The Washington times., 1931-07-22
FINE AFIELD
| AS WELL AS
At BAT
BY BABE RUTH

III Uni
BY BABE RUTH
Who is the best rookie ball
! player of 1881 in the American
League?
BY rookie I refer to the play
ers who are now serving their
first season in the league. Some
Of them may have come up for a
trial late in 1880, but they really
4 are newcomers to the league after
having spent all their previous
time in the minors, the colleges
or the semi-pro ranks.
MY nomination as the OUT
standing rookie is Joe Vo5mlk'
left fielder of the Cleveland In
dams, In a discussion about
young players on our bench
few days ago 1 found That mosC
all the Yankees feel the same
way about it.
You may recall that I dis
cussed Vosmik early in the sea
son when his hitting during the
first two or three weeks earned
him plenty of headlines. We all
knew this .450 hitting could not
last and we knew nothing about
his other capabilities except What
we had heard.
Quite a Ball Player
Since then I have seen him IN
more than a dozen games and 1
am satisfied that he is quite a
ball player in several ways.
Joe Sewell remarked to me one
evening last March down in st.
Petersburg:
"There's a kid named VOsmik
with the Indians and 1 think
he is ready to go as a big Lacquer.
Wait till you see him."
Joe was right. He was ready to
20 and he is now going strong
He is not only a good hitter and a
long hitter as we'll. but he covers
a lot of ground in the outfield,
throws we'll and looks better all
the time. He looks like major
league fixture for some years to
come, as he is only few months
past his twenty-first birthday.
I talked to Roger Peckinpaugh,
the Cleveland manager, about Vos-
mix a few days ago and Peck told
me he is a youngSter who isn't
easily DISCOURAGED and that he is
sure to succeed. Peck is a great
booster for the youngster who
started his baseball career in the
Cleveland semi-pro ranks.
Several other firstyear players
have done very we'll but Vosmik'S S
hitting and all-around play entitle
him to top honors.
think Joe Kuhel of the Sena-
tors would rate next. Kuhel was
4 with the Washington club last
year, but he was in only few
! games, and he started this season
as substitute first baseman. Joe
Judges attack of appendicitis
gave Kuhel his chance, and he
made the most of it.
Names Many
Walker and Dolack of the
Tigers, Van Camp and Picker
ing of the Red Sox and Burns of
the Browns are other newcomers
who have done very well. These
men have all taken part in
enough games to be classed as
regulars, or close to it.
Walker is the only one Of
this g-oup who has hit over the
800 mark up to this time, but
II is not surprising that new
players should find the pitch
ing rather difficult in their
first season as regulars. At
least they have shown enough
talent and promise to get into
plenty Of games.
If Jim Levey of the Browns
only could hit more frequently he
would be up with the outstanding
young players of the league. The
feet that he can hold a regular
job while batting around .225 is
a tip off on his ability as a
fielder. He is a great defensive
player, but the pitching so far
has been too much for him. Mar
win owen of the Tigers is an
other infielder who has found
the pitching too tough in his
first year. This is not surprising
as he had only one season of
minor league ball. Here is a
young player who can do a good
days work at any infield posi-
ton.
I have not seen much of Ap-
pling and CRUDE of the White
SoX, or Storti of the Browns, but
I notice that they, too, have been
having their troubles at bat. But
we must expect that among
rockies. Many of the old timers
also have their troubles.
The best young pitchers are
Fischer of the Senators, Bridges
of the Tigers and Frasier of the
White Sox Bridges has had q
better strike-out average, in pro-
portion to innings pitched, than
Grove, Earnshaw, Ferrell. John.
son or H. Gomez, who all shine
in whiting batters. FraSler has
done remarkably we'll with a
losing club, and Fischer has been
the most successful in winning
games. I rate Gomez above all