Evening star., 1948-12-04
.324 Hitter Captures
Honor by Big Margin
lover -Four Rivals
By jack Hand
Assoeiafed Press Sports Editor

NEW YORK, Dec. ALVIN
Dark, the Boston Braves talented
young shortstop, today was named
rookie of the year for 194s by the
Baseball Writers Association.
The 25-year-old freshman who
hit 1924 for the pennant-winning
Braves won by comfortable mar
gin. Dark received 27 of the 48
votes by the same writers commit
tee who selected the most valuable
player in each major league.
Gene Bearden, southpaw pitching
star of Cleveland's World Series
triumph, was second He polled eight
votes. However, all balloting was
done during the last week of the
season aud thus did not take into
consideration World Series perform
ances. In the regular season he
won IT and lost seven.
Bearden, of course, flashed brightest
at the very end of the year. After
defeating the Boston Red Sox in the
play-off game to decide the pennant,
he shut out the Braves in the third
series game. Then he came back
in a relief roll to save the day for
Bob Lemon in the sixth game when
the Tribe won the series.
Brissie, Goodman Get Votes.
Third honors went to Richie Ash
burn, the Philadelphia Phils' tow
headed speedster. He had seven
votes. Ashburn, a sleeper" in the
rookie crop, was on the Toronto ros-
ter until few days before the sea-
son opened. He jostled Harry WAL
ker, the 1947 National League
batting champ, out Of a job and
hit $3.50, second only to Stan Musial,
the champ.
Ashburn broke bone in his hand
in August and missed the last two
months Of the season. If 1t hadn't
been for that he might have been
even more outstanding. However.
he was one of the real finds" OF
the year, jumping from class A to
the majors without trouble.
Lou Brissie, Connie Mack's bril-
liant young lefthander who has to
wear a heavy protective brace on
his leg as the result OF battle
wounds, tied for fourth place with
Bill Goodman of the Boston Red
Sox. Each had three votes.
Brissie won IA for Mack's surpris-
ing AS, who were a pennant factor
until the final six weeks of the CAM
paign. Goodman, who started his
career as an outfielder, wound up as
regular first baSeman for the Sox.
who forced Cleveland into playoff
before losing the flag. The 22-year-
old Louisville grad hit .3l1.
1t is interesting to note the break
down on the voting by the writer's
from the different leagues. In the
National it was a landslide for
Dark over Ashburn, 21-3. In the
American the voting was distributed
among all five. Bearden had 8,
Dark 6, Ashburn and Brissie and
Goodman, each 8.
|, Cost Braves $4,000.
The Braves paid Dark $4,000 for
signing as free agent in 1916 when
he came out Of the Marines. Before
entering service he was brilliant
halfback at Louisiana State. While
in the Marines he attracted even
more attention on the football team
at Southwestern Louisiana Institute
where he was a Marine trainee
Dark played IA games for the
Braves in 1916 and was shipped to
the Milwaukee farm club in 1947.
After hitting 1903 for the Brewers,
he came up to the Braves to take
over the shortstop job last spring.
Manager Billy Southworth opened
the season with Sibby Sisti at short.
He and Dark shared the job, on and
off, because of injuries, until late
June. When Sisti was sidelined with
an ankle injury, Dark got hot. He
hit in % straight games for AIS
streak and moved among the top
five hitters
With the help of Second Baseman
Eddie Stanky, he steadied down
afield and played a good shortstop.
He hit to all fields, banging out 38
doubles and driving in As runs in
1877 games.
The voting:
Alvin Dark, Braves
Gene Bearden, Indians
Richie Ashburn, Phillies
Lou Brissie, Athletics ,-----
Bill Goodman, Red Sox