Hot Stove: 2/16

I'm going to start putting this in paragraph form.  Hope that makes it more readable.

History of Baseball: 1911
World Series Champions: Philadelphia Athletics (101-50, .669 WPCT).
The 1911 season started out with tragedy.  Cleveland Naps pitcher Addie Joss, arguably the best pitcher in baseball at the time and still in the prime of his career, died of tuberculosis meningitis on April 14th.  As mentioned in the last article, he left behind the second lowest ERA of all time (1.89) and the lowest WHIP (0.97).  Another player who defined the previous decade from the mound, Cy Young, also pitched in his final season, going 7-9 with a 3.78 ERA.  He retired with 511 victories, the most ever.  While 1911 was a year of loss, it was also a year of new beginnings.  The Boston Doves changed their names to the Boston Rustlers, and the Brooklyn Superbas adopted the nickname "Trolley Dodgers".  As you might predict, the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers found a little bit of success in their new name.  Future Hall of Famers Walter Alston, Hank Greenberg, Joe Medwick, and Josh Gibson were all born that year.  Most importantly, the Philadelphia Phillies brought up a 24 year old out of the cornfields of Nebraska named Grover Cleveland Alexander.  He would be a sensation immediately, Ty Cobb would call him the greatest pitcher that ever lived later in his career.  Chalmers Automobile also announced that they would be sponsoring the first official award in baseball history, called the Chalmers Award.  It was the first incarnation of the MVP award in any sport, and it would be awarded to the best player in either league.  
As the season closed, the new name "Rustlers" didn't seem to help the Boston National League franchise, as they finished dead last in baseball at 44-107.  The new "Trolley Dodgers" didn't fare much better, as they finished 64-86.  At the top of the leagues, the Philadelphia Athletics ran away with the AL pennant, going 101-50 and finishing 13.5 games over the Detroit Tigers (89-65).  Of the eight AL teams, only two, the A's and Tigers, finished with winning percentages above .523.  The New York Giants also comfortably won the NL pennant, as they went 99-54 to take a 7.5 game win over the Cubs (92-62).  Philadelphia and New York met in the World Series, and the A's' Chief Bender and Jack Coombs combined to go 3-1 with a 1.17 ERA over five starts to shut down the Giants.  Among the six pitchers who threw at least four innings in the pitching-dominated series, New York's Red Ames had the highest ERA at just 2.25.  In six games, Philadelphia won its second straight World Series title.  
In the AL, Ty Cobb took home the Chalmers Award by batting .420 with eight home runs, 127 RBI, 83 stolen bases, and 147 runs scored in one of the greatest offensive seasons ever.  The Cubs' Frank Schulte earned the NL counterpart of the award, hitting 21 home runs, driving in 107, and batting .300 with 23 stolen bases.  Cobb easily won the AL batting title with his .420 mark, but he wasn't the only player to hit .400 that year. Cleveland's Shoeless Joe Jackson, playing in his first full season, batted .408 with seven home runs and 41 stolen bases to establish himself as a formidable hitter, and he would be at the forefront of offensive production for the decade.  While Honus Wagner finished ninth in the major leagues in batting average, his .334 mark was enough to lead the NL and give him his eighth and final NL batting championship.  Starting in 1912, Wagner's production would begin to permanently decline.  Frank Schulte led the majors in home runs at 21, with the Phillies' Fred Luderus coming in a distant second at 16.  Cobb, along with leading baseball in average, also sat atop the majors in RBI, runs, stolen bases, and doubles (47).  Two rookies took over on the mound for the 1911 season.  Grover Cleveland Alexander tied with crosstown rival Jack Coombs for the major league lead in wins, going 28-13 with a 2.57 ERA for the Phillies.  The other rookie was Addie Joss' Cleveland replacement, Vean Gregg, who went 23-7 with a 1.80 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP with the Naps, leading the majors in ERA. Walter Johnson put up another great season, going 25-13 with a 1.90 ERA for the Senators.  While going 27-18 with a 2.22 ERA for the White Sox, Ed Walsh led all of baseball with 255 strikeouts.  The Cubs' Mordecai Brown spent a good deal of time as a reliever in 1911, and he became the first pitcher in history with double-digit saves.  He recorded 13 while going 21-11 with a 2.80 ERA in 53 games (27 starts).  Brown and Chief Bender (1913) are tied for record for most saves in a 20 win season at 13.

News
Teams are reporting to Spring Training; baseball is just around the corner!
Braves signed Craig Kimbrel to a four year, $42 million extension ($10.5 million per season).
36 year old starter and former World Series Champion Jake Westbrook announced his retirement after 13 major league seasons.
Red Sox righty Ryan Dempster has announced that he will skip the 2014 season, but will return in 2015.
Mark Mulder, whom the Angels signed out of retirement in the offseason, tore his achilles tendon and will miss at least the first half of 2014 and may go back into retirement.

One of the premier sinker-ballers of the 2000's, Jake Westbrook played was a mainstay in the Cleveland rotation from 2001-2008.  Westbrook grew up in the tiny Georgia town of Danielsville, which currently holds 560 residents and is only about 15 miles from Ty Cobb's hometown of Royston.  While at Madison County High School, he threw five no-hitters, one of which was a perfect game.  His dominance caused the Colorado Rockies to draft him 21st overall in 1996 (663 picks before Roy Oswalt in the same draft, who retired a few days ago). In 1997, the Rockies flipped him to the Expos, who then traded him to the Yankees in 1999, who brought him up for a brief cup of coffee in 2000.  In three games (two starts), he went 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA and that would be the end of his Yankees career.  They traded him to the Indians later in the season, where he spent all of his time at AAA Columbus.  He earned more major league time in 2001, and he went 4-4 with a 5.85 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in 23 games (6 starts) to at least establish himself as a viable major league pitcher.  2002 was just about the same story as 2001, as he finished 1-3 with a 5.83 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP in 11 games (4 starts).  In 2003, he finally got the chance to pitch a full season at the major league level, and he prospered.  In 34 games (22 starts), he went 7-10 with a 4.33 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP.  2004 would be the best year of his career, as the breakout star went 14-9 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 33 games (30 starts), leading the AL with five complete games.  He was also named to his first and only All Star team.  He didn't pitch as well in 2005, but still held his own by going 15-15 with a 4.49 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in 34 starts.  He was better in 2006, going 15-10 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP in 32 starts, also leading the majors in double plays induced.  Injuries limited him in 2007, and he finished 6-9 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP in 25 starts.  He pitched in the postseason for the first time in his career, but went just 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA in three starts.  In 2008, he got off to a strong start by going 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in five starts, but was shut down by June Tommy John surgery that would knock him out for the rest of the decade.  He opened the 2010 season healthy, but went just 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA in 21 starts before the Indians traded him to the Cardinals at the deadline.  Westbrook hit his stride in St. Louis, going 4-4 with a 3.48 ERA in his final twelve starts to finish 10-11 with a 4.22 ERA.  Pitching a full season for the Cardinals in 2011, he went 12-9 with a 4.66 ERA in 33 starts.  For the first time in his career, he earned a chance to pitch in the World Series, where he tossed scoreless innings in each of his two relief appearances.  2012 would be somewhat of a career revival season, as he went 13-11 with a 3.97 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP at the age of 34.  It was the first full season since 2004 that he had an ERA under 4.00.  He returned for one final season in 2013, going 7-8 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in 21 games (19 starts).  He decided to call it quits in the off-season.  For his career, he finished a solid 105-103 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP over 315 games (273 starts).  His 179 starts for the Indians are 16th in team history.

Free Agent Signings
Phillies signed A.J. Burnett (10-11, 3.30 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 2014 age: 37) to a one year, $16 million deal.
Rangers signed Tommy Hanson (4-3, 5.42 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 2014 age: 27) to a one year, $500,000 deal (plus up to $3.1 million in incentives).
Indians signed Aaron Harang (5-12, 5.40 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 2014 age: 36) to a minor league deal.
Padres signed Tony Sipp (3-2, 4.78 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 2014 age: 30-31) to a minor league deal.
Padres signed Rob Johnson (0 HR, 2 RBI, .171 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 31-32) to a minor league deal.

While the Phillies needed to make this deal to round out their rotation, I believe A.J. Burnett is grossly overpaid.  The guy is already 37 and has proven to be inconsistent in the past, and he will earn $16 million for just one season.  On the other hand, he's shown that he can pitch well past his prime and that he still keeps hitters off balance.  I would have given him around $12 or $13 million max.  He will likely be the third starter for 2014, behind co-aces Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels and ahead of Kyle Kendrick and the up-for-grabs fifth spot.  A strikeout pitcher known for his killer curveball, Burnett had a very dominant season last year at 36.  In 30 starts, he went 10-11 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP while striking out 209 batters.  It was his third season with over 200 strikeouts.  The Arkansas native's best season likely came back in 2002, when the 25 year old went 12-9 with a 3.30 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and 203 strikeouts in 31 games (29 starts).  He also tossed seven complete games, of which five were shutouts.  His other 200 strikeout season was 2008, when he was 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, and 231 strikeouts in 35 games (34 starts).  For his career, he is 147-132 with a 3.99 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and 2180 strikeouts in 375 games (370 starts).  One of baseball's most experienced active starters, Burnett dots the active leaders lists.  He is seventh in wins, sixth in starts, and sixth in innings (2353.2).  In terms of strikeouts, he is second only to C.C. Sabathia (2389 to 2180) and is one of just three active pitchers with 2000 strikeouts, the other being Ryan Dempster.  

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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