Salt Lake Telegram | 1922-05-01 | Page 10 | Valla Starring as Seal Though First Year Out

Valla Starring As Seal Though First JTear Out Ninct;?en-Year-OId Boy. Considered Consid-ered as Bloomer by Many. Turns Out to Be Great Little Ball Player 8AN" FRANCISCO. May 1 dans Valla, a quiet, smiling 19-year-old San Franclaco boy. allpped Into the lineup of tha Pacific Coast league ' buebaal team here, a month ago, without much noise; but today ha la being talked about by all the fans and Is described by some na tha greatest prospect In tha Count league In years. And, generally, Han Francisco Fran-cisco fans need to bo shown befora they praise a ricruit. In the opening gama against Seattle, Seat-tle, Valla fanned three times. Not discouraged, he waa given another chance, and by the first part of thla week hla hitting ability and hla marvelous mar-velous speed hava given him a batting bat-ting percentage of .S94. Jack Miller, manager of tha 8eala, aaya Valla ta one of tha smartest boys In baseball, and Jack McCarthy, former American league . umpire, thinks Valla looks better than Ty Cobb did when he broke into tha American league In l)-r. Arnold Plata, the faat Los Angelea player, waa the league sensation last year, but this year local people, think that alla will prove the sensation. Valla can play tha lufleld and can hit and can run. In nearly every game ha haa boatrn out one or mora hits, for If tha ball takea a couple of hot -a befcre It reaches an lnficlder tha boy Is sure to beat It to first. Valla waa born in bant tYui. ral., but a raised In Sun Francisco, where he learned hla baeehali on tha Ooldeii tlate park diamonds. last year ne waa with arm iprofeaslonal teamg. This year he U playing hla first professional baseball.