The Washington times., 1933-09-09

the fourth consecutive year we
have chosen Joe Cronin and
am quite certain that the choice
will meet with general approval.
I felt last winter that the added
duties of managing the Senators
might handicap Cronin as a
player, but he has come close
to his batting performances of
the last two seasons, and he has
played a bang-up game in the
field and is even more of al in
spiration and spark-p!ug to his
team now that he was before he
became manager. In fact, this
year as manager has shown him
to be even a. better baseball
man than we were inclined to
judge him. Cronin is an ideal
ball player, who does his best
work under pressure. and as long
as he holds his present pace it
will be difficult for any other
shortstop to win top honors.
THIRD BASE
It has been the custom in re-
cent years, whenever third base
men were mentioned to think of
Pie Traynor, of the Pittsburgh
Pirates. And so it is this year.
Traynor goes on as the master OF
the sizzling corner, and he is hit
ting well above the average OF
the other men in this position.
Traynor has been outbatted this
year by two players WHO are new
in the ranks of big league third
sackers, but only two. One is
Frank Higgins, of the AS, who
gives promise of developing into
the outstanding third baseman of
the majors. The other is Pepper
Martin, of the Cardinals, who had
previously starred as an out
fielder. Ossie Bluege, of the Sena-
tors, was his usual dependable
self, but was outhit by Traynor.
LEFT FIELD
The choice for the outstanding
left field of the season rested fl
nally between AL Simmons, of the
White Sox, and Heinie ManuSh,
Of the Senators. Naturally the
StickWork must be considered as
big part in any comparison of
outfielders, and at this time there
is little, to choose between the
two, due to a recent slump of
Simmons. But through the sea.
son AL has been in the thick of
the fight for the batting leader
ship, and I regard him as one of
the best outfielders I have ever
seen.
CENTER FIELD
Center field has had its share
OF high-class defensive players
this season but I think it has
fallen slightly below its average
in hitting. For a time Fred
Schultz and Sam West were cut
ting great capers and giving the
pitchers plenty of headaches but
as the season wore on they
dropped off in their heavy hitting.
The outstanding center fielder
of the year has been Wally Berger,
Of the Braves, whose consistent,
and likewise heavy, hitting had so
much to do with the success
which the Braves attained this
season. Berger always had been
one of our best outfielders, but
this year his stickwork has been
more notable than in any of his
three earlier seasons with the BoS-
ton club.
RIGHT FIELD
If all the positions were as easy
as this one what a simple matter
it would be to pick an All-Amer-
lea team. There is no close Sec
ond for the honor of being the
outstanding right fielder of the
season. Chick Klein gets it with
plenty to spare. He is the leading
hitter of the two major leagues,
a ong-distance s1ugger extraor-
binary and he gets the place
for the fourth consecutive time.
CATCHER
This season has produced plenty
OF capable catching, and also
more than the usual number of
catchers who have done as we'll
with the bat as with the big
glove. In the American League.
Dickey, Cochrane and Ferrell
have all caught fine ball and hit
above the 300 mark. A newcomer
to the majors. Pytlak, of Cleve-
land, has also been among the
heavy hitters of the league, but
he was not rated as a regular