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Show Three Htmdred Hitters To Be at j Premium in National League Pitting at a .300 clip is going to be no easy matter in the National league this season. Zach Wheat convinced himself of the fact, hence his refusal to sign a contract with Brooklyn until the meaning of the bonus clause requiring re-quiring him to bat .300 or better had been nullified. When President Eb-bets Eb-bets stipulated ho was to meet the ball safely for a percentage of .31G his record in 1914 Casey Stengel threw up his hands. Like Wheat he considered con-sidered it a bargain all in favor of Eb-bets. Eb-bets. Aside from its bad feature a batter up there struggling for his bonus would be tempted to double cross If the manager ordered him to bunt. Wheat took into account the class of the left-handed pitchers in the league. They present such a succession of obstacles ob-stacles that to enter the select division divi-sion of .300 hitters the best of the hit-smiths hit-smiths will be kept guessing. So close a student of baseball as Jake Daubert desires to go on record as predicting there will not be one hitter on the Brooklyn team to reach the coveted mark. Daubert, Wheat and Stengel in the past have been tho best of the Dodger batsmen. All hit left-handed. Going down the line it is found that the Giants have three southpaws. First comes Ferdie Schupp, who burned them over in sensational style toward the end of the past season. He should resume where he loft off last fall. Slim Sallee and Rube Benton will doubtless prove valuable side kicks despite the common belief they have seen their best days. The Braves have a trio of hefty side-wheelers of whom Tyler and Nehf are best. Frank Allen, formerly a Dodger, pitches classy ball at times. The Phillies will depend on Rixey for their best results in southpawing. When right, Charley Rigler's discov ery can wing them over some. The Phillies have a promising left-hander also in Fittery, with Cincinnati once and last year with Salt Lrtke. He is a good little finger. Tho Pirates' mainstay will be Cooper, Coop-er, who gets many a good game out of his system. Vaughn, who has been known to treat the Dodgers shabbily and generally gives them a battle and Packard will serve up the foTk hand slants in the interest of the Cubs. Then there are the Cards, with Steele as their big southpaw bet. This is quiet an array of left-handers 1 and one is Inclined to believe with Daubert and Wheat that it will be hard sledding for the off-side batters, and also those who cut tho ball from the opposite side of the plate to bang the leather globule for .300. |
