Evening star., 1933-03-13
HARRIS MASTERING
ALL H|TT|NGP POWER
Plot Is Gambling on eAb4
Defense-New Talents
Rated Sturdy.

- 13.-What was once De-
~ troits main strength Is now
its main weakness and the
big task Of this Springs training
Is to improve the teams batting.
Detroit, for several years, carried the
most powerful attack in base ball. One
year 10 members Of the team hit above
;3o0 and included In the lineup were
Heumann, Manush and Fothergill, the
leaomg three hitters of the league. But
while Detroit could beat any team in
batting, its pitching staff was one o.
the weakest in the major leagues.
A few years ago the pitching began
10 improve and Detroit developed n
strong staff, but as soon as the pitch.
ing got better the batting fell off and
tne team that had an abundance Of
heavy hitters found 1t impossible to
replace veterans when they departed.
Manager Stanley Harris is taking
heroic measures to improve the batting
this year. Among his recruits IS Henry
Greenberg, who played with Beaumont
last year, averaged two bases per hit
and was voted the most valuable play
er In the Texas League. Greenberg
never played any position except first
oase, but Harris is converting him into
q third baseman.
Greenberg stands feet 4 inches and
weighs 1885, but Harris points out that
Jimmy Collins, Heinie Zimmerman and
Harry Steinfeldt, three of the best third
nasemen OF the past, were all big men
and that Harold Traynor. best of the
mooern third sackers, is also giant.
HREENBERG was an excellent fielder
~ last year and IF he can field at
f1rSt he can field at third" says
Harris. The manager had Greenberg
report six days before any other in
fieider or outfielder, and is drilling him
daily In third-base play.
Detroit expects to play Marvin Owen
at short. Owen played short and third
base for Newark last year and was
judged the most valuable PLAYER in the
international League. He is a better
third baseman than shortstop, but De-
Iroit Is willing to overlook fielding
faults for the sake of batting strength.
owen Is also more than feet tall and
ne and Greenberg will give Detroit the
tallest left side found on any infield.
Erwin Fox likely will be the center
nelder. He IS the only outfield recruit,
and, while Greenberg and Owen have
had previous trials in the American
League, Fox never was up before. He
has been in base ball for three wears.
Is small compared with the others. but
weighs l65, and. while he does not get
great distance to his drives, hits often
and consistently He has not had a
batting slump since he broke into or
ganized base ball. He is better fielder
than any of the other Detroit OUT
flelders and a more accurate thrower.
He covers vast outfield territory.
With Fox in center field. Stone re-
mains In left and Gerald Walker
probably will be shifted to right field.
Walker had the best batting average
among Detroit's outfielders last wear.
but carried too many fielding faults
for center field play.
L mented by Fred Marberry and
Carl Fischer whom Detroit got
from Washington for the veteran Earl
Whitehill. Detroit needed a strong
rellef pitcher last year. In six of the
games lost to New York, the Tigers
were ahead in the sixth inning. but
could not hold their lead and had no
relief pitcher strong enough to carry
through. Marberry should supply this
want. Fischer was handicapped by
illness last year. but has been restored
to health and weighs 20 pounds more.
There are two recruit pitchers.
Francis Nekola, a left-hander. was
graduated from Holy Cross and pitched
Tor Newark last year, and Lynwood
(schoolboy) Rowe, right-hander.
looks to become a great pitcher and
distinguished character. Rowe is
only 20, but stands feet inches and
weighs 2O4
He never saw a professional ball
game until he joined Beaumont last
hllf hn h hic Fr<<
and had enough speed to make him
one of the outstanding pitchers of the
minor leagues. He also is a slugger
at bat and made 10 home runs, three
OF them coming in the ninth inning
with bases filled
Frank Reiber. who Is rated the best
catcher who ever played in the Texas
League. is certain to become a Detroit
catcher this year. Reiber used to be
started as an infielder. He is aggres-
sive, and Detroit has been searching
for an aggressive catcher for several
years. He, too, played with Beaumont
last season.
HARRY DAVIS will play first base
L again and Charlie Gehringer Is
a fixture at second. Ray Hay
worth will be the first-string catcher
with Gene Desautels or Reiber having
second call. The pitchers will include
Elon Hogsett. Tommy Bridges, Victor
Sorrell. Whitlow Wyatt and George
Uhle. all veterans, in addition to Mar
berry and Fischer and, probably,
Nekola or Rowe.
This is the first year the Detroit
squad under Harris has had strong
candidates Cat least one strong one)
for pitching, catching, Unfolding and
outfielding positions.
(Tomorrow-Manager Harris links
base balls revival to beer.)
Copyright, 1898. BY North American News
Alliance