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► — — . sasssssssssssssssss. - Boston Teams Possess Best Rookies in Dropo, Jethroe Return to Majors Finds Big Walt Leading A. L Hitters; Sam ProvesOldtimersWrong By NORMAN MILLER United Press Sports Writer NEW YORK, N. Y;, May 15.— Walt Dropo of the Red Sox, recalled from the minors strictly as a fill-in, and Sam Jethroe of the Braves, who once was given only qualified hopes for major league success, stand out as baseballs outstanding rookies after one full swing around the circuit. Dropo, the big first baseman called up from Louisville when Billy Goodman broke his foot, led the American League in batting today with a mark of .400 and has hit six home runs in 14 games. A failure once before, Dropo was expected to be returned to the minors as soon as Goodman mended, but his booming bat may lead Manager Joe McCarthy to find another spotfor. Goodman. Jethro, who veteran observers believed, did not have the hiting power nor the fielding ability to stick in the majors, despite his gaudy 1949 International League record, is the Braves leading hitter with a mark of .343. Behind Dropo and Jethroe come at least a half-dozen other freshmen standouts who appear to be winning regular jobs as their clubs head for a second turn through the leagues, which should prove a more conclusive test of their prowess. Carresquel White Sox Find Theres Alfonso "Chico" Carresquel of the White Sox, who is batting .276, fielding brilliantly and has supplanted the veteran Luke Appling at shortstop; third baseman Al Rosen, who is hitting .307 and has slammed eight home runs in his third trial with the Indians; outfielder Bill Howerton, batting .355 for the Cardinals; outfielder Tom Wright of the Red Sox J13, outfielder Don Mueller of the Giants .313 and second baseman Wayne Terwilliger of the Cubs .312. Rosen, Mueller and Terwilliger played several games in the majors last season but still qualify as rookies. Among the pitchers, the outstanding first-year prospect to date is Clarence "Bud" Podblelan, the Dodgers right-hander who has won three games and lost one. Five other good prospects are Norman Roy of the Braves 2-0, Dan Bankhead of the Dodgers 2-0, Bob Miller of the Phils 2-0, Bob Hooper of the As 2-1 and Steve Nagy of the Senators 2-1. Preston Ward of the Cubs, the gangling first baseman purchased from the Dodgers, leads the rookie crop in runs batted in with 17, although his batting average is only .268. Outfielders Irv Noren of the Senators .281, Ken Wood of the Browns .269 and Ted Beard of the Pirates .241 also rate a good chance of making the grade. The leading bust? First basemen Jack Harshman of the Giants and Steve Bilko of the Cards. Both were expected to supply their clubs with batting power, but failed miserably and have been shipped back to the minors. Third baseman Bobby Morgan of the Dodgers .232 and outfielder Luke Easter of the Indians .207, two of the most highly-touted newcomers of the spring training season, also have been disappointments, but rate a more thorough once-over by their clubs. KID GAVILAN — Cuban welterweight, has been signed to meet Georgie Small in a 10-rounder at Madison Square Garden on May 26.
