Show peculiarities OF BIG LEAGUE SLUGGERS x N y k AF ft f t j av f 0 N f 7 am il A a 17 var right handers handera who hit the ball hard A perusal ot of the batting records brings out a peculiarity it uncovers the tact fact that the majority of atthe the great est sluggers the game has produced have been right handed hitters bitters yet the bulk of high percentage bitters are left handers banders the left handed banded batting stars for the most moat part are speedy afoot tha tha right handers banders are clumsy to an extreme most of the right handers banders have been big men the left handers banders run to the diminutive on the average old cap anson was a right bander so was ed delehanty who could drive a ball as far as any man in the game lajoie cajole and wagner the veterans are starboard clouders clou cactus cravath who the fences over and anon 1 last t summer Is a right bander fred merkle the long distance banger of the giants Is a right bander piano legs legia hickman famous slugger of a few years ago was a right handed swinger on the other hand cobb cobble Is a south paw clouter so are collins baker kuff kauff speaker daubert luderus and doyle with the exception of baker and luderus all are fast men excepting those two none cabbe can be classed as a ter riffle lugger snugger at least none is in the cravath lajoie wagner iele dle hanty division they hit the ball hard hard and anduar far tar but it Is their speed that ena enables them to take unto themselves each year adusky a husky average wilbert robinsons advice wilbert robinson the brainy dodger leader was asked it a youngster aa as to become a big leaguer asked you from which side he would swing at a ball what would you tell him robinson who has been in baseball bince 1882 answered my first advice to him would be to swing from the side bide in which he be packed the most shoulder power the main ei essential in hitting in eases cases where a i youngster has almost equal power I 1 in n his shoulders I 1 would advise that he be bat left banded VA A left handed hitter always la Is from three to six feet nearer to first base thaw than la is the right bander when a right bander takes hta his position he be Is on the far side of the plato plate the left bander Is on the near side aide when the right bander hits the ball the swing pulls him fart farther lier away from first whereas a swing actually sends a left hander bander nearer to the initial bag when you take into consideration how often during a season that a throw bents beats a man to first by just juat one stride you can appreciate the great advantage there is in hitting left handed but this fact influence a youngster who bats left handed banded normally to shift to the other side unless he has as much or greater power la in his bis left sholder calder eh as hla his right As aa to cajole and wagner how much better do you think those batting stars cajole and wagner would have batted baited if they had been left handed hitters and fast afoot from 20 to 40 points each season during their prime answered robby boehmen both men rank among the greatest sluggers the game has produced they never scored fluke hits bits when they made safeties they earned them by terrible walloping at least 26 25 times each season la jole and wagner have been beaten out of hits to the infield because tho arrived at first just a fraction of a second seethe seche behind the ball that means the he t stride batting from f rom the left side would have put that stride in their favor and those outs would have been bits bats but both those men are normal right handers banders they have theareal the real ireal swinging power in their shoulders shoulder s had they shifted to the port side they would have gained that stride but would have sacrificed their mighty slugging ability so in their case as in the case of any normal right bander it would be ba folly to change to the left side |