Evening star., 1938-03-03
BATTLES FOR Jobs
HOLDING UP PLANS
Batting Order Depending
on Efforts of WasdeII,
Case to Get Posts.
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
staff CnrreSnnndent Of The Star

Staff Correspondent Of The Star.
ORLANDO, Fla, March 3.-With his
Senators finishing their fourth day of
spring training and only seven more
players due to report, Manager Bucky
Harris today confessed to bewilder-
ment as far as his 1898 lineup and
batting order is concerned.
When we start playing exhibition
games on March 16," announced Har-
ris, I'm going to start experimenting
on batting order until I'm satisfied,
In my own mind at least, what is the
best way to place the club on the
field"
At the end of this opening week of
training, Outfielders Melo Almada.
Johnny Stone and Paft Wright, and
1nfielders Buddy Lewis, Cecil Travis,
Buddy Myer and Johnny Mihalic are
to report. The squad then will be
complete and Harris experiments will
begin in earnest.
Either Stone or Simmons will bat
fourth, in the cleanup position, 4"
added Bucky. I'm not sure that
George Case won't beat out Simmons
in the outfleld. In that event Stone
undisputably would be the cleanup
hitter. Almada will lead off, again.
He doesn't get many bases on balls
but he does a pretty good job. Lead
ing off is something the average player
hates TO do. So far I haven't heard
Almada complain"
First Base JOB Open.
Harris claims the first base Job is
wide open between Joe Kuhel, the
veteran, and Jimmy Wasdell, the
rookie. Both have shown power at
bat. When they get hold of the ball
1t rides for distance. But regardless
OF who wins the berth. Bucky isn't
ready to name his standing in the
batting order.
1t was suggested that Buddy Lewis.
who drove across 70 runs from the
No. hole last year, be dropped down
In the order. Lewis, hitting .314,
drove across more runs. than Cecil
Travis, who led the Griffs with $40
mark, and was only nine behind Stone.
who topped the club in runs batted in.
Lewis is perfect No. man." said
Harris. But I may drop him down.
I'm frank in saying I have no idea
how to place the hitters yet. If Buddy
Myer comes back pretty well he ought
to hit No. 3. Lewis looks as if he
might make good man in this hole.
too. Travis might be moved up to
No. or No. 2, but, still. he might
start to drive across runs
Simmons Job Not Safe.
Bucky insists he has an open mind
about at least two positions on the
ball club. They, of course. are the
outfleld post manned by Simmons and
the first basing job. He intends to
give young Case, the footed
rookie, an even chance with Simmons,
one of the great right-handed hitters
of all time. The same goes for Was
dell in his battle with Kuhel.
Harris confesses to admiration for
Simmons all-around outfeld play and
his batting ability in the pinch. So
far Bucky has seen Al, alone of the
Grifts. really smack the ball in bat
ting practice session.
But we had Simmons and Kuhel
in the lineup last year." recalled
Bucky, "and where did We finish?
Sixth place.
Maybe" he went on, well finish
sixth again with Case and Wasdell
in the lineup. I dunno. We might
even finish eighth. But if they con-
vince me they will improve over Sim
mons and Kuhel, I'll put them in the
game. Right now it looks like the
exhibition games will decide a few
things"
Harris frankly admits he likes the
chances of Case. Next to Simmons,
the kid outfielder has done the best
hitting in the two batting practice
sessions as of this morning
Haynes, Coppola Cast Aside.
The workout yesterday marked the
finish of Rookie Pitcher Joe Haynes
as Nat, for this spring anyway. The
young man from Columbia, S. c., is
ready to undergo an operation on his
left arm and probably will be as
signed to the Charlotte club Of the
Sally League after his recovery. Henry
Coppola, another pitcher who recently
underwent an appendectomy, also was
virtually cut loose as far as this year
with Washington was concerned.
Griffith reached over to nearby
Sanford and plucked two rookie pitch
ers who starred in the Georgia -Flori-
da League last year to replace them.
One was a 6-foot 5-inch right
handler named Bill Brainard, who has
a good fast ball The other, also a
right-hander, is named Owen Wright,
winner of more games for the San
ford farm" team than any other
hurler in 1887.
Neither has chance to stick. Har-
ris makes no secret of the fact that
he wants them as cannon fodder for
batting practice. Bucky is getting
tired of serving 'em up himself in the
stick drills. A fellow has to duck line
drives too often, and when he gets to
be II years old, as Harris is, it's not
much fun.