Hot Stove: 1/17

History of Baseball: 1903
World Series Champions: Boston Americans (91-47, .659 WPCT).
1903 was an extremely eventful year in baseball.  Before the season, the Chicago Orphans changed their name to the Chicago Cubs, and that name stuck.  In the American League, the Cleveland Bronchos, having acquired superstar Nap Lajoie partway through the 1902 season, changed their name to the Cleveland Naps after their new leader.  The Baltimore Orioles packed up their things and moved north to become the New York Highlanders.  In addition to team moves, the Red Sox and Yankees earned huge gains, though neither team held their current name and neither team even knew it.  Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey was born on February 21st, followed by the great Lou Gehrig on June 19th, and fellow Yankees great Tony Lazzeri on December 6th.  Other great players born in 1903 included Carl Hubbell and Cool Papa Bell.  With all the new beginnings in baseball, one story had to come to an end.  "Big Ed" Delahanty, possibly the best hitter of the 1890's, having batted over .400 three times and holding 101 home runs, died after falling over Niagara Falls in a drunken stupor on July 2nd.  When the season drew to a close, the Boston Americans had easily won the American League, finishing 91-47 and a full 14.5 games ahead of the second place Philadelphia Athletics (75-60).  The Pittsburgh Pirates again won the National League, finishing at 91-49 and 6.5 games ahead of the New York Giants (84-55).  In the Highlanders first season in New York (of what would be many successful seasons after they changed their name to something more recognizable to the modern fan), they finished a respectable 72-62, fourth in the eight team AL.  In what would become the first modern World Series, the Americans and Pirates decided to meet up in a best five out of nine tournament.  Pittsburgh won the first World Series game ever, 7-3, at the Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds in Boston (no, Fenway Park is not THAT old).  However, the Americans turned the tide and won the series five games to three.  This new "World Series" would be played in every subsequent season except 1904 and 1994.  As far as statistical leaders went, the Naps' namesake, Nap Lajoie, earned the batting title in the American League at .357, while Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner paced the NL at .355.  Other members of the NL champion Pirates were not far behind, with Fred Clarke (.351) and Ginger Beaumont (.341) also finishing in the NL's top six.  The American's Buck Freeman led the majors with 13 home runs.  Honus Wagner would have been my MLB MVP, as he hit five home runs, drove in 101, and batted .355 with 46 stolen bases and 19 triples.  On the mound, Cy Young again placed himself among the top pitchers of the year, going 28-9 with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.  Cleveland's Addie Joss, now in his sophomore season, went 18-13 with a 2.19 ERA but lead the majors with his 0.95 WHIP.  The Giants' Joe McGinnity led baseball with 31 wins, while teammate Christy Mathewson posted his first of four 30 win seasons, going 30-13 with a 2.26 ERA. Cleveland's Earl Moore was baseball's ERA leader at 1.74, combining that with a 20-8 record.

News
Dodgers agreed to terms with Clayton Kershaw on a seven year, $215 million extension ($30.71 million per season).
Perfect game artist Dallas Braden has announced his retirement after continuous setbacks with rehabbing his left (throwing) shoulder.  He is 30 years old and has pitched five major league seasons (including a perfecto).
146 players filed for salary arbitration.

Dallas Braden is all about a career that could have been.  On the fast track to success, he was a solid up and coming A's pitcher when his shoulder just began to give out.  Injuries, followed by setback after setback, including one very recent one that caused him to call it quits, forced him out of the game.  He hasn't pitched in professional baseball since 2011, though he did remain under A's contractual control through the 2012 season.  The Sacramento native and Texas Tech alum was a fast up and comer in the minors, holding a 23-6 record over his first three minor league seasons from 2004-2006.  By 2007, at 23 years old, he was in the majors, but went 1-8 with a 6.72 ERA in 20 games (14 starts) in his first taste of the bigs.  He returned with nastier stuff in 2008, gaining traction and going 5-4 with a 4.14 ERA in 19 games (10 starts).  In 2009, he got a chance to pitch a full season, and he rose to the challenge with an 8-9 record and a respectable 3.89 ERA in 22 starts.  2010 would be the season that defined his career.  He made 30 starts and went 11-14 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP, tossing five complete games and two shutouts in 30 starts.  One of those shutouts occurred on May 9th, Mothers' Day, when he fired the 19th perfect game in major league history.  His grandmother, who raised him from the time of his mother's death due to cancer until he left for college, was in attendance, and the two embraced in a hug after the game that proved to be one of the most touching moments of 21st century baseball.  His 2011 season got off to a strong start, as he went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP over his first three starts.  However, he injured his shoulder in April and, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, would never pitch again.

Free Agent Signings
Indians signed Nyjer Morgan (spent 2013 in Japan, .280 career AVG, 2014 age: 33-34) to a minor league deal.
Mariners signed John Buck (15 HR, 62 RBI, .222 AVG, 2 SB, 2014 age: 33-34) to a one year, $1 million deal.
Orioles signed Alfredo Aceves (4-1, 4.86 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 2014 age: 31) to a minor league deal.
Marlins signed Henry Rodriguez (0-1, 4.09 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, 2014 age: 27) to a minor league deal.
Cubs signed Chris Coghlan (1 HR, 10 RBI, .256 AVG, 2 SB, 2014 age: 28-29) to a minor league deal.
Brewers signed Zach Duke (1-2, 6.03 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 2014 age: 31) to a minor league deal.
Astros signed Cesar Izturis (0 HR, 11 RBI, .209 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 34) to a minor league deal.
White Sox resigned Dylan Axelrod (4-11, 5.68 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 2014 age: 28-29) to a minor league deal.
Orioles agreed to terms with Tyler Colvin (3 HR, 10 RBI, .160 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 28) on a minor league deal.
Rockies signed Michael McKenry (3 HR, 14 RBI, .217 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 29) to a minor league deal.
Royals agreed to terms with Brad Penny (missed 2013, 119 career wins, 4.26 ERA, 2014 age: 36) on a minor league deal.
Mariners signed Logan Kensing (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 2014 age: 31-32) to a minor league deal.

He's back.  T-Plush, the man everybody has an opinion on, has returned from a successful season in Japan.  Nyjer Morgan decided on the Indians for his comeback, where he will battle for playing time in a crowded outfield that includes Michael Bourn, David Murphy, Michael Brantley, and Jeff Francouer.  He's a speed demon, holding 117 career stolen bases in only 583 games, including 42 in 2009.  He is best known for his time with the Nationals.  He was traded over in 2009, and despite batting only .277 with 18 stolen bases in 71 games for Pittsburgh, he turned it on in DC.  In 49 games after joining the team, he batted .351 with 24 stolen bases, totaling a .307 average between the two teams.  He also saw success with the Brewers, batting .304 in 2011.  After a rough 2012 season where he batted .239, he joined Japan's Yokohama DeNa BayStars for 2013.  In 108 games, he batted .294 with 11 home runs (which matches his career total in home runs in the major leagues).  I am excited to see him back.

Out of this slew of minor league deals emerges one major league deal.  The Mariners signed John Buck to be their back-up catcher behind Mike Zunino.  Buck has a good power and can block the ball behind the plate, so he should be a good role model for the soon to be 23 year old Zunino.  Buck, who is the only active position player to have been born in Wyoming (although he grew up in Salt Lake City), had his best season in 2010, when he hit 20 home runs and batted .281 in 118 games for the Blue Jays.  However, the rest of his career has been plagued with low batting averages.  Last year, for example, he hit 15 home runs but batted only .222 in 110 games for the Mets and Pirates.  For his career, he has 133 home runs, 485 RBI, and a .234 average in 1058 games for the Royals (2004-2009), Blue Jays (2010), Marlins (2011-2012), Mets (2013), and Pirates (2013).  

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Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers
If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs.  RBI: runs batted in.  AVG: batting average.  SB: stolen bases.  ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched.  K's: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage
Zack Silverman