The Washington times., 1930-08-02
lopez CHOICE
|NNAT|ONAL
| LEAGUE
By BABE RUTH

NEW YORK, Aug. with
young fellowS-firSt year mem
making good on practically every
one of the teams in the two
major leagues, it's q tough job
naming two players as the out
sanding first-year players In the
h0Siness. And there's sure to
be plenty of argument on any
one a fellow selects.
~ However, I've had a lot Of mail
from fans asking me to settle
Arguments as to this fellows
&bility or that fellows play, and
so I'll take a long flier and name
for you the two first-year players
whom consider the best in the
two major leagues.
In the American League /
think that honor should go
to Leroy Mahaffey, Connie
Mack's young fast-ball pitcher.
In the National League /
, pick Al Lopez, the sensational
youg CuEan catcher with the
B Brooklyn Robins.
Now, don't start throwing things,
please. ! know there will be argu-
meht. However, here's the way
] look at it. Mahaffey has fitted
right into Connie Mack's scheme
of things, has taken his regular
turn on the mound with the vet
eranS and has won lot OF ball
fgames. Connie Mack is in there
for a pennant again this
year and Mahaffey is one Of the
big reasons for Phi1adelphia's sue
hess up to now.
~ The same thing almost can be
said of Lopez for the Dodgers.
Robbie needed a real catcher to
make the Robins a real ball club
and he got one. Lopez has filled
the bill, and pitchers tell me that
he not. only is a good mechanical
catcher but a smart young kid
as well-one who knows how to
catch and how to handle pitchers.
b When you're looking for reasons
why the Robins are up there, you
can mark young Lopez down as
No. l on your list.
Now about some Of the others.
Next to Lopez In the National
League I would say that Wally
Berger of the Braves was the
outstanding young player to
make the grade this year. AS q
matter Of fact I considered q
long time before I selected Lopez
over Berger-and the one thing
that made me do it was the fact
that the catcher breaking in for
the first time has a more diff
cult task than the outfielder, and
therefore deserves more credit
when he makes the grade.
There are . lot Of other
y young fellows who have done
r mighty well, considering the
i fact that this is their first
+ wear in the majors. Four Of
II these are Ben Chapman and
II Jimmy Reese Of the Yankees
II and williams and McNair OF
II the Athletics.
Others are Chatham, Of the
braves: Marshall, Of the Giants;
A Mickey Finn, of Brooklyn; Gullic,
Of the Browns: Funk OF tne
Detroit Tigers; Seeds. OF the
NCleveland Indians: Suar, OF the
pittsburgh Pirates: DesautelS, OF
the Tigers; Hogsett, also OF Pc
troit--all of them deserve lot
inst the same though, I'll have
- etick with Mahaffey and Lopez
as the best of a mighty fine lot
of young prospects. .L,..
And now while it has nothing
to ID with the youngsters whom
p rye mentioned, I've another iet
ter which / want to answer mere
Aand nov. He asks:
ssWhy is it that modern
n,tcIlers can't seem to get the
snrne sort of stuff that Cld-time
v~it6hers used to have. / don't
mean trick deliveries but 1
near pitching knowledge"
The answer to that one, as
see it, is simply this.
Modern pitchers don't study
their Jobs as the old timers usec
. to-pitching has become so nnucr
a business of pitch-and-duck, anc
rms are held so cheaply these
DAYS. that all the finesse ISM
necessary. They seem to have
o1iy one thing in mind and thai
iS To throw that bali past the
hitter.4 BY doing that they lose
control and most of them have
no idea where the ball is going
when it leaves their hand.
The average young pitcher
coming up to the big leagues
hasn't learned to think for him
: self. In fact it takes most oi
them years to learn that lessor
: and it is not until they begin tt
lose their natural stuff that they
get smart and learn something
about the art Of pitching.
(copyright, 1880. by The ChriSty
Walsh. Syndicate)