp with q little more
experience. but just now don't
believe he is as strong as a. short
stop on a pennant- contending team.
should be.
Cobb has also been using Haney
at short, but Haney is a better third
baseman. Bobby Jones, the regular
third ba seman, had a bad year last
season, but that was because he had
a lot of stomach trouble. AS a
rule he will hit about $50, but last
year he fell away quite a lot. This
season he may come UP again. AS
fielder he'll do. He has an I'M
usually good arm. He hurt his
leg against us, but Haney filled in
for him and did right neat job OF
it, both in the field and at the bat.
The catchers, Bassler, Woodal
and Manion, are good, and now we
come to Cobb's big problem-the
pitching staff.
George Dauss seemed to be his
best bet when we were in Detroit
but George is getting on in years
and may not keep up his good
work all season. Rip Collins has
pitched good ball in spots, but his
control isn't what it might be and
he is still as erratic as when he
was with us. Some day he'll find
his groove and suddenly become a
great tipcher. This may be this
year and it may not. Rip Is
peculiar proposition. He has every
thing in a physical and mechanical
way to make a great pitcher.
Lefty Francis is a pretty FIR
sOuthpaw, but, like Collins, he's a
pitcher who has never come up to
| expectations. Bert Cole. another
left-hander, looked good against
us in the few innings he pitched,
and so did Herman PilIette, who
had great year last season-his
first in the big show. It's around
him and Dauss that Cobb is work.
ing his pitching staff.
The other pitchers on whom Cobb
is counting are Sylvester Johnson
and Ken Holloway, but neither has
proved himself as yet. In other
words, Ty may come through and
win lot of ball games, and again,
Ty may not.
Summed up, the pitching staff
hardly compares with the Yanks.
Where. then, will the team finish?
My impression is that Detroit is
stronger than every team in the
league except the Yanks, and theyu
finish second. If Ty develops un.
expected pitching strength, they'll
come mighty close to winning the
pennant, though I don't believe
they'll beat the Yanks out under
any circumstances.
| Copyright. 1928 by The Christv
Walsh syndicate)