Evening star., 1942-02-22
Not More Than Dozen
Expected 10 Start
Work al Orlando
HurIer Leonard, Catcher
Evans Still Unsigned;
No Slab Lefty in Lot
BY BURTON HAWKINS,
star stan Correspondent

6thl 6t4o SOf1eopOHocaN
ORLANDO, Fla, Feb. 21.-A
Washington baseball team that has
felt the all-powerful impact Of war
more forcibly than any other major
league club will trot the vanguard
of a skeletonized squad onto Tinker
Field here Monday as the Mats
pitchers and catchers launch a
spring training grind Of seven weeks.
The premises won't be crowded.
Among the Is players requested to
flex muscles with the first squad,
Pitchers Dutch Leonard and Arnold
Anderson are unsigned, as is Catcher
Al Evans. Completing the holdout
list is Infielder Jimmy Pofahl, who
quit the club in June last year and
sat out the remainder Of the season
at his Fairbault, Mimi, home.
This sleepy Central Florida town
ship with 80 lakes and a typically
conscientious chamber Of commerce
that would prefer no mention Of
currently frigid weather will be the
site of a necessity-inspired shake
UP Of the Mats. The big battle for
Jobs won't start until the second
squad reports on March l, when
Bucky Harris plunges into his tough
est assignment in 10 years OF man
aging major league teams.
Batterymen Least Of Worries.
Pitchers and catchers are the least
OF his manifold worries. In jabber-
ing, bulky Jake Early he possesses
a catcher who improved perceptibly
last season and who is calculated to
make more progress in the 1912 cam
paign. Evans gives the Mats adequate
reinforcement for Early, but with
Carl Hoberg IN the Army and Dick
Hahn content to remain at his de-
fense job, President Clark Griffith
is searching for a third catcher as
additional insurance.
At full strength Washington's
SQUAD will number only AZ, includ-
ing ancient Ossie Bluege, who Is
listed as a coach for the sake of
technicality, but will scrap with
stumpy Roberto Estalella and Stan
ley Gale, imported from Milwaukee,
for the third base job.
There is a likelihood the Mats
squad won't reach that modest fig
ure, for Griffth confesses the tow
ering Anderson may remain out OF
baseball this season rather than
accept his terms. Griffith Is un-
perturbed, however, and already
tentatively has selected an eight
man pitching staff.
Leonard, Hudson Head Staff.
Leonard and Sid Hudson are the
most conspicuous members of the
Mats staff, which otherwise prob
ably will be comprised OF Early
Wynn, Steve Sundra, Jack Wilson,
Alexandra Carrasquel, Walter Mas
terson and Bill Zuber. W
Destined to be shipped to Wash
ington farm clubs, barring complete
surprises, are Ray Scarborough, a
former University Of North Carolina
right -hander who pitched for Selma
of the Southeastern League last
season; Hardin Cathey, who won
13 and lost as many for Charlotte;
Phil Mccullough, who compiled q
14-1e record with Greenville, and
Bill Zinser, who captured II games
and dropped IA with the same club.
The composition of Washington's
pitching and catching departments
won't create many problems for
Harris unless injuries hit the squad.
The Mats pitching will be unique,
though, in that none of 1t will be
presenting Washington
the dubious distinction Of being the
only major league club without
southpaw.
Building Infield Big Task.
Harris major task will be to mold
an inf1eld. He is regarding George
Case as his left fielder, Bruce Camp
bell as his right fielder and Stan
Spence as his center fielder, with
Roberto Ortiz and Jim Mallory, who
hit .227 with Charlotte In l94l, as
reserves.
Washington's infeld, though, is
as shaky as a pneumatic drill. Lean
Mickey Vernon is its only fixture at
first base. Frank Croucher, a .254
hitter with Detroit last season, will
be given the inside track at second
base, with Bob Repass, who batted
.3l7 with Columbus, rating the nod
over Pofahl at shortstop.
Griffith still is hopeful of swing
ing a deal for a third baseman.
Estalella, who returns to the Mats
via st. Louis and Toledo after a
lapse of several years, will attempt
to switch from the outfield to third
base, where he originally was test
ed by the Mats.
Bluege, despite his Al years, nev-
er has shown his age at third base.
Defensively, he doubtless would be
the best bet, and If he shows signs
of obtaining an occasional hit he
again may become regular.
Gale May Get Job at Third.
To Gale, a pocket-edition player,
will 20 first crack at the third-base
Job, but the Mats bosses aren't
overly optimistic in view of his .288
American Association batting figure.
But Estalella's batting may not off,
set his anticipated inept fielding and
Bluege's polished fielding might not
support his work with bat in his
hand, so the job may be Gales by
default.
That third-base situation arose
through a series of circumstances
governed chiefly by the war. Buddy
Lewis, who played the position more
or less regularly, Is a member OF the
mechanical forces at Fort Knox,
KY. Cecil Travis, who was ticketed
to replace him, was invited to spend
some time at Camp Wheeler, Ga.
At that point Hills Layne, hard
hitting rookie up from Chatta-
nooga, was visioned by Harris as his
regular third baseman, but Layne
also is in the Army. Bob Morem,
who had a nice season with Green
vile in 1941, then entered the pic
ture. He remained in the picture
only for few hours, however, Or
Uncle Sam also grabbed him.
1t was then that Washington
bosses regretted the trade that sent
Jimmy Bloodworth to Detroit
Jimmy played third base acceptably
in a few games last fall and if Crit