- Many New Faces Will Be Seen in Older Organization While Three American League Teams Will Face the Barrier With Same Lineup as Finished 1913.
- Hug has good prospects in Perritt, Doak, Griner, Robinson and Niehaus,
April 12, 1914 Age 23
By W. J. O’Connor St Louis Post Dispatch
Federal League raiders and off-season traders have completely changed the physical make-up of the National League for the opening battles Tuesday. The American League, which weathered well the war with the outlaws, also made fewer trades and will face the barrier two days hence with very few changes in the box score. Three teams in the junior organization have in no way, save for the addition of a few battery men, revised their makeup since last fall. They are Washington, Cleveland and Philadelphia.
Things are different in the National. Manager Huggins, for instance, will start the season with only three regulars from 1913 in his line-up. They are Magee, Whitted and Huggins. Cruise has made his mark in the outfield while Miller and Butler and Wilson will supplant the malcontents, Koney, Mowrey and Harmon.
One Switch in New York.
Boston has four new men, Cincinnati three, Chicago three, Phillies two, Pittsburg three and Brooklyn and New York one each. The Federal League hit the National a telling blow when it took such stars as Seaton, Brennan, Knabe, Doolan, Oakes, Wilson, Rariden, Hendrix, Simon, Brldwell, Miller, Tinker, Kirkpatrick and Evans. The motherly old plant presided over by Gov. Tener, has been materially weakened and seems unsteady on its pins.
New York, by retaining all its regulars, looks to have a tremendous edge in the pennant race and only a surprising improvement in the early season work of Pittsburg and Chicago will prevent the minions of McGraw from making a run-away race of the coming championship clash.
Hug Needs Pitching.
Manager Huggins, accepting his own statement that Miller, Wilson and Butler have strengthened the Cardinal club, should pilot his team out of last place from the start. He depends almost entirely on his pitchers as the remainder or the club is well enough equipped to carry the team to the top of second division.
Hug’s pitching stall is made up of Harry Sallee and a batch of untried recruits. He has good prospects in Perritt, Doak, Griner, Robinson and Niehaus, while there’s an outside chance that Bill Steele may come back. Hageman is another promising youngster providing he changes his style of pitching so as to make it legal.
In the other local camp the job of sizing up the material at hand isn’t so easy. Manager Rickey still has an army of athletes, so many in fact that one is confused about the squad’s possibility. So far Leary is the only new man who threatens to permanently appear in the box score. The opening day line-up will be: Shotton, cf; Austin, 3D; Williams. rf; Pratt, 2b: Walker. If: Leary. 1b: Wallace. ss: Agnew, c: James, p.
Rickey has found a star, it seems, in Big Bill James, the right-handed hurler, while Taylor is another promising newcomer. The loss of Hamilton is a severe blow but the addition of James partly neutralizes this loss. There are two capable infielders hanging around Sportsman’s Park in Eddle Miller and Ivan Howard and clever outfielders In Ernie Walker and Rumler. The excess pitchers are Baumgardner, Wellman, Mitchell, Manning, Hoch and Witte while Crossin and McAllester are understudies for Agnew.
Changes in other teams, as presented by Post-Dispatch correspondents follow:
