Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-02
WIN. LOSE OR
DRAW ;, FRANCE, ,rApu
Versatility Is a Virtue

s WEST PALM BEACH FLA, APRIL 2.-Wate Hoyt
tours the baseball camps wise, oldtime star turned
broadcaser and he remarks too the emphasis todays
big league managers place on versatility.
& 'Tn my day." Hoyt unused, when ball player came
up shortstop the chances that his position
for the rest of his Now they've got cachers who
play the outfeld and maybe first base too They've got
neders switching to the outed and outelders playing
the infeld. What happened to the speciasts?"
The question was put to Harry Craft of the Kansas
City Athletics the grounds that he is representative
Of modern managers Like Casey Stengel Paul Richards
and many others, Craft is Arm believer in versatility
For instance Kansas Ctys No. third baseman Hal Smith,
is a catcher in disguise.
SIM going to explain it poorly" Harry said apollo
geca because I've tried to set forth the reason
suppose you might call it refinement of strategy. If
you're managing club where several play differ
ent postions-In Berra, Howard and McDougad Of
the Yankees Severs of the Senator's Lopez Simpson
Smith of my club just ofhand-you can make moves at
any stage of game"
IN "A SENSE, Craft admits, managers are trying to
cheat You're allowed Is players" he explained "f
three or four play than position, it's the
equivalent of carrying 80 maybe 80.
I'm only keeping two catchers That is Harry Chit
and Frank House are the only ones listed as cachers
Suppose want lift pinch hitter in the third
inning. In the old days you wouldn't dare because the
No. man might get hurt be thrown out of a game
and you'd be over a barrel
IF this happened to now, I'd just move Smith
from third base to catcher and wouldn't be hurt
that matter, anything happened to Smith, could
use Whitley Herzog lefthanded and all.
Moves which a manager afraid to make until
the eighth ninth inning can be made early now If
he's got the versatility his club
$3.50
IN HIS OWN PLAYING DAY Craft was top-notch
centereder somewhat the order of Jim Piersa and
Terry Moore in that his defensive value outweghed his
hitting But he good enough to play for a couple
of pennant winners.
81 came up as centerfelder" Harry said to Illus
trae the change in managerial thinking, land never
played any other position for any club In college I'd
played shortstop, and think could have polished up
there that might have filled the job in emergency.
But it never seemed to occur to many managers in
those days to work out in another position. Now
the fellow who play all the infeld for instance,
Is priceless. What do you think McDougald means to
New York;"
BECAUSE CASEY STENCIL is so often portrayed in
the role of comca double taker the Yankee managers
Strategems and PHILOSOPHERS overlooked But Stengel
has strict rules of which that every outeder on
his club and those in camp belonging to farm aiates
must work out in the infeld. Joe DAaggo did and
Mickey Mantle does
be possible because this fellow that fellow
from the oued and play shorstop first base and
hurt you" Stengel explains "And If fellow who
plays the oued is hopeless I've got to let him how
the guy in the infeld feels 1t won't hurt him and it
might help me-"
In the Athletics camp the most enterprising young
man OF a-Whitey Herzog This is the Herzog who
couldn't make it as Yankee outfelder, out
AeldsrrSt baseman with the Senator's Since those fail
ures Whitley has donned glasses to improve his eyesght
and bought lefthanded catcher's mitt.
And Whitley might win job he wouldn't land other
wise, Craft says HE isn't bad catcher bad first
baSeman nor bad outhelder. For that matter, he's
pretty handy batting against righthanded pitching II
1t comes to keeping Herzog who do little of every
ting or fellow Nho can play only position, you've
got to give Whitley lots of consideration