Evening star., 1939-12-17
Young Giants Crowd
Squad Of 19 Slated
For Early Work
Twelve Hurters Among
Lot; Veterans Will
Report March l
BY FRANCIS E. STAN.

Inc pastoral peace Oh OIldIlQO
will be shattered next year, when
the tallest, rangiest and probably
hungriest collection of rockies in the
history of the Washington ball club
open spring training.
President Clark Griffith an
nounced yesterday that his 1899
boarding house training camp"
partially will be discarded. This
year the Old Fox made the un-
precedented move of opening camp
on February and lodging a covey
of the greener hands in big board
ing house, where English seldom was
spoken.
Next year the start of the spring
training season will be pushed back
two weeks, but even this date is well
ahead of other big league clubs.
Only a few of the 1889 boarding
house rockies" like Joe Haynes,
Alexandra Carrasquel, Joe Krakau-
skas and Ken Chase remained with
the Mats throughout the season.
Krakauskas and Chase are not ex-
actly rockies, either.
Two Outfielders Stable.
Manager Bucky Harris, Trainer
Mike Martin, Coaches Benny Ben
cough, Ossie Bluege, Clyde Milan
and Nick Altrock, the Griffith fam
lily, two young catchers, at least a
dozen pitchers, a pair of outfielders
and three infielders will comprise
the early squad, which will be joined
on March l by the veterans.
Included among the early birds
will be some ganglng young men.
The two outfielders, Elmer (Jack)
Gedeon and Roberto Ortiz, stand
6 feet inches and feet inches.
respectively. One of the rookie first
basemen, Johnny Sanford, is feet
3 inches.
A pair of Florida State League
pitchers. one of whom is declared to
be one of the greatest prospects in
the minors, each stands feet 4
inches. More promising is Sidney
Hudson, whose acquisition by WASH
ington caused Chattanooga presi-
dent, Joe Engel, to move his spring
training camp from Sanford, close
by Orlando.
Engel, it seemed, believed that he
had first crack at Hudson. When
the Sanford management sold him
to Griffith the 'Nooga boss, one time
scout for the Mats, told Sanford of
and moved to Deland. The other
pitcher is Jimmy Dean, from the
same club.
Others Aren't Little.
These are by no means all Of the
big boys. Krakauskas, the perennial
busher, who again is going South
early to learn how to pitch, is no
midget. Bowed legs and all, Mrs.
KS boy stands over feet and
Almon Williams, the stringy ex-
Athletic Highlander, who was pur-
chased from Chattanooga, is 6 feet
3 inches.
All down the line, Mr.. Grifith's
1910 lads are coming big. Walter
Masterson is feet inches and Paul
Gehrman, who was purchased from
Albany In the last minor league
draft, isn't much under this figure.
Among other pitching hopefuls
who are due to report on February
Is will be Gilberto Torres, a Cuban,
who was picked up by Scout Joe
Cambria and who spent this year
at Charlotte playing the infield, out
field, catching and pitching. Louis
Truman, who closed the 1899 cam
palgn with the Mats, will be back,
along with Bucky Jacobs and Early
Wynn. Truman did most of his
hurting this year with Greenville,
while Jacobs performed with Spring.
field and Wynn with Charlotte.
In addition, Harris will look over
Fred Byram and William Kennedy,
from the Orlando team of the
Florida State League. This group
Byram, Dean, Gehrman, Hudson,
Jacobs, Kennedy, Krakauskas, Mas
terson, Truman, Torres, Williams
and Wynn-make II, and there is a
possibility that Ken Chase and Joe
Haynes will be added starters. Chase
Is being considered, although he
protested that last year he got too
much spring training and was tired
IN midseason. Haynes is not con-
sidered in need of as much funda-
mental teaching as the others.
Wasdell Ties . Record.
Jimmy Wasdell, the first base
man who was sent to Minneapolis
last season to learn how to play the
outfleld, also will be among the
early arrivers. The reason? Was
dell now must learn to play first
base.
Jimmy opened this years cam
paign at first base for the Mats, but
he didn't last long. His fielding
was something less than adequate.
Indeed, he tied a major league
record for errors for a first base
man in a single game when he
booted four one day. Also, he fin
1shed last among the American
League first basemen in fielding.
But Griff hasn't succeeded in land
ing anybody better, in his opinion,
and 50 Wasdell returns as an in
fielder.
Wasdell, Sanford and Sherard
Robertson are the three inf1elders
definitely slated to report on Feb
ruary Is. A fourth may be Mickey
Vernon, the fancy-f1elding but
weak-hitting youngster who played
most of the games for the Mats on
first base. Grifflth hasn't decided
about Vernon yet. He thinks that
Mickey will need another year in
the minors.
Robertson is a third baseman
who graduated from the University
OF Maryland and who joined the
Orlando team last summer. A
nephew Of President Grifith and a
brother of Calvin Grifdth, presi-
dent and manager of the Charlotte
farm team, Robertson is the prop
erty Of Charlotte and is not as yet
r{l