Evening star., 1927-04-03

/ the Nationals nearly half OF the 1870
campaign and appeared likely to
make the grade in his second trial in
| the big show.
These three have been in-and-outers
in exhibitions this Spring Their main
| fault has been lack of control, Re
Gently all three have suffered stomach
attacks that have handicapped them
| in their. work. Jones has }about re
covered from his illness. Hedley and
! Murray, however. are on a Gffet with
| instructions to adhere to it for a.
least another week.
OF the eight pitchers sent to the
minors since the Nationals started
training here, in February, only one
particularly impressed Manager Ha:-
ris. He was Ralph Stewart, a 23-year-
old right handler bought from Birming.
ham last Winter. Stewart had fair
assortment of stuff, but sinus trouble
| so affected his arm that it was feared
he would be no value in the majors.
So back to Birmingham he went under
option
| Birmingham also got Willard Nor
| rell. who was with the Nationals all
last season; Frank LOTUS. around the
club for the final two weeks of the
! 1926 campaign, and Clayton Van
Alstyne, Warren Ogden and Clarence
Thomas again failed to show enough
to warrant retention, and they were
shipped, the former to Buffalo and the
latter to Rochester. Leo Mangum,
shifted from the White Sox to the Ma
tionals, had nothing in the pitching
line that Manager Harris wanted and
went to Buffalo, while Lou McEvoy,
brought UP from Chattanooga, plainly
was not ready for a big league job,
and went back to the Lookouts.
Turning from his experimental
pitching staff, Manager Harris finds
some consolation in his catching corps.
The recent acquisition of Mickey
O'Neil from the Dodgers has bolstered
the strength of the Nationals receiv-
ing department nearly 100 per cent
The way the pilot figures it, he has in
O'Nei1 a capable receiver, strong
thrower and an athlete with plenty of
pepper, too. Mickey undoubtedly will
share with Muddy Ruel the clubs
catching burden at the outset of the
campaign and may become the first
string backstop, for Muddy has yet to
show whether he can heave to the
base
Benny Tate will be kept for bull.pe
toll and emergency work in games.
He is q handy little hitter to have
around. and probably will be called
upon often in pinches. But he has not
developed as a catcher as Harris
thought he would, and will get the
call over John Berger more for his
swattfng ability than anything else.
Berger. draftse from New Haven. will
be retained FOR a time To assist in the
training Of pitchers.
InfleId Ppetty Well Shot.
With Harris still nursing a severely
injured index finger on his right hand
and Buddy Myer still out of condition
and too sick to force his training, the
Nationals infield is pretty well shot.
The club is fortunate to have around
in Stuffy Stewart a utility player we'll
versed in second basing. But for him
ii would be in tough fix Stuffy prob
ably will have to start the season at
the keystone sack for the Nationals,
too, for at present it does not seem
that Harris finger viii be healed suf.
ficientiy to permit his return to the
lineup.
Harris has had to do a deal OF ex.
perimenting with his infield. and still
does not know just how much he has
accomplished. He first had an idea
he could make a substitute first .sacker
out Of Emmett McCann. the purchase
from Columbus. but Emmett did not
make enough headway in that direc.
tion 10 satisfy the boss. Then he
used McCann at second where the
recruit used to play In the American
Associa ton. Again Emmett was
found wanting. and returned TO the
Columbus outfit.
Grant Gillis. young infielder bought
from Birmingham. early was lgured
as being below jor league caliber
and sent back to the Barons, so Har.
ris turned to Bob Reeves as a second.
base possibility. Reeves did well
enough for time. but pulled up with
badly split finger on his throwing
hand and had to idle on the bench. So
Harris had 10 get around again TO
Stewart. with the club since 1925, and
SO far Stuffy has made a good job
OF IT,
The pilots greatest disappointment
in his infield experiments was the
failure of Buddy Myer To boost his
work at shortstop. In the exhibi-
ti0ns, Myer failed to perform any
where near the standard he set last
season and his work then left much
room for Improvement. Myer handi.
capped himself by failing TO get into
good playing condition, but Harris fig.
ured that the youngster was needed
in the lineup for his hitting strength
and had him exchange positions with
Osse Biuege.
Reeves Hitting Doubtful
BIuege has taken to the short field
as a duck takes to water but right
after he started on his third basing
career Ayer suffered a stomach at
tack and has been unable TO make
any progress in his new job. Reeves
would make fine fielding third
sacker. Harris believes. but Bob has
Yet 10 show that he can hit so the
pilot will have to wait patiently un.
til MNer can make himself Of real
value 10 HIS club.
The first base business is we'll cared
for, now that Judge is himself again,
and Nick Cullop. procured from the
Yankees by way of st. Paul. seems
likely 20 make good as a substitute
q the initial station. Right now.
Nick can handle himself at the bag
as well as Joe Harris did last season
and is much faster afieid. Nick can
sock the ball, too. SO that judges bar
would not be sorely missed should the
regular first sacker be forced out of
the game
Although Iris Speaker and Sam
f, Rice have been on the injured list
| for some time. Harris is not worrying
particularly about his outfield Both
f. Of the veteran gardeners are on the
mend and due to return to action soon
while Goose Goslin, regular left fielder.
| IN IN Hne Iettte ana READY TO start
| the season now. And Harris has a
! fine outfield reserve to draw upon
should any Of his regulars become in.
capaeitated. Sam West. after a poor
/ start. has revealed plenty of hitting
| as well AS fielding ability. while Ollie
! Tucker ~ good. all.arourh pasture
man and Earl McNeely once more Is
as sure fielder as ever.
| But for his pitching staff and his
infeld, Harris would be sitting pret,
ty." Until they have been thorough
| ly tested, however, he will have no
icea As TO the real strength Of the