The Evening Standard/January 25, 1913
All But Two of the McGraw Men at Marlin Will be Pitchers
NEW YORK, Jan. 25.—When Manager McGraw of the Giants reaches Marlin with his first squad next month, he will have what will probably be the most unique delegation of “squabs” ever taken into a training camp by a big league manager. All but two men will be pitchers. He will be able to line up a team with twirlers in every position.
He is taking a total of nine kids to the springtime weeding and with the nine there goes one lonely fielding prospect ad one lonelier infielding possibility.
McGraw has been bending every effort toward the task of building up his pitching staff in the past couple of years—although that is always a task for any manager any year. In two years he has developed Marquard and Tesreau as first aids to Mathewson and by consummate jugglery of the Rube and Matty one year, and the consistent use of all three another year, he has won two pennants.
Bore Brunt of Work
Of course, some little credit must be given to Otis Crandall, “Red” Ames and George Wiltse, but Marquard, Matty and Big Jeff bore the brunt of the work last season and will probably have to bear it again in 1913, unless McGraw manages to dig up another man good enough to fill in regularly.
Wilbert Robinson, the coach of the Giant pitchers, will go south with the first detachment as usual, and will assist McGraw in culling the prospects. Last season Robinson produced Jeff Tesreau as a regular, and the season before he presented Marquard. This year many look for Al Demaree to be the old Oriole’s gift to the pitching staff, although several others are almost equally promising, particularly La Rue Kirby and Lou Bader.
Doesn’t Trust Youngsters
As a general thing McGraw is not inclined to trust a youngster with the responsibility of a championship game. He gave Tesreau a thorough seasoning before he introduced him to the New York fans as a regular but he put a number of his new youngsters through such a course of sprouts last season that he may be willing to take a chance with them this year if they display big league caliber.
No one can ever say that this or that recruit is sure of a job with the Giants, because no one but McGraw ever knows with any degree of certainty who will be retained and who will be sent away. But it is believed that this season the manager is taking a man south who will return a regular. This man is Al Demaree, the shutout wonder of the south, who worked in a couple of games for McGraw last fall and displayed good form.
Demaree is practically a seasoned man. He has had long experience and he has absorbed much knowledge of his craft. It is believed now that he will be working in his turn against the Giants’ opponents during the early months of 1913, as he is accounted a great spring pitcher.
Demaree a Sensation
Demaree was the sensation of the Southern league last season when he was with Mobile, his pitching being largely responsible for Mike Finn’s club finishing second. Demaree was in 34 games and won 24 and lost 10, with a weak hitting club behind him.
His record sparkles with sensational performances, including numerous shutouts and low-score games. He pitched 37 innings from the opening of the season before a run was scored on him, and before the season began he figured in an exhibition game against the Giants, in which he helped hold the big city boys runless for thirteen innings. Demaree has been up to the big leagues before, and is about 26 years old.
Some Likely Material
The other youngsters who will be tried out at Marlin by McGraw next spring are La Rue Kirby, Lou Bader Dave Robertson and Ferd Schupp, Fred Smith, Hanley and Perryman.
Krby, Bader, Goulait, Demaree and Robertson were all with the Giants last season, and all but Robertson received trials in the box, so the only new faces on the club next spring will be the presumably beaming countenances of Messrs. Schupp, Smith, Hanley and Perryman.
All Right Handers
All of these fellows are right-handers with the exception of Schupp and Smith. The latter comes from Traverse City, of the Michigan State League, the same team who gave us La Rue Kirby.
Kirby in 26 games with the Traverse City club won 18 and lost but 3, leading the Michigan State league pitchers. He worked 174 2-3 innings, and was found for 110 hits. He struck out 138 and passed 38.
Lou Bader is considered quite a prospect. He comes from Dallas of the Texas league the club which has sent McGraw many men, including Arthur Fletcher. Bader worked in 41 games last season and won 16 and lost 14.
(Source: Chronicling America, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85058397/1913-01-25/ed-1/seq-10/)
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