The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-03-17
HUTCHINSON IS TALK OF CITRUS
 CIRCUIT NOW
Star Rookie Pitcher Un= certain of Speed; Baker
 Speaks Up
By HARRY FERGUSON United Press Staff Correspondent

@-e1@~ANA
 United Press Staff CorrespOndent)
 Lakeland, Fla, March IT. (UP)- You meet a citizen of this town on the main street and instead of say ing tits nice day" he fixes you with a cold stare and inquiries, "do you think Hutch has got enough speed to stick in the American league?"
 He will be talking about Freddie Hutchinson, the schoolboy from Seattle who is in camp with the De- troit Tigers-a $100,000 piece of mus cle, nerves and bone, a chubby faced, 19-year-old kid who is the talk of the Grapefruit circuit. Hutch has been in camp for more than two weeks now and no matter how much or little you talk to people down here the conversation always get around to the kid who won 9 ball games for Seattle last year.
 Baker Quizzed
 The man who ought to know the anwser to whether Hutch blazes 'em or balloons 'em up to the plate was standing beside the batting cage, yipping at his infielders and watch ing Hutch throw the ball up batting practice. So we strolled over and put the issue up to Manager Del Baker of the Tigers. He thought bit and then said:
 "That's a hard one to answer. Hutch has only worked once so far. He looked pretty good, but I don't think he was bearing down with everything he has in his arm. But here's the way I feel about it-He may have fast one and he may not, but I'm not going to worry about it. He can bounce the ball up there for all care SO long as he gets the hitters out. You can't get around Hutch's record on the coast last year. Anybody who can win that many ball games must have something"
 There have been plenty of pitch CTS who have won in the big leagues by throwing a nothing" ball, but they usually have been veterans smooth flowing style of the eDans, ed up enough cunning along the way to make up for the loss of pow CT in their arms. It's unusual for 19-year-old pitcher to depend on a nothing" ball. Speed is the first thing scouts look for when out beat ing the bushes for talent and kid who lacks it had better forget about baseball and take correspondence school course in plumbing.
 Hutch doesn't look like any of the great pitchers of the past. He has a jerky delivery in contrast to the smooth flowing style of the Deans, Alexanders and Pennocks. He gets his arm up behind his neck in some fashion and just before he releases the ball his wrist makes corkscrew twist. Suddenly the ball sails out of the tangle of fingers and wrist.
 Hutch himself says he can't tell whether he has enough speed to make the major league grade. All he knows about his speed or lack of it is what he has read in the papers, and he has adopted the policy that his performance on the mound will do his talking for him.
 Needless to say, he's going to get every chance to make good with the Tigers. They are going along with him on the theory that he is ready for the big leagues right now.
 "There wouldn't be any point in sending him back to the minors for seasoning" Baker said. If we had thought he needed more experience we would have left him out ii. Seattl for another year."