The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-07-15
MAJOR LEAGUE
 EYES SLUGGER ONA.A. SPREE
Jack Winsett, Columbus, Tops 400; Seeks
 Homer Record
By TOMMY DEvINE Jnited Press Staff Correspondent

(Unlteu Press SGom COrreSpOnuenGD
 Columbus, O., July 15.--A lean, loose- -jointed Southerner who was just another outfielder in the chain gang of the St. Louis Cardinals Q year ago, today is the No. l slug ger for the minors and exposure for the eyes of major league scouts.
 He is John Thomas "Jack" Win sett, 24-year-old outflelder of the Columbus Red Birds of the Ameri- can Association.
 Winsett, of Mckenzie, Tenn, broke into professional baseball in 1929 with Lake Charles in the Cot ton States league. The following year he was with Mobile in the Southern Association, and although he hit only .299 he was taken up by the Boston Red sox and spent the 1881 season with the American League club.
 Jack hit feeble .loS on 76 trips to the plate with Boston and in 1882 was back in the minors at Buffalo. The following season he switched to Montreal and in 1884 was at Rochester. His batting aver ages for those three Internatio League seasons were 1851, .282 and 1885.
 Tried By Cardinals
 On the basis of his play with Rochester he was tried by the Car dinalS and then sent to Columbus. where he hit .348, but failed to im- press anyone as Q great major league prospect.
 {. Winsett, @ left handed hitter, murdered" right hand pitching but his efforts against southpaws were SO poor that he seldom played when Q portsider faced him.
 At the start of the 1886 season the same policy was followed and Winsett still was just another out fielder.
 Then late in May injuries re- duced the Columbus squad and the veteran Burt Shotton, manager, was forced to keep Winsett in the lineup regardless of what type of pitcher opponents used.
 Suddenly the Tennessean became "hot." From May 3l through June 24, Winsett hit safely in 26 consecu- tive games.
 Hit .5O5 for Stretch Over the stretch he was at bat 90 times and pounded out SO hits for percentage of .605. Includ- cd in his barrage of hits were nine doubles, one triple and IS home runs.
 The home run spree during his hitting streak enabled Winsett tc boost his total to 33 at the sea- sons half-way mark. In seven pre- vious years of professional ball he never hit more than 21 home runs during @ single campaign. Winsett's goal is ow is the All-Time Amer lean Association record of 69, estab- lished in 1883 by Joe Hauser of Min neapolis.
 Although the gangling Columbus star has a chance to break Hauser's s mark the odd sare against him, as when he is at home he plays in Q field much more expansive than the park in which Hauser performed.
 Hauser, like Winsett, hit from the left side of the plate. At Nicolett Park, home of the Minneapolis club, the right field wall is only 279 feet, while Winsett must shoot at Q bar rier 3l5 feet away in his favorite hitting spot.
 Leads In Runs Batted In
 Winsett in addition to leading tho association in home runs is in front in batting with @ seasons average above 400, in etoal bases and in runs batted in.
 Pat Crawford, former major league star and now secretary of the Columbus club, is a great boos- ter of Winsett and believes he is certain to make the major league grade in 1887.
 "Thre isn't @ ball player in any