Evening star., 1941-08-04
From the
Press Box
Star Rockies Of lo4l
Include ID Pitchers
BY JOHN LARDNER,
Special Correspondent Of The S.ar.

NEW 1OElE, aug. N1N.lIN al
It's a little too early to name the
all-star rookie team in the big
leagues for 1941, but when the time
comes the squad will be infested with
young pitchers of whom little or
nothing was heard last spring.
Good pitchers do not break into
fast company in such copious
bunches as rule. Last year Sid
Hudson, making the jump from class
D, was the rookie pitcher of the
season and Vern Olsen was the best
freshman in the National League.
but outside of them and Max Lanier
and perhaps one or two others, the
crop was nothing special.
This year we will have to make
room for:
Ernie White, the Cardinal left
handler, who pulled the remarkable
rubber-arm feat week before last
of winning four games in five days
two as starter, two in relief.
Howard Krist, right-hander of the
same club and for that matter, Sam
Nahem, the bespectacled barrister
from Brooklyn, also with the Cardi-
mails.
PhiIIies' Hughes Likely
To Fetch Big Price
Tom Hughes Phillie right-hander.
who has collected almost one-third
of his teams victories. Hughes is
fast and courageous, and may be
worth a packet of money to Gerald
Nugent, his dollar minded employer,
before long.
Bob Carpenter, giant right
handler, a whittier" or control spe-
cialist, very hard to beat.
Al Javery, Braves right-hander,
who is one of the consultations of
Casey Stengel's sad life.
Heber NeWsome. Red Sox right
handler, who may be 20-game win
ner in his first year-and possibly
Tex Rughson, of the same club. You
might go farther and call Mickey
Harris, Boston's left-hander and one
of the best in the league, a rookie.
BY general definition, a rookie is a
player who may have seen major
league action before, but now is put
ting in his first full season as a
regular.
Bob Muncrief, Browns right
handler with great average for
cellar club.
Mr.. Mack Hos Hot Trio
OF Rioht- Handlers
Les McCrabb, Tom Ferrick and
Phil Marchildon, all right-handers
with the Athletics, who are making
their team a first-division threat for
the first time since 1888.
Tiny Bonham. Yankee right
handler, after start delayed by ILL
ness.
That's a total of IA rookie pitchers
who are delivering the goods-15 if
you add Johnny Podgany of the
Phils whom l overlooked in the first
call. Newsome, Harris and Hughes
you could safely describe as the aces
of their respective clubs, and White
is not far from earning the same
title.
Good rockies in other positions are
not so abundant, but you can pick
yourself team, possibly as follows:
Nick Etten, first base.
Frank Crespi, Cardinals, second
base.
Phil Rizzuto, Yankees, shortstop.
Pete Suder, Athletics. third base.
Pete Reiser, Brooklyn. outfelder.
Johnny Hopp, Cardinals, out
fielder.
Danny Litwhiler, Phils, out
fielder.
Walker Cooper, Cardinals, catcher.
Mats Vernon Is Among
Fine First Seekers
Mickey Vernon of Washington and
Johnny Sturm of the Yankees might
be called first base candidates, but
Etten, the Phillie slugger up from
Baltimore, has 25 points of batting
average over Vernon and nearly 100
over Sturm. Lou Stringer of the
Cubs has not given Crespi much
competition for the second base job.
Shortstop is all Rizzuto's, and Suder
is one of the most stylish third base
men to break in for some time.
The Cardinals, crawling with bril-
liant freshmen, have three new out
felders in Hopp, Triplett and Grab
tree. Of the three, you must take
Hopp with his 1926 batting average |
and his tremendous speed. Reiser
is a keen batter and Litwhiler has |
more than hundred hits. Cooper
seems to outclass Clyde Mccullough |
and Dick West for the catcher's job. |
It's pretty good team at that,