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Photo by International Film Service One Season is Hardly Over Before the Clubs Begin to Make Plans for the Next. In the Giant Players Limbering Up for Work Why the System of Batting The Baseball Magazine Advocates a Drastic Change in the Grossly and Unnecessarily Misleading—How an parative Values of Singles, BY F. C. EFORM the system of batting fered such a system would deserve to be exam- “ ined as to his mental condition. And yet it is averages!” was the slogan of an precisely such a loose, inaccurate system which R article in the February BASE- obtains in baseball and lies at the root of the BALL MAGAZINE. In that article the most popular branch of baseball statistics, gross inaccuracies of the present system Fans and figures have a mutual attraction. The real bugs of the diamond like to pour over were graphically outlined and much facts gleaned from the records, to compare Ty needed improvements were suggested. Cobb’s hatting average with Hans Wagner’s. At that time, however, certain essential Statistics are the most important part of base- facts needed to give force to the general ball, the one permanent, indestructible heritage of each passing season. And batting records criticism were lacking. These essential are the particular gem of all collections of fig- facts have now been obtained and the les- ures. son they teach forms the theme of the And yet, with all their value and their com- parative accuracy, the system which underlies present sketch. Before giving them at all batting averages is precisely that indicated length, however, we shall need to revert above. It is a system where dimes are consid- for a moment to our prior article for a ered equal to half dollars, where the man who sweeping view of the present situation in has a half-dollar, a quarter, three dimes, four nickels and three pennies lumps them together baseball circles: and instead of saying he has $1.28 says Suppose you asked a close personal friend ”Twelve coins.” Pretty poor system, isn’t it, to how much change he had in his pocket and he govern the most popular department of the replied, “Twelve coins,” would yon think you most popular of games? had learned much about the precise state of his How do batting averages follow this absurd exchequer? system? Very simply. Batting records as at Would a system that placed nickels, dimes, present conducted give merely the number of quarters and fifty-cent pieces on the same basis safe hits a player makes in comparison to the be much of a system whereby to compute a number of times he had a chance to make a man’s financial resources? Anyone who of- safe hit. For instance, if he were at bat five 52 Midst of Winter, Spring Training Days Loom Near. The Illustration Shows a Group of by a Spirited Sprint Around the Ball Field Averages Should be Reformed Present System of Keeping Batting Averages—The Records Accurate Analysis of 1,000 Hits Indicates the Com- Doubles, Triples and Home Runs LANE hundred times during a season and made one circumstances permit. But does the same rule hundred and fifty hits, he would he credited apply to batting? Is there no way to separate with a batting average of an even .300. That the dimes from the nickels and give each its is to say, he would have hit safely three out of proper value? Let us see. ten times. I took up the matter with Secretary Heyd- The batter who makes twelve hits out o£ fifty ler, who knows more about statistics than any times at bat is given just as much credit as other man actively connected with the game. any other who makes twelve hits out of fifty ”I admit,” said Mr. Heydler, “that the system times at bat. But are twelve hits always of of giving as much credit to singles as to home the same denomination any more than quar- runs is inaccurate to that extent. But it has ters and dimes and nickels? never seemed practicable to use any other sys- One batter, we may say, made twelve tem. How, for instance, are you going to give singles, three or four of them of the scratchi- the comparative values of home runs and est possible variety. The other also made singles?” twelve hits, but all of them were good ringing Mr. Heydler, with his usual clear perception drives, clean cut and decisive, three of them of the facts, went straight to the heart of the were doubles, one a triple, and one a home matter. For, admitting that you can approxi- run. Is the work of the two batters on a mate the comparative values of home runs parallel? The figures say so. In other words, and singles, you admit that a system much it is the case of the coins without paying any more accurate than the present one might be attention to the denomination. installed. In short, the batting system of the Now, the sole purpose of batting averages is present has wound its halting way down the to give a correct idea of the comparative abil- history of baseball because the record makers ity of baseball players with the stick. If these tacitly admitted that there was no way of giv- averages mislead or give mistaken ideas of ing comparative values to the various hits, batting ability they forfeit their only excuse in that there was no way to tell a dime from a being. There is but one exception. Where nickel. records, in spite of errors, are as accurate as Now, the BASEBALL MAGAZINE is not will- possible, they should be accepted as better ing to admit this. And before we are through than none at all. Fielding records, with all we believe our readers will agree with us. We their inaccuracies, may be as nearly correct as do not claim that an absolutely accurate sys- 53 54 THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE tem could be devised, but we do believe that for good measure. They comprised one approximately correct, certainly far more games played by every club in both nearly correct than the present system, is among the current possibilities. major leagues. In the first place, what constitutes the value From these carefully compiled records of a hit? There is but one logical answer. we gathered statistics on a thousand hits A hit is valuable in so far as it results in a of all varieties from scratch singles to score. The entire aim of a baseball team at bat is to score runs. Hits, stolen bases, tak- home runs. A little over sixty-two games ing advantage of errors—in short, all the de- were required to supply these statistics. partments of play—are but details in the pro- These thousand hits ran pretty true to cess of scoring runs. The one aim of every form. That is to say, they numbered man on the team is to cross the plate with a tally or to assist some team mate in so doing. the correct proportion of singles, doubles, Hits are not made as mere spectacular dis- triples and home runs. In the case of plays of batting ability; they are made for a each hit a record was kept showing how purpose, namely, to assist in the all-important far the man making the hit advanced, labor of scoring runs. Their entire value lies whether or not he scored, and also how in their value as run producers. Obviously, many hits are made that are for all practical far he advanced other runners, if any, purposes wasted. Games are not uncommon who were occupying the bases at the in which one side fails to register a run and time. yet that side may have made several good hits. And now let us once more emphasize On the other hand there are games in which a considerable number of runs are scored, our aim in compiling these laborious though there were comparatively few hits. statistics. It would be grossly inaccurate to claim that Our sole object was to find the exact a hit should be rated in value solely upon its value of a single, a double, a triple and direct and immediate effect in producing runs. The only rule to be applied is the average value a home run. Hitherto while it had been of a hit in terms of runs produced under admitted that these hits were not of equal average conditions throughout the season. importance (although the records said Obviously, many singles coming when two they were), and that they varied in im- men are out do not result in a score. Al- most every game witnesses a time when a portance according to their length, no ef- single means a run. The sole method whereby fort had ever been made to discover their the value of a single may be obtained is to relative value; that is to say the value judge of its average value. of a single as compared with a double We have no figures at hand to show this or a home run. It was this relative value average value, but we will outline a way whereby that value could be found and even that we sought to glean from our thou- hazard an estimate, doubtless an inaccurate sand hits. It is these comparative values one. thus obtained that we now wish to pre- At this stage in the article we were sent to our readers. obliged to forsake fact for theory.

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