The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-08-24
TWO BEGINNING
STARSPRESENT
WIDE CONTRAST
Kress Started Out Like $
Whirlwind While Lind Was
Perched on Bench
HIT EQUALLY WELL
Both Displace Veterans on
Their Respective Teams,
Showing Great Poise
BY BILLY EVANS

Two of the outstanding recruits
in the majors this year are Second
Baseman Carl Lind of the Cleveland
Indians and Shortstop Ralph Kress
of the ST. Louis Browns. Incident
ally their major league debuts offer
a striking contrast.
It is the exception Of major league
infielders to make the grade in their
first year in the big show, but that
is just what Lind and Kress have
done at the all-important positions
Of second and short.
Last year these two players were
the stellar performers at shortstop in
the Western League, Lind with Dem
yer and Kress with Tulsa. Forcing
Joe Sewell, Of Cleveland, out Of the
lineup hardly seemed possible, so
Manager Peckinpaugh Of the Indians
experimental with Lind at second a.
an understudy to Louie Fonseca. AL
so, it hardly seemed in the books
that Krcss could displace the veteran
Walter Gerber at short for the
Browns, but that is just what he did,
Gerber being sold to the Boston Red
Sox shortly after the season opened.
Both Filled In
Now for the peculiar part Of the
first year careers of these two clever
rockies. From almost the very start
Of the training season, Kress had the
upper hand a! short for the Browns,
but Lind was simply a filler-in for
Cleveland, being used at both short
and second. AS a matter Of fact, an
injury that caused Joe Sewell ia
miss the last three weeks Of spring
training, enabled Lind to get plenty
of work ut shortstop.
However, when the season opened
Joe Sewell was back at short for
Cleveland, but Kress had supplanted
Gerber at st. Louis. In the first
game OF the season, a collision put
Morgan and Fonseca out Of the
Cleveland lineup and Lind got his
big chance in the second game Of
the season as substitute for Fonseca
at second. He has played regularly
ever since and is now a fixture as an
Indian regular.
Last season, in the Western
League, Lind batted 1881, while Kress
hit for a mark Of 1929. There was
little to choose between the two al
the bat and if there was an edge
most Of the experts were willing t.
give it to Lind.
Yet, during the first two months
OF the season to say that Lind com.
pared with Kress as batter savored
Of a Joe Miller joke. For week.
kress led the American League If
batting with mark well over 400
When the season was nearly hall
over, he wasn't very far away from
that mark. Lind. on the other hand
was many points below his mino,
league average, but just about where
the experts had figured he woult
bat, in the neighborhood of .270.
kress Batting Sensation
Kress looked like the sensatio,
of the year at the bat, while Linz
resembled the ordinary performer
Now, with four months Of the sea
son over, we find things considerable,
different. Kress began to slump q,
was expected, because it was beyon,
rhyme and reason to figure he woult
continue his 400 gait. Lind, on tn,
other hand, began to perk up ant
jump his average q point or tw,
every now and then. In the first III
games played by Lind and Kress, ",
find the former boasting q mark O
$40, while Kress had fallen to ex
actly 1872.
Lind throughout the year has bee,
consistent, while Kress has bee,
rather streaky. Consistency tells til,
story OF Lind's play and offers q con
vincing reason why he has Z grea
chance to develop into one Of tn
games best second sackers with
few years Of experience.
Lind and Kress in making tn
grade in their first year have prove,
the exception to the rule. Clevelan,
and st. Louis have profited much b,
the fine play of these two recruits
Both are young and should star TO
10 years, which is 4 nice thought 70
the fans Of the two cities, not for
i getting the club owners.