National League: Pittsburgh Picked To End Long Era of Dismal Finishes

At the end of the 1958 World Series, Bob Friend, the ace of the Pittsburgh pitching staff, stated flatly that his team could have beaten the Yankees. He will get his chance this October when the Pirates will face New York (and lose in six games.)

This is the Pirates' year, however, as Branch Rickey's building process, which began eight years ago, will flower this season. The Bucs made a good run at Milwaukee last year, but if they had won, it would have been somewhat of a fluke. Thanks to the key trade this winter that brought to them a catcher who could hit, a steady left-hand starter, and a good third baseman all in exchange for an excellent third baseman, a Pirate victory this year would be no fluke at all.

Their pitching staff, headed by Friend (the best right-hander in the league), is not as impressive as Milwaukee's, but it is younger and has a good deal of depth. Harvey Haddix is the new left-hander, Vern Law and Ron Kline won 27 games between them last year, George Witt pitched half the season and had nine wins along with a 1.61 ERA, and Elroy Face, is the best reliefer in the league.

The infield is the best around. Murtaugh can play Ted Kluszewski (if his back heals,) Dick Stuart if they can find a hat to fit him), or Rocky Nelson (Mr. Minor League) at first. Bill Mazeroski has no peer at second base and with Dick Groat, a steady .300 hitter, they give the Pirates a DP combination second only to the Reds.' Don Hoak is no Frank Thomas, but you can't have everything.

Bob Skinner, Roberto Clemente, and Bill Virdon all have hit .300 or better at one stage in their major league careers, and if they do it this year, the Bucs could romp. The Pirates' only real problem is lack of bench strength and an epidemic of injuries would be more fatal to them than to any of the other top contenders.

For pure excitement, no one will match the Giants. They are a fast, powerful team with a renovated pitching staff and the best young players around. Their only major deficiency, and it may turn out to be a disastrous one, is the left side of their infield which has yet to prove itself to be of pennant winning caliber.

Orlando Cepeda could have a sophomore slump, but the chances are he will turn into the loop's top first baseman. Daryl Spencer and Jim Davenport are both superlative fielders, but both hit .256 last year. The success of the infield will depend on the performance of Andre Rodgers at shortstop, a reformed cricket player who tore the PCL apart last year with a .354 average.

Willie Mays is the best baseball player in the major leagues and heads a most exciting outfield of Felipe Alou and Jackie Brandt. Willie Kirkland and Leon Wagner are as able a pair of reserves that could be found. The catching is only adequately set with Bob Schmidt (.244) who is not a big man with the stick.

Manager Bill Rigney's pitching, thanks to the acquisition of Sad Sam Jones and Jack Sanford, seems set. Johnny Antonelli won 16 last year and should improve on that figure, Mike McCormack is ready for stardom, and Stu Miller and Al Worthington should prove helpful. The Giants are stronger than last year, but they are still a little young.

Red Schoendienst's TB spells doom for Milwaukee. Manager Fred Haney has no one to fill his place, especially now that Mel Roach has reinjured his knee. The middle of the infield now consists of rookie Chuck Cottier and either John Logan or Felix Mantilla (the only player in the majors to bat lower than Willy Miranda.)

The rest of the team is considerably more imposing. Joe Adcock and Eddie Matthews at first and third are among the best in their trade even if Adcock will have trouble hitting .309 again this year. Hank Aaron, Bill Bruton, and Wes Covington make up one of the best outfields around, provided the latter two stay healthy. Otherwise, the Braves will have to go with Andy Pafko, who is getting a little old for this sort of thing.

As usual the Braves have Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette, Bob Rush, Bob Buhl, and a host of other younger hurlers. It is the best staff in the league, but is Spahn the stopper begins to show the long awaited signs of age, it could slow down considerably. Del Crandall and Stan Lopata make up a strong catching corps. But Schoendienst was the heart of this team; there is no one to take his place.

Cincinnati's fate lies with Don Newcombe who should have forgotten about the '56 world series by now. If Newk can come back and head an otherwise average pitching staff of Brooks Lawrence, Joe Nuxhall, Bob Purkey, and rookie Jim O'Toole, the Reds could be very hard to beat. Their infield of Frank Robinson on first (where his fielding is still a question), Johnny Temple (.306) at second, Roy McMillan at short, and the slugger Frank Thomas at third is almost equal to Pittsburgh's. GusBell, Jerry Lynch, and Vada Pinson (the best looking rookie in the league) rank high in a league filled with good outfielders. Ed Bailey is easily the best of the catchers.

This is the best dark horse team. It led the league in fielding last year, its hitting has always been fearsome; now all it needs is Newcombe.

St. Louis is in trouble and will have a hard time finishing higher than fifth. Manager Solly Hemus lost his best pitcher, Jones, to the Giants and has little to replace him. Vinegar Bend Mizell and Larry Jackson are only so-so and behind them, there is little besides a highly touted rookie, Ernie Broglio. Hard-hitting Joe Cunningham (.312) is set at first as is Don Blasingame at second. There is a gaping hole at short which may have to be filled with Alex Grammas, who would have trouble hitting .300 in the Little Leagues. Ken Boyer, an almost-great, is a fixture at third.

The great Musial is getting older, but should be good for at least one more season in left field. Gino Cimoli (whose average dropped 47 points last year) and young Bill White make up the rest of the outfield.

The Dodgers have a lot of young, wild pitchers, some aging hitters, and the worse they play, the more Los Angeles seems to like it. They should move up at least a notch from last year's finish of seventh, but not much further. Gil Hodges and Carl Furillo are both over 35 and obviously are tapering off. Duke Snider hit .312 last year, but even with the right field fence moved in, his power is wasted in the Coliseum. Wally Moon, a good hitter but a notoriously poor fielder should play some along with Junior Gilliam. Hodges and Charlie Neal are set at first and second but no one knows who will play opposite them.

Dodger pitching last year came up with a woeful 4.47 ERA last season and it has not been noticeably improved. The staff could be a surprise if Johnny Podres stays well and Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and Danny McDevitt live up to their press notices.

The Cubs surprised everyone last year by becoming one of the strongest-hitting teams in the league. Five players: Ernie Banks, Walt Moryn, Bob Thomas, Lee Walls, and Dale Long accounted for 138 homers and all are back this year. But aside from Banks, who is everybody's All-American at shortstop, the rest are either very slow fielders or are feeling the ravages of age. Alvin Dark plays third base and hit .295 last year but he is just about through. As for youth the Cubs have it in their pitching staff, but last year, it proved something less than impressive. Dick Drott, Moe Drabowsky, Glenn Hobby, and Taylor Phillips were supposed to tear the league apart; instead they proved to a frightful fizzle. If they do not produce this year, all the power in the world will not save the Cubs from last place.

The Phillies will probably finish in last place, but they are not that bad a team. They have the batting champion in Richie Ashburn, an aging but effective pitcher in Robin Roberts, and some young players who could come on. Wally Post and Harry Anderson are the best of the young players and Ray Semproch heads a string of competent pitchers