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Show Fullertonys Spring Dope Hl By HUGH S. FULLERTON. Hl The First Basemen H American League H Offensive Defensive Total St. Louis 961 508 ,1469' Boston 942 4S3 1425 Cleveland 955 470 1425 Detroit 941 42S 1309 1 New York 907 433 1340 1 Washington .. .. S74 2S2 1256 1 Chicago SS0 3G5 1245 j Philadelphia .. . . S77 313 1220 H National League Cincinnati 904 460 1364 Brooklyn 911 435 1345 St. Louis G76 441 1706 Boston 903 403 1306 New York 852 452 1304 Pittsburg 878 393 1271 Chicago S43 348 1191 Philadelphia . ... 863 322 - 1185 -Cincinnati and St. Louis are off in H Ihxs lead in the dope, with Brooklyn H and Boston close up and the rest scat-H scat-H tering. H . The amazing thing to mo in ttic B study of the dope on tlu first base B position value in the two Major leagues H hi not so much In the slump of several H ofL tho stalwarts of previous doping H seasons, but the great disparity of B strength between tho two leagues. H jThe National league, a league which H we believed and hoped, was coming H bad: at last going to revive and fill H with new blood, shows about tho worst H I bunch of first basemen ever assembled H in Major league uniforms. The Ameri-H Ameri-H can league first sackers while not H quite up to the standard of previous H jears, outclass the old leaguers. H .With Chase gone, deposed at last H frgni his supremacy as King of the H f!it basemen, the National presents a B xety ordinary thing. H very ordinary lot H J The fact that ancient Jake Daubert H holds the undisputed lead in the Na-H Na-H tional, is of itself sufficient comment-H comment-H bit. Of course Jake came back strong last season and played far above the H form ho has shown in recent years, B and, and I am timorous about giving him credit for everything his figures claim for him. Last year we were misled woefully in the dopo because, on the figures of the preceding sca-V sca-V son no one could refuse to put Fred Merkle close' to the top. Ho had hit H it lirrific clip the preceding year, and Hl baited tho Cubs into a championship HH gml Inst year he hit about the size of hi;?, hat, slowed to nothing and looked bod. It Is to be hoped that Daubert having regained his place among the top notchers, does not slip. Moran is fairly well supplierd with subs, but Daubert is needed badly. George Sisler of course, shows the top class ln dopo in the American league, with Stuffy Mclnnls close up and with Cleveland and Boston tied in first base strength. Harris is a whalo of a man and has battled his.way to the top honors. Last year an accident in France delayed his return to Cleveland for many weeks, and when he did get back into harness he waS not right for a long time. If Harris can show the stuff he did toward the end of last season all through the coming year, ho will make Cleveland tremendously powerful. In fact Cleveland probably would have won the championship rather handily last year had Harris been able to start the season In perfect jmape, or in the shape he was during (August and September. Sep-tember. Detroit shows rather unexpected first base strength. Of course Hainan Ha-inan can hit, but also ho has developed a lot of ability ln other lines and some of the figures, especially In defensive i work, rather surprised me in studying I his values. New York does not show as well as could be hoped for a team which is making as many preseason claims as the Yanko are. The position is efficiently effi-ciently filled and the substitute strength there. zChicago has slumped very badly in first baso strength, and it should not be a surprise "if the final figures amended before the season opens, will show the American leagtio champs last in first base strength. Cravath, of course, has the toughest problem of any of the managers, and has less material ma-terial and poorer, with which to work tban any of tho others. Likewise his chances of strengthening the team by trades or purchases, is smaller than thaht of any of the others. It seems to be his plan to play Pauletto steadily in the position. I may have to make several shifts in the figures "before the final reckoning, reckon-ing, becauso it Is pftlniy evident from reports from the training camps, that several managers aro not at all 'satisfied 'sat-isfied with their first basemen. The way some of them are trying to develop devel-op recruits and to switch men from other positions to first base shows that ; only lack of .other material holds the first base job for some of the men. |
