BOSTON
BEACONS

BROOKLYN
SUPERBAS

2B
SS
1B
CF
LF
3B
RF
C

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

Jim Gilliam
Harvey Kuenn
Earl Torgeson
Mickey Mantle
Gus Zernial
Eddie Mathews
Cal Abrams
Clyde McCullough

Frank Hiller
Warren Spahn
Ned Garver
Harvey Haddix
Leo Kiely

IN: SP Ned Garver, SP Ralph Branca, 2B Eddie Miksis, MR Ray Moore (rookie)
OUT: SP Ed Lopat, CF Sam Jethroe, SP Allie Reynolds (retired), 2B Eddie Stanky
OUTLOOK: Boston is banking on a Fenway resurgence for Louisville castoffs Ned Garver and Ralph Branca. Garver was 15-31 with a 5.78 aggregate ERA in three seasons with Louisville, and will cost the Beacons close to $5 million. Another $3.6M of the Boston payroll will go to Branca, who fared only marginally better than Garver in the Bluegrass State (16-22, 5.64 in  55 starts). Rookie Ray "Farmer" Moore will join the bullpen.
   With the departure of Sam Jethroe (drafted by Louisville in the reentry draft), MVP Mickey Mantle will shift to center field, and Jim Gilliam will bat in the leadoff spot.  Cal Abrams and Allie Clark will platoon in right. Abrams had just 22 PA last season, and Clark will make his UL debut after batting .276 in AAA Philly last year.
   On the whole, Boston probably did not make enough changes to erase their  23-game margin behind first place, but expect the league's second worse pitching staff to improve, with Spahn building  on a strong second half and Garver putting  his Colonel woes behind him.
 

IN: MR Bob Miller, MR Bob Grim (rookie), 
OUT: SS Phil Rizzuto (retired), SS Eddie Joost, RF Steve Souchock
OUTLOOK: Lew Burdette will be Brooklyn's fourth starter, after going 4-2, 3.83 in 7 starts last year. But manager Glen Reed may be rushing his development after a lukewarm year at AAA Buffalo (5-9, 4.02). Lefty Curt Simmons (9-10, 4.23) is poised for a breakout season. 
   Brooklyn's bullpen was weak in '53. Only closer Hoyt Wilhelm and setup man Harry Dorish posted ERAs under 5.00. Hence, the Superbas look to shore up their relief staff with righthanders Bob Miller (1-1, 6.19 in 34 games with Louisville) and Bob Grim (23-year-old  2nd round rookie pick). Lefty Lou Brissie (13-8, 4.09) will also move back to the 'pen, but don't be surprised to see him back in the rotation before long, especially if Burdette flops.
   Brooklyn won 80 games in 1953, finishing just two games out of second place, and are looking to close the gap with Washington this year.  The offense is solid, and Hutchinson is one of the top aces in the league. The team's fortunes will rise and fall with the ERAs of young hurlers Curt Simmons and Lew Burdette, and the quality of bullpen work from newcomers Miller and Grim, and oldcomers Brissie, Dorish, and Kuzava. 

CHICAGO
COLTS

DETROIT
SOUND

IN: CF Bobby Thomson, 2B Red Schoendienst, SP Cliff Chambers, SP Camilo Pascual (rookie)
OUT: LF Lloyd Merriman, MR Monk Dubiel (retired), MR Clyde King, CL Ellis Kinder
OUTLOOK: The return of Bobby Thomson should give the league's #6 offense a much-needed lift. Thomson hit 30 HR in each of his first two seasons as a Colt, and was an All-Star in 1952. Veteran 2B Red Schoendienst is a solid hitter (.290-6-51 in 125 games) and an ideal platoon mate for Bobby Avila (.289-6-63), who returned from military service to win a Gold Glove last year.
   Despite just 10 wins last year, southpaw Whitey Ford (10-9, 4.36) will be the staff ace. Don Newcombe struggled again in '53, with his worst ERA to date (5.43), and has yet to win more than 13 in a season. After two years of bullpen work, lefty Bill Henry (1-1, 3.76 in 24 games) from Alice, Texas, will be the #3 starter. And keep an eye on rookie Camilo Pascual; the 20-year-old from Havana is the league's top-rated pitching prospect.
   Manager Lance Mueller is hoping for a breakout sophomore year from 25-year-old Whitey Ford and a career turnaround for terminal underachiever Don Newcombe (38-37, 5.06 in 93 Colt starts). But if neither materializes, it will be another middle-of-the-road year for the Horsies.

IN: MR George Zuverink, SP Don Mossi (rookie), 1B Joe Cunningham (rookie), MR Bull Lawrence (rookie)
OUT: RF Monte Irvin, SP Bob Cain, SS Stan Rojek (retired), C Bob Scheffing
OUTLOOK: Detroit dropped from third to seventh last year, despite an improved pitching staff. The biggest different between '52 and '53 was the Sound's performance in close games. Detroit's record in one-run games fell from 20-14 to 25-29 last year, largely due to the trials and tribulations of Clem Labine (6-12, 5.01, 23 SV, 12 BS).
   Detroit will have more rookies on its Opening Day lineup than any other team (3). Southpaw Don Mossi, 25, the second overall pick in the rookie draft, will get the #3 starter job; hard-hitting 1B Joe Cunningham, 22, will back up Ferris Fain; and Brooks "Bull" Lawrence, 29, will is part of the Sound's 8-man relief corps.
   RF Willard Marshall (.312-6-36 in 88 games) was re-signed, and will take the place of the departed Monte Irvin in the starting lineup. Also gone are starting pitcher Bob "Sugar" Cain, and shortstop Stan Rojek, who had the first six-hit game in UL history in 1951, and spent last year in Korea. Joe DiMaggio, 38, is hanging on to his twilight years, but will likely get even less playing time than last year, when he hit .260 in 131 AB.
   Detroit scored the fewest runs in the league last year, and will need better years from Catfish Metkovich, Willard Marshall, and Ferris Fain to augment the consistent production of UL career HR and RBI leader Ralph Kiner. Also, Ted Gray must kick his losing habit, the rookie hurlers must contribute, and Clem Labine must return to his All-Star form. If these things happen, expect Detroit to bounce back over .500. If not, it could be another long season at Briggs Stadium.

LOUISVILLE
COLONELS

NEW YORK
GOTHAMS

IN: LF Sid Gordon, 3B Billy Cox, SP Bob Feller, SP Sam Jones, SP Hal Newhouser, CF Sam Jethroe
OUT: SP Ned Garver, SP Ralph Branca, MR Bob Miller, RF Dick Kokos
OUTLOOK: "Let the debacle begin": so says Mark Allen on the verge of his fourth season as manager of the hopeless and hapless Louisville Colonels.  The focus this offseason was on pitching, as usual, and spending. Of last year's five opening day starters, only Johnny Antonelli and Ruben Gomez are returning this year. Both were rookies in '53, and Antonelli (12-12, 4.75) showed moments of greatness and was second in the league with 258 strikeouts. The Colonels renewed Hal Brown (1-1, 11.84 in 19 innings), got veteran Bob Feller in the reentry draft, and traded for "Toothpick Sam" Jones to round out the rotation.
   The club also shelled out big bucks for really old guys beyond their prime, signing SP Hal Newhouser for $2.4M, CF Sam Jethroe for $2.17M, and Feller for $1.5M. The rash of spending bumped the Colonels payroll to $62.1M, the second highest in the league and almost $9M above expected revenues,  which could have serious repercussions in the future.
   Offensively, the big addition was former Monument Sid Gordon (.285-29-94), who will add much-needed punch to the heart of the order. Rookie Ed Bailey took the starting catcher job away from Clyde Kluttz, and of three outfielders named "Hank," only Bauer will appear on the lineup card on opening day. Allen has soured on Sauer and is not yet rarin' for Aaron.
   Louisville's minors are packed with five of the top 10 prospects in the league, including Al Kaline, 19, and Aaron, 20, both of whom might see big league action before season's end.
   Don't expect huge leaps from this young bunch, but with the sheer volume of prospects coming up through AA New Orleans and AAA Pittsburgh, a few quality players will inevitably pan out. As a Muppet bear once said, "Baby steps. Baby steps."

IN: RF Andy Pafko, C Hobie Landrith, RP Ike Delock (rookie), SP Bob Cain
OUT: LF Ted Williams (retired), C Joe Ginsberg, 3B Billy Cox, RP Johnny Schmitz
OUTLOOK: First-year manager Don Carrington inherits a club that has hovered in mediocrity for three seasons. Caretaker manager Jeremy Weimer ably handled the contract renewals, signing 2B Jackie Robinson for another three years. At $9.35M, the 1952 MVP and all-time UL hit leader is now  the league's highest paid player.  To re-sign Robinson, the Gothams had to let go C Joe Ginsberg and 3B Billy Cox, a pair of quality role players. Carrington is hoping C Hobie Landrith and RF Andy Pafko can fill their shoes.  Light-hitting 3B Bobby "Doc" Brown (.182-1-5 in 154 AB) will lead off  vs. righties. 
   Gothams fans were disappointed to hear of Ted Williams' retirement. Frank Thomas (.271-16-65) will take over left field and bat fifth. The rest of the lineup is essentially unchanged.
   Mike Fornieles (18-10, 3.52) returns as a solid ace, but the other three starters (Wynn, Presko, and Sullivan) combined for just 20 wins last season, making the rotation a potential sore spot. Ewell Blackwell (12-16, 4.51), who has started 30+ games for three years running, will start the season as  a spot starter, giving the youngsters Presko and Sullivan plenty of starts.
   Closer Bob Hooper (7-7, 6.42, 26 SV), was a yearlong headache for New York fans. His league-high 12 blown saves probably cost the Gothams second place (New York finished just three games behind St. Louis). The only personnel change in the bullpen has Johnny "Bear Tracks" Schmitz (1-1, 8.07)  replaced by rookie righthander Ike Delock, 24, who posted a 2.81 ERA at AAA Cleveland last year.
   Carrington's first year will resemble recent years at Yankee Stadium, with improvement dependent upon the development of young pitchers and more consistent production out of the bottom of the lineup.

ST. LOUIS
MAROONS

WASHINGTON
MONUMENTS

IN: RF Monte Irvin, 2B Eddie Stanky, SS Chico Carrasquel
OUT: 2B Red Schoendienst, 2B Bobby Doerr, SP Bob Feller, C Hobie Landrith, C Jim Hegan
OUTLOOK: St. Louis, playing in  pitcher-friendly Sportsman's Park, led the league in batting, home runs, and slugging last year.  Manager Timothy J. Smith aggressively pursued high-priced veterans in the reentry draft to fill the gaps at second base and the outfield. That effort netted one-time Gold Glove RF Monte Irvin, 35,  (.268-16-58) and former Beacon 2B Eddie Stanky, 36 (.396 OBP), who should augment an already potent offense featuring Triple Crown candidate Stan Musial (.324-35-103), slugging shortstop Vern Stephens (.260-27-117), and two other All-Stars (C Roy Campanella and 3B Willie Jones). 
   The Maroons' starting rotation is a far cry from that of the 1951 championship team. Ken Raffensberger, 35, (14-13, 4.10) is past his prime, and '51 Cy Young winner Sam Zoldak (7-9, 4.70) is fighting for a starting slot. Last year's "rookie Bobs" -- Buhl (9-2, 3.36) and Keegan (4-8, 4.14) -- are untested as full-time starters, though Buhl showed considerable promise with a red-hot August and September.
    In the rookie draft, the Maroons repeated their 1953 strategy, grabbing quality arms, this time getting relief help in 25-year old CL Ray Narleski and 23-year-old MR Gordon Jones, both right-handers who will start the year at AA Memphis. The club lacks a reliable closer. Despite Johnny Klippstein's stellar season (4-1, 1.85, 14 SV), the bullpen converted a league low 46% of save opportunities, and was particularly hampered by a lack of quality left-handers, a situation unaddressed this offseason.
   St. Louis can  close the gap with Washington this year, but will need stability in the rotation and better work out of the bullpen to maintain the leads their productive lineup will create.

IN: RF Duke Snider (Korea), C Joe Ginsberg, LF Dale Mitchell, MR Joe Black (Korea), SP Carl Erskine (rookie)
OUT: LF Sid Gordon, SP Hal Newhouser, MR George Zuverink
OUTLOOK: The Monuments cut loose all but two expiring contracts (Garagiola and Kluszewski), and managed to add less payroll in the reentry draft than any team except Detroit and Brooklyn, helping drop the club from 3rd to 5th in  payroll, despite $1.7M in performance bonuses.
   For all their pitching, Washington was the second worst offense in 1953. Don't expect them to be so in 1954, with the return of slugging RF Duke Snider from Korea and the addition of former Gothams catcher Joe Ginsberg (.309-7-52), who will start the year at AAA Baltimore.
   The search for a fourth starter to round out the magnificent trio of Miller, Gromek, and Jansen continues. Harry Perkowski (4-8, 6.37) and Erv Palica (5-4, 4.41) started 16 and 14 games respectively in 1953, but neither was impressive enough to nail down the #4 starter job. Carl Erskine gets a shot at it  this spring. "Oisk" was 27-13 in two seasons with AAA Baltimore, either side of a one-year stint in Korea.
   Every player and every team is susceptible to a letdown, and the rest of the league isn't just treading water, but not much stands between Washington and its third successive UL pennant. The combination of the league's top three starters, best reliever and the injection of a 100-RBI man in the heart of the order makes the Monuments seemingly unassailable.