Baseball’s Greatest Outfield The $100,000 Outfield to Balance the Famous Infield of the Old Athletics By F. C. LANE

The greatest of the sixteen Major League outfields cannot be easily deter- mined. For one thing, an outfield shifts so frequently that it can- not be analyzed as can the work of an individual. Furthermore, the present season’s records are too immature to furnish much light on the question, while those of the past season, though far more accurate, are a bit remote. Employing these fig- ures, however, the Detroit outfield looms up over all competitors. And Detroit is still the one best bet, even with Crawford suffering from lumbago Tris Speaker, the Greatest In- and Cobb and Veach not yet rounded into form. dividual Outfielder in the World

CLUB without a powerful out- ing batters. The principal work of the field is like an automobile with infield is to cut off hits and sweep the A a defective motor. It may be an baserunners off the bags by snappy exquisite piece of mechanism. It may plays. But the vocation of the outer- seem faultless to the eye. And yet in gardener is to drive in runs with his mur- that single hidden defect all the advan- derous bat and to score them with his tages of brand new tires and well-fash- nimble feet. For in the outfield is lo- ioned body and costly furnishings fade cated the chief offensive power of a away. The machine looks good, but it well balanced ball club. won’t go. The mutual advantages of batting vs. A baseball machine may look good. fielding have been infinitely discussed. The infield may be fast and flawless. In some positions one predominates and The pitching may be masterly. But vice versa elsewhere. But in the out- without the driving force of a well- field there is no doubt that batting is the poised outfield it can’t score the runs prime essential. Mediocre fielding will that it must score in order to win. Upon get by coupled with a three hundred av- other departments of that machine fall erage. But the most spectacular of field- the burden of the defense. The pitch- ing will not for long assure the job of er’s business is to mow down the oppos- an outfielder whose stick work is feeble 55 56 THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE and erratic. Whatever he may or may ever, the outfields which are the great- not do the outfielder must hit. est are the least likely to change. George It is well to clearly grasp the main Stallings makes numerous shifts because requirements of outfielding talent before he has, on the whole, the poorest out- taking up the complicated problem of field in the National League. The Red the game’s greatest outfield. For there Sox outfield in the days of Tris Speaker are so many subtle undercurrents of seldom varied from season to season fielding skill and. harmony of team play save through injuries alone. There was and the like to be considered that the never a chance for a recruit to supplant all important feature of forceful hitting one of that grand trio. The manager is liable to be obscured. A pitcher is loath to alter a winning combination. needn’t hit, an.infielder should hit, but A study of the leading outfields in an outfielder must hit. the National League is complicated by The spell of the matchless infield, the great number of Federal Leaguers which long insured a pennant to Connie and comparatively new additions. These Mack, has in recent years obscured the men are hard to place on form, simply merits of several stellar outfields. The because their records are defective. Be- Red Sox outfield was for years the pe- cause a man made two hundred hits in culiar pride of that championship club. the Federal League is no safe indication At Detroit the mid-day glare of Ty that he will do as well in the National. Cobb’s name has quite overpowered the Because a player hit for three hundred brilliant record of his associates. The and twenty in the Minors is scant basis pennant-winning Phillies are renowned for computation of what he is likely to for their redoubtable champion Cravath, do in major league company. for the brilliant Paskert and the pains- However, with the data available the taking efficient Whitted. But no great major league outfields shape up some- outfield has loomed up above its com- what as follows: petitors as did the immortal four of the We might as well begin with Brook- Athletic infield. lyn for two reasons. First Ebbets’ team It is hard to line up the outfields for is just at present leading the procession. comparison, for they change form so And second, the outfield which repre- quickly. George Stallings is a shining sents the city of churches is one of the example of what a manager can do to best in the business. make the record-keepers gray-headed. Wheat, Myers and Stengel make a Stallings usually has some half dozen combination which has many things to outfielders whom he shifts and changes recommend it. Wheat is one of the around much like the pawns on a chess prettiest outfielders in the game. Myers board. No human being can tell with is fast as light and a grand ground cov- any degree of certitude, just what con- erer. Stengel has a well-won reputation stitutes the outer defenses of the Braves’ as a slugger. And yet last season’s rec- machine. ords do not treat this great trio very The same indefinite system is the pre- kindly. And since the records of the vailing one with a number of other clubs. present season are still so meagre and Their outfields are as changeable as the uncertain we are perforce compelled to temper of a baseball fan. The custom rely on the most recent and the most of having one man to hit left-handed finished records at hand, namely those of pitchers, and another for right-handers, 1915. seems to have taken root. In fact, Wheat, the direful slugger, These vagaries of the manager, to say who had the highest average on the nothing of the changes incurred by acci- Brooklyn outfield last year, batted for dents, banishment by umpires, trades, but .258. Such an average would not go sales, etc., complicate the outfield situa- very far in gaining a reputation for an tion to such a degree that it is all but im- outer-gardener. And when we further possible to make a clear cut comparison consider that the batting power of the of the sixteen groups of fly chasers in Brooklyn outfield as a whole was but the major ranks. .248, we are forced to conclude that Fortunately for our purposes, how- Brooklyn whatever its laurels of past THE $100,000 OUTFIELD 57 years, and its prospects for this, is pre- cluded from first place honors solely if for naught else, by its weak stick work. One reason for the high standing of the Phillie Club was the offensive power of its outfield. Cravath, in particular, is famed for his slugging powers. And yet, so misleading are batting figures as at present conducted, that one of the most dreaded sluggers in the league is credited with an average of but .285. The error of this system has been dealt with at length in the pages of the BASE- BALL MAGAZINE in the recent past and will be further discussed in the future. But since no improved system of rating batting averages has yet been installed we are perforce content to take the story of the present records. Cravath batted for .285. Whitted, a much underrated player, hit for .281. Paskert, the brilliant and versatile, brought down the batting average, how- ever, by his mark of .244. The com- bined batting per cent.. of the Phillie trio is .273, a sufficient margin to give it a marked preference over Brooklyn, a mark hardly indicative of its inherent skill, since the records give no inkling of the twenty-four home run drives of Cra- vath, drives which in themselves turned many a hard fought contest from defeat to victory. As a fielding combine, the Phillies are good. Paskert is one of the best ground coverers in the league. Whitted is a most efficient performer, while Cravath, though slow, acquits himself creditably in right. Cincinnati had a strong batting com- Cactus Cravath, an Outfielder of the bination in the outer garden, chiefly Slugging Type through the efficient stick work of Grif- fith, who whaled the ball for a total of of a problem. Bescher appears a fix- .307. Killifer, who performed most of ture. Long was a very heavy slugger last the season in the suburbs, hit for .272. season though an indifferent fielder. The third man, Williams, batted, for Wilson is slowing up but he is still a .242, but he has been released. Neale, a beautiful fielder and a good batter. newcomer, is now played regularly in the Bescher, once the king of base stealers, outfield. But records on his work are, seems to have lost something of the of course, lacking. It is impossible to knack. He no longer gets the breaks forecast the permanent outfield of the which once enabled him to steal almost Reds, for this is a club where shifts and at will. Still he is a grand base run- changes are the order of the day. But at ner, a source of strength to any club present the above outfield is as fair a in the outfield and a very fair hitter as representative as any of Cincinnati’s well. prowess in the field. The hitting strength of this trio is The outfield at St. Louis is something high, namely, .277. A very good outfield 58 THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE in many respects, but lacking something method exists of comparing them with of the cohesion and finish of a well- records similarly made in the major rounded trio. leagues. The Federal circuit was par- The outfield problem at Pittsburgh, ticularly strong in pitchers. There, if like that at St. Louis, seems to be still anywhere, it measured up most closely unsettled. In both cities the three reg- to major standard. But the batting ulars are not assured, while newer names averages obtained on that circuit are still are continually appearing in the list. much of an uncertainty in new surround- When Carey is in form he is sure of a ings. berth, and so is Hinchman, the one for Chicago is most complicated of the his grand fielding and brilliant base run- two. Tinker has a superabundance of ning, the latter for his tremendous slug- talent—good, bad and indifferent. Wil- ging. Carey has taken the crown of liams appears to have clinched his hold champion base runner from the failing on a position in the field. He is one of Bescher. Hinchman was the sensation the best ground-covering outfielders de- of 1915 as a slugging outfielder. The veloped in years. Though wanting third man is problematical. Baird and some of the finish which comes from Barney appear in the lists from time to maturity, he is a truly remarkable time. Barney played the position last fielder, and the power of his bat, as in year for a while and annexed a batting the case of Cravath, receives scant justice average of .273. His work as a fielder from his average of .257. was immature, but rather promising. The veteran Schulte is still in the Possibly the showing of these three will line-up, the last survivor of one of the indicate as clearly as anything the prob- greatest of teams. Whether or not he able outfield strength at Pittsburgh; .279 will outlast the season in that position is is the average of these two veterans, and a question, for the competition is un- the one uncertainty, an average which usually keen on the Cubs. The third tops all others in the league. member of the combine appears to be Boston is always a huge question mark Flack. The Federal Leaguer is a won- in outfields. Magee is the sole fixture— derfully fast and clever outfielder of a true star as a slugger and a creditable good promise with the stick. The com- performer in all departments. At present paratively weak stick work of Williams Magee is on the injured list, but he may and Schulte, as shown by the records— be counted upon to furnish the founda- they average only .253 between them— tion for the Braves’ defense in the field. precludes much possibility of Chicago’s Connolly was a slugger but a poor winning first honors in the field. And fielder. Stallings appears set on get- the shifts which appear certain will no ting rid of him, though negotiations doubt prevent the evolution of a finished have not as yet materialized. Two new- outfield in the Windy City throughout comers—Wilhoit and Compton—seem to the season. be doing very well, while Snodgrass The Giants at present writing repose (obtained from New York), has still peacefully in the cellar of the league. much excellent baseball in his system. It would seem to be the height of folly However, it is perhaps no exaggeration to claim for them the fielding champion- to say that the Brave outfield is the most ship of their circuit, but that is pre- uncertain, if not the poorest, in the cisely what we are going to claim for league. Certainly no one, even in Boston, them in spite of their manifold mis- could claim it was the best. deeds and misfortunes. The situation with the Cubs and the Burns is a man who needs no eulogy. Giants is peculiarly complicated. No one He is one of the best, if not the best, in either city pretends to know the all-round outfielder in the National make-up of the permanent outfield, and League. Last season he fell off some- matters are further affected through what from his previous season’s show- the presence of several Federal League ing, but he still hit for .273, stole 27 players in both line-ups. It is true that bases and scored 83 runs, all high aver- records exist of the previous season’s ages for last season’s grade of work. showing of these additions. But no Robertson is not so finished a fielder THE $100,000 OUTFIELD 59 as Burns, but he is very fast, has a grand throwing arm, and hit for .294. Against Robertson, McGraw has Rousch, who many think is the superior even of Kauff as an outfielder. Rousch should prove a utility fielder of rare ability. Kauff has demonstrated the fact that he is a hustling ball player, always in the game, a great hitter, a sure and ambi- tious fielder and a fast man on the bases. Whether he will continue the speed with which he burned up the bases in the Federal League is a problem, but he is a natural ball player past any question. It is a safe bet that he will not prove the weak link in the Giants’ chain. In fact, that is precisely our line of reasoning. We believe that Kauff will increase rather than diminish the average stand- ards of his two associates in the field, and that standard would be sufficient to give the Giants the precedence over their rivals in the field. In other words, a third man on the Giants’ squad as good as Burns and Robertson would round out the best outfield in the league. We be- lieve that man is Bennie Kauff. From the outfields we have taken as representative of the eight clubs in the National League, a number of interest- ing facts might be drawn. For instance, Brooklyn leads in the number of hits as well as in the total of extra bases. Philadelphia leads in the number of runs scored, Pittsburg in number of stolen bases and in batting average. Data on the Giants and the Cubs are not com- plete enough to furnish a similar com- parison, on account of the presence of Federal leaguers in their roster. How- ever, there is every indication that if those records were present, New York would lead by a wide margin. To illustrate: The Pittsburg outfield leads in stolen bases with a total of sixty. Burns and Robertson stole 49 bases last season. Kauff was the best base runner in the Federal League, and noted for his speed. Does anyone suppose he would have failed to excel the eleven bases necessary to tie Pittsburg’s score, had he worn a Giants’ uniform last season? Brooklyn leads in number of hits with 395. Burns and Robertson together made 329 hits. The third man of the outfield would have been obliged to make Armando Marsans, the Great Cuban Out- only 66 hits to tie Brooklyn, Kauff, fielder, Who Should Prove a Star in 1916 60 THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE playing in form, would have exceeded single world’s series contest last year, that mark by more than 100. would hardly admit as much. The third In short, assuming that Kauff comes member of the trio, the man to whom anywhere near living up to the advance falls the unwelcome lot of trying to fill notices of his ability, the Giants possess Tris Speaker’s shoes, is Walker, erst the fastest, best hitting and, on the of St. Louis—a good hitter on his own whole, best fielding outfield in the Na- account, and by no means an inferior tional League. The crucial question: fielder. Walker may not be touted as Will Kauff live up to form? cannot be highly as some, but there is a convincing answered. He has performed capably note in the 333 put-outs which fell to up to date and gives every indication his lot in the field. of continuing to do so. In any case, he In short, the reconstructed Red Sox is no more likely to prove a disappoint- outfield hit last season for an average of ment than is any other player in either .264, made 432 hits for a total of 583 league. bases, stole 56 hassocks, and scored 212 It has been long conceded that the runs. When it is remembered that the greatest outfielders in the game were in best scoring team in the National League the American League. Tris Speaker, —the Phillies—scored but 186 runs, it Ty Cobb, Clyde Milan, Joe Jackson, will readily appear that the Red Hose, and Sam Crawford form a group whose even with Walker substituted for Speak- parallel does not exist in the older cir- er, are a combination to be feared. cuit. And there are a number of other In the field the three champions of the performers who barely fall short of Hub city made 851 put-outs, which is equalling this renowned quintet in the a greater number than that made by any field or at the bat. other outfield whose records are com- Before the passing of Tris Speaker, plete. In short, the Red Sox trio will the Red Sox boasted the greatest outfield still give any one a close race when it in the circuits. Whether or not that comes to fielding. boast was founded on fact is a question Still great, but not the greatest, then which we would be disposed to argue. would be a fitting verdict for Boston’s But there can be no doubt that in Speaker outer gardeners. they possessed the greatest fielding out- The Athletics are but a memory of fielder in the game, a man whose sen- their former glory, and it is well to sational excursions into short centre- bear in mind that their outfield never field spoiled many a batting rally and did measure up to the rest of their ma- robbed the opposition of many a safe hit. chine. The Athletic outfielders who Furthermore, Speaker was almost as seem to have first choice this season are much dreaded for his batting and base- Oldring, Walsh and Strunk. running as he was for his marvelous This trio hit for an average of .252 fielding gifts. But Speaker has gone, last season, which is not so bad when we and with him went the backbone of the remember that Brooklyn’s walloping most finished—if not the most efficient— sticksmiths hit for but .248. Further- outfield in recent years. more, the Athletics made 173 runs, Lewis, fresh from the laurels of a which compares favorably with the work world’s championship, won, as nearly as of many of the National League out- such an event may be, single-handed, fields and accentuates the supposition needs no encomiums on his playing tal- that the American League is supreme ents. He is all that an outfielder should in the field. be—fast, a great judge of fly balls, with In fielding these three maintained an a grand throwing arm. Last season he average of near .980, the best paper hit for .291, which is enough and to average in the league, if that means any- spare. Hooper is every whit as good a thing. But paper averages, when it fielder as Lewis, if not better, but the comes to fielding, are sad affairs and genial Harry has fallen down somewhat give little indication of a player’s real on his batting, according to the records, capacity in the field. though the fans who saw him pole two Washington had one great outfielder home run drives into the bleachers in a in the person of Milan, and two compe- THE $100,000 OUTFIELD 61 tent performers in Moeller and Shanks. Griffith shows a disposition to shift the two latter in favor of recruits from time to time, but they are still played often enough to rank as regulars. The Capitol City outfit batted for .257, scored an even 200 runs, and stole 84 bases. Moeller, and to some extent Milan, fell off badly in stick work, but both are fast on the bases and make many hits with their feet. Grif lacks hitting strength in his out- field and has tried to make up for it in a measure by coaching his men in base running. A stolen base offsets a con- siderable deficiency in batting power, if made at the right time, and Moeller and Milan are among the best base runners on the circuits. The White Sox have an indeterminate outfield, comprised of Joe Jackson, Ed- die Murphy, John Collins and Felsch. As only three men may be played at a time, Rowland alternates his material with good effect. Joe Jackson is a prodigy, a super- player at the bat, such a player as arises but once in a generation. He hit last year for but .308, a grand average for another man but poor for Joe. If he bats at his best, only Cobb can beat him, and he solely through superior adroit- ness and address. As a fielder Joe is good, without being exceptionally so. He has great gifts, a grand throwing arm, and makes sensa- tional stops when in the mood. Veach of Detroit,. Who Batted for .313 and Eddie Murphy was good enough to Made 40 Two-Base Hits in 1915 play with the Athletics when the latter were champions of the world. He is good enough to play with the White Sox such kinks and rough spots in the course now. John Collins appears to us to be of time. an underrated performer, while Felsch The Highlanders’ outfield is an anom- looks like a fixture at present. aly. Lee Magee is a great natural ball Collectively the White Sox outfield player and should star on the Yankee batted for .277 last season, which was club. Maisel was a grand third baseman very good. Incidentally that average before he went into the outfield. Gil- should be much better this coming sea- hooley, who seems to be the logical can- son. didate for third place, is a hustling, ag- From a fielding standpoint, however, gressive youth, whose work has been the Sox are not so certain. They lack good up to date. There is an entire the finish and cohesion that made the dearth of records upon which to base Red Sox stand out in history. There is any claims for the Highland outfield. A something a little disappointing, a little Federal Leaguer, a former third base- disjointed in their work, if we may use man and a comparative newcomer, make that word. But the fever and zest of a what is recognized as one of the fastest hot pennant race should smooth out outfields in the country, but one which 62 THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE

playing a wonderful game at present, HOW DETROIT OUTCLASSES ALL and so is Graney. Roth, who seems OTHER AMERICAN LEAGUE fairly sure of a place, showed up pretty well last season, batting for .268. Smith, OUTFIELDS his alternate, is also doing fine work. RUNS The hitting average of the Cleveland Detroit ...... 306 trio is .287, a most substantial mark, Cleveland ...... 217 better than any in the National League, Chicago ...... 216 for instance. Furthermore, they scored Boston ...... 212 last year 217 runs and stole 67 bases, ex- Washington ...... 200 ceeding in both respects the best in the Philadelphia ...... 173 National League. A great little outfield has Cleveland, and one that will bear HITS watching. Detroit ...... 569 St. Louis is still in the formative pro- Boston ...... 432 cess. Fielder Jones is a grand builder, Chicago ...... 394 and he has ample material in the fused Washington ...... 387 Browns-Federals to work his own sweet Cleveland ...... 384 will. So far as a man up a tree can Philadelphia ...... 331 forecast the future, the Browns’ scoring machine seems to consist of Shotten, TOTAL BASES Marsans and Tobin. Shotten is one of Detroit ...... 785 the best fielders in the American League, Boston ...... 583 bar none. Phenomenally fast, he stole Chicago ...... 538 43 bases last year, scored 93 runs, and Cleveland ...... 535 was one of the greatest ground coverers Washington ...... 492 in captivity. Philadelphia ...... 471 Marsans seems a bit rusty from his long lay-off, but he was formerly known STOLEN BASES as one of the star outfielders in the Na- Detroit ...... 136 tional League. No doubt the Cuban will Washington ...... 84 thaw out a bit in the warm weather. Cer- Chicago ...... 75 tainly St. Louis is hot enough to effect Cleveland ...... 67 the transformation. Boston ...... 56 Tobin is favorably mentioned as one Philadelphia ...... 50 of the best outfielders in the Federal League. What he will do in the Amer- BATTING AVERAGE ican is problematical. But the fact that Detroit ...... 326 Jones has kept him, while possessing Cleveland ...... 287 abundant outfield material, shows what Chicago ...... 277 one of the shrewdest managers in the Boston ...... 264 game thinks of his capabilities. Washington ...... 257 And last of the sixteen clubs, a fitting Philadelphia ...... 252 climax to the whole, is Detroit. In the palmiest days of the Tris Speaker re- gime, the Red Sox might have chal- does not lend itself readily to compar- lenged the supremacy of Detroit in the ison. field. Now that Speaker has gone, there The rise of the Cleveland club has is no other club which has a look-in. been the sensation of the American Detroit is so far ahead that it is a weari- League race to date. There is much ness to make comparisons. more than mere happenstance in this It may be that other outfields will grand showing, admitting that the For- shade the Tiger trio slightly in the field, est City aggregation seems to have gone but only slightly. Cobb will get any- crazy with the heat, and is playing away thing that comes his way, and so will above form. Tris Speaker made a medi- Veach. Crawford, slowed a bit after ocre outfield into a good one. He is seventeen seasons, is still a dead shot on THE $100,000 OUTFIELD 63

THE $100,000 OUTFIELD AND WHAT IT DID IN 1915 ...... G. A.B. R H. T.B. 2B. 3B. H.R. S.H. S.B. Avg. Cobb ...... 156 563 144 208 274 31 13 3 9 96 .370 Crawford . . . . 156 612 81 183 264 31 19 4 16 24 .299 Veach ...... 152 569 81 178 247 40 10 3 18 16 .313 306 569 785 102 42 10 43 136 .326

G. P.O. A. E. Avg. Cobb ...... 156 328 22 18 .951 Crawford ...... 156 219 8 6 .974 Veach ...... 152 297 19 8 .975 ...... 844 49 32

nailing fly balls. Whatever the Tigers still Crawford. On last season’s show- may lack in the field, their margin in of- ing, Sam was the weakest member of fensive strength, the prime essential of the trio, but what shall we say for an the outfield, is so tremendous as to offer outfield whose weakest member bats for no reasonable basis of comparison. .299, makes 183 hits for a total of 264 The next best batting combination on bases, including 31 doubles and 19 paper is Cleveland, with an average of triples, and scores 81 runs. Enough .287. Detroit averaged .326. Notice said. Any other outfield in either league that its average is better than that will have to travel at much more than achieved by any single batter in the their best speed to get a fair glimpse National League, Doyle, the leading of the Tiger Trio’s heels in the distance. sticksmith of Tener’s circuit, poling to In short, to illustrate the simply amaz- the tune of .320. ing prowess of Jennings’ three musket- Cleveland is also next high line in the eers, let us compare their records in vari- matter of runs scored, with a total of 217 ous departments with that of the next to her credit, largely due to the kindness best outfield in either league: of Tris Speaker. But Detroit scored 306 runs, an average of more than a hun- Batting Average dred runs for each member of the outfit. Detroit ...... 326 The Red Sox outfit made 432 hits, which Second best Cleveland ...... 287 stands second best. Detroit made 569, a Runs Scored measly margin of 137 hits over their Detroit ...... 306 closest rival. The Red Sox were also Cleveland ...... 217 second in number of total bases, with Number of Hits 583. Detroit tops that figure by more Detroit ...... 569 than 200, having 785 to her credit. Wash- Red Sox ...... 432 ington was the next fastest outfield in either league, with 84 stolen bases. De- Total Bases troit leads with 136. The renowned Cobb Detroit ...... 785 alone stole more bases than any com- Red Sox ...... 583 bined outfield in either league! Stolen Bases How can an outfield contain Ty Cobb Detroit ...... 136 and not outrank all other outfields, at Washington ...... 84 least in offensive strength? And yet Number of Two Baggers Cobb had as associates on the Tigers Detroit ...... 102 two stars of the first magnitude in Sam Red Sox ...... 71 Crawford and Veach. Crawford is starting slow this season. Jennings, for Number of Three Baggers reasons best known to himself, frequent- Detroit ...... 42 ly substitutes Heilman. But Crawford is Cardinals ...... 38 64 THE BASEBALL MAGAZINE

In home runs, both the Phillies and class. The grand slugger of Wahoo the Cubs exceed the Tiger trio, but De- doesn’t need to defend his claims. Sev- troit should worry. The Phillies also ex- enteen years of stellar service speak for cel them in sacrifice hits, but Jennings’ him in a manner that may not be mis- brow is not seamed with care on that understood. account. Suffice it to say Crawford outslugged Only one outfield in the circuit excels Robertson by a long city block last sea- the Tigers in the matter of combined son. put-outs and assists—the Red Sox. In- The name of Kauff has often been cidentally, their margin is not excessive, linked with that of Cobb, but we believe 916 to 893—a matter of 23 chances. it isn’t necessary to compare their work There may be fans who will challenge in detail. Kauff is a grand little ball our choice of the Giant trio for leaders player, and we wish him all the luck in the National League, but we think no in the world. His future is all before one will have the hardihood to attempt him and, judging by what he has shown to discount the figures which give Detroit to date, that future should prove a bril- clear title to supremacy. They are liant one. But Cobb is not alone the too clinching to permit of argument. greatest player of the present, but the It seems hardly necessary to compare greatest player who ever donned a base- the Giants with the Tigers, but it can ball uniform. Tyrus will have his day, be done quite simply, taking each posi- like all the rest, but it would be the tion in order. height of folly to match strength with Burns is undoubtedly one of the great- the king when the king is still supreme. est outfielders in the National League, if John Evers is the smartest player in not the greatest. But not many man- the National League, bar none. Let us agers would have preferred him to hear what the inimitable John has to say: Veach last season. The Tiger batted for ”I have seen considerable baseball in my .313, the Giant for .273, a margin of time, and some people might think I a clear forty points, in itself a decisive would get tired of it. But I would pay feature. Burns as lead-off man scored my little dollar any time and sit in the 83 runs, but Veach, though playing fur- grand stand or the bleachers, or any- ther down the list, was close behind with where else, for a chance to see Cobb 81. Burns, chiefly through more experi- play. There’s only one Cobb, and there’s ence, led in stolen bases with 27. Veach nobody like him. There never was, and stole 16. Burns made 169 hits for a there never will be, in my opinion. total of 233 bases; Veach 178, for a total That’s what I think of Ty Cobb. of 247. “Cobb would put the punch in any If there was any perceptible margin, it team. But with two redoubtable associ- was in favor of Veach. ates who uphold his right hand and his Robertson played a good game in left, he makes of the Detroit trio a thing right, but he will go a long way before incomparable, supreme, by a wide margin he proves himself in Sam Crawford’s the greatest outfield in the land.”