Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-02-04
Weak as Minor,
S|abman Still
Is Promising
Worth Seen in Tom
IfHe Is Convinced
He Has Goods
BY FRANCIS E. STAN,
Star STAFF Correspondent.

OftIANDo, ria, req. 80 De-
lieve Bill Terry, strapping Thomas
Calvin Baker of Grapevine, Tex,
would have been one of the Giants
starting pitchers this year. Clark
Griffith, however, demanded Baker,
100000 in cash and another young
ball player in exchange for First
Baseman Zeke Bonura.
AS the Nationals spring training
season moved to the end of the first
week today, Baker finds himself the
most keenly regarded of the squad
on hand. He is something of a
challenge to President Clark Griffith
and Manager Bucky Harris. He is
a sort of jigsaw puzzle.
Bakers background is strange in
deed. The Brooklyn Dodgers owned
him, after the 23-year-old right
handler had dabbled as a pitcher,
outflelder and first baseman in the
minors. The Dodgers thought he
was a great prospect. So did Terry
of the Giants, who traded Freddie
Fitzsimmons to Brooklyn for Baker.
No Winner With Jersey City.
Terry thought the young man,
who is part Indian, was fine pros
pect and he continued to think so,
but Baker never made the grade for
the Giants. He was farmed out last
year to Jersey City of the Interna-
tional League. Wildness seemed to
be his trouble. Baker is as fast as
they come, according to those who
have seen great deal of him. At
the time he traded him to Washing
ton, Terry told Griffith that Baker
was as fast as Joe Krakauskas.
And just about as wild" warned
Terry as an afterthought. But I
still figured on him as a starting
pitcher"
Baker, strangely, was no ball of
fire in the International League.
He only won games and lost %.
And yet he was the fastest pitcher
in the league.
II think I'm a better pitcher than
I seem to be off that record" said
Baker, chalking a pool cue during a
breathless duel with Messrs. Ken
Chase and Joe Krakauskas. Jersey
City was bad ball club, real bad
one. guess lost dozen games
by one rum
The official International League
records would seem to. bear out the
fact that Baker is a better pitcher
than his record shows. His hits per
inning total is impressive, as well as
his earned run and strikeout per-
centages.
He May Lack Confidence.
1t is Harris task to piece this
puzzle together. Griffith says it can
be done. Lots of young pitchers
fail with couple of clubs and still
come through" he says. Look at
Krakauskas last year. He couldn't
even pitch for Trenton. And then
he suddenly hit his stride and he
finished as the best pitcher we had"
1t may be that lack of confidence
is Bakers chief trouble. just as it
was Krakauskas' before he finished
with such splurge last year. Baker
started as a first baseman in the
minors five years ago. He shifted to
pitching. Then he was placed in the
outfield. He was given another
chance at pitching. But he never
completely made good.
A change in management on the
Jersey City club apparently worked
miracles with Baker Anyway. he
won five out of his last six games
when a new deal was effected. But
baseball people always are suspicious
of those -the-seaSon victories.
"I don't reckon Ill ever have good
control" says Baker, "but it ought to
get better. I can't stay as bad as
was the last couple of years"
Harris and Griffith are hoping
that he can't. Pitchers can't work
themselves into holes against the
Di Maggios, Foxes, Gehrigs, ct al
and hope to consistently work them
selves out again.
Rocks Get Sundays Of.
Today was to mark the last day
of training this week. With a fat
nine weeks or so ahead of them be-
fore the start of the season, Manager
Harris already is guarding against
entertaining. So he is giving the
boys Sundays off for the time being.
With the resumption of activity
next week will come more varied
and interesting program. Pitchers
will be directed to the box and run
ners will be placed on the bases.
The "hitters" will lay down bunts
and run them out. Bucky plans to
dip as deep into pitching funda-
mentals as possible.
Practice yesterday was the slower
of the two opening days. Most of
the striplings were nursing blisters
on their heels and general soreness.
It's surprising how rapidly you can
get out of condition, even around 20.