Evening star., 1955-02-28
Drills Spotlight
so Traded Men,
I
Practice Will Stort
Tomorrow; Further
Swapping Expected
BY The A.seeio.sd Press

The major league spring train
ing season which opens tomorrow
at Is points in Florida and three
in Arizona figures to be the
busiest rebuilding and retread-
ing period in many seasons.
Some so big league players will
be making new starts in different
uniforms, thanks to heavy off,
season trading by a half dozen
clubs, while seven teams will
be operating under new pilots
after the biggest managerial
shakeup in the games history.
In addition, the rookie crop
Is considered in some quarters
to be outstanding.
Not a single manager is free
Of problems and as soon as some
Of the new shippers become more
familiar with their squads an
other heavy round of trading is
anticipated.
Orioles and Pirates Shift.
The Cubs, Giants and Indians
will train in Arizona again, but
the Orioles have shifted from
Yuma to Daytona Beach. The
Pirates are the only other team
which has shifted its training
site. They moved from Fort
Pierce to Fort Myers. Kansas
City retained the Philadelphia
Athletics West Palm Beach
camp.
A lot Of attention will be given
to the men who were traded.
Under close scrutiny un-
doubtedly will be Pitchers Bob
Turley and Don Larsen and
Shortstop Billy Hunter, who
came to the Yankees from Balti-
more last November in a trans
action involving a record 18
players. Equal attention will be
focused on Outfielder Gene
Woodling. Catcher Hal Smith,
First Baseman Gus Triandos,
Shortstop Willie Miranda and
Pitchers Harry Byrd and Jim
Mcdonald, who were among
those shipped by the Yankees to
the Orioles.
Yanks Bank on New Men.
How well Turley and Larsen
perform may be a deciding factor
in the Yankees efforts to regain
the American League cham
pionship from Cleveland. Man
ager Paul Richards, rebuilding
the seventh-plaoe Orioles, is
counting heavily on Woodling.
Smith, Byrd and Mcdonald to
give Baltimore a first division
finish. ~
Richards has added 18 players
who were on other major league
rosters in 1854. The list includes
such veterans as Billy Cox, for
mer Brooklyn third baseman:
Johnny Pesky, Detroit inf1elder;
Hoot Evers, Boston outfielder,
and Saul Rogovin. White Sox
pitcher. Others are Matt Bats,
Fred Marsh, Don johnson and
Don Ferrarese. White Sox; Char
lie Maxwell, Red Sox, and Bill
Miller, Don Leppert and Kal
Segrist, Yankees.
The biggest, National League
trade of the off-season was en-
gineered by st. Louis and Gin
cinnati. The Cardinals, in des-
perate need Of relief pitching.
gambled heavily in relinquishing
Ray Jablonski, one of the
leagues better hitters, along with
Pitcher Gerry Staley for Frank
Smith. The addition of the hard
hitting third baseman gives the
Reds one of the strongest attacks
in the, circuit.
White Sex See Gains.
The White SoX believe the deal
they made with Detroit last De-
cember has strengthened their
offense considerably. Manager
Marty Marion thinks First Base
man Walter Dropo and Outfielder
Bob Nieman will supply the
much needed righthanded punch.
He also expects pitching help
from Ted Gray, an ex-Tiger;
Bob Chakales, an ex-Oriole, and
Al Brazle, released by the Car
dinals. Clint Courtney, acquired
from Baltimore, will battle it out
with Sherm Lollar for the first
string catching job. Outfielder
Lloyd Merriman and Infielder
tSee BASEBALL, Page A-15)