Evening star., 1923-05-16

Ty, particularly, has been out
spoken in advocating use OF young
pitchers as against the old idea OF
holding them back and in many cases
returning them to the minors.e Cobb
maintains that more good pltcning
has been lost by sending young play
ers back than has been gained by
waiting a year or perhaps two be
fore using them.
Il don't claim any originality for
the idea" said Cobb. NO doubt. the
old opinion was the result of neces-
sity, yet when l saw the good effects
of using the young pitchers. as
against burying them for an extra
upon something that was worth while
to base ball.
Ty Studies the Facts.
1T used to be said that this sue
cessful ma nager and that one showed
excellent judgment by sending young
pitchers back to the minors to get
more seasoning. l thought I'd look
up the figures and facts to see if the
statement was borne out. | found
out that these managers usually were
so burdened with high-class pitchers
that they had no room for any other
twirlers and that the reasons given
for shipment back to the minors were
mostly sham and pretense.
The facts as developed were that
many young pitchers of class and
promise were being buried in some
second-class organizations, where they
soon lost ambition to pitch. And all
because there wasn't room on the
major league team that possessed
their services. That isn't right.
Cobb admitted the practice couldn't
be prevented under present conditions
in the case of major league club
holding title to pitcher.
CODD. unlike any of the other man.
ayers. excepting Speaker. hasn't hesi-
tated to give his young pitchers real
tryouts the moment they came to him.
He didn't send Pillette out for year.
nor did he send Johnson away. 1t is
quite true that they came from the
Paclf1c Coast League to him. yet there
were other pitchers from the Pacific
coast who were not given an immedi-
ate trial in faster company by the
managers who obtained them.
Plllette came through for Cobb. and
perhaps johnson would have done as
well had he not met with injury
which prevented him from using his
arm. Some may say that Cobb was
forced to use these pitchers because
he had no others. but granted that
such was the case it still remains in
evidence that Pillette was a very i'm
portant factor in putting Detroit in
third place in 1922. II Johnson had
been able to make the same record
the Detroit club might have been the
runner-up, and possibly might have
been champions in 1922.
Speaker is doing the same thing
with his team. This year he remarked
that he was prepared with some high
class youngsters to get through the
season of 1928 with success. True he
ID pitching Coveleskie and Morton.
out no manager would turn down
either until it had been proved that
they had lost their skill and cunning.
Speaker also believes that too MANY
good pitching years have been wasted
pecause young players have been
showed into the background.
At least three teams in the National
and American leagues have been af-
f1cted with dry rot in the pitchers
box for the last four years or SO. I'm
Willingness to try the kids because
the managers lacked patience with
fhem has disrupted some pitching
departments, but the teams have been
kept going because they developed
strength in other positions