Hot Stove: 2/22

History of Baseball: 1913
World Series Champions: Philadelphia Athletics (96-57, .627 WPCT).
Two more name changes occurred for the 1913 season.  The New York Highlanders switched to the New York Yankees, a name that would become synonymous with success in the coming years.  Across town, the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers shortened their name to the Brooklyn Dodgers to accompany their move to a new stadium, Ebbets Field.  At this time in the National League, all eight teams held names that would never change.  The Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, and Reds all had names that would stick.  While few notable, individual events occurred throughout the season, future Hall of Famer Johnny Mize was born on January 7th in Demorest, Georgia. The Tigers also brought up a 20 year old first baseman named Wally Pipp, who would play eleven of his fifteen major league seasons with the Yankees and be the player to be famously replaced by Lou Gehrig at first base in 1925.  After the season, thirteen year veteran Doc White left the majors for the Pacific Coast League, effectively ending his major league career with a 189-156 record and a 2.39 ERA.  Eleven of his thirteen seasons were  with the White Sox.
In their first season as the Yankees, New York's AL squad did little to bring the intimidation factor to the name, going just 57-94 for a seventh place finish in the AL, barely edging the lowly St. Louis Browns (57-96).  At the top of the league, the Washington Senators, led by the un-hittable Walter Johnson, again battled for the top spot, but again finished second place.  This time, the Frank "Home Run" Baker led Philadelphia Athletics roared to a 96-57 finish, 6.5 games ahead of Washington (90-64).  In the NL, the New York Giants ran away with a third straight NL pennant, going 101-51 to finish 12.5 games ahead of the second place Phillies (88-63).  Philadelphia and New York met in the World Series, where Philly's Home Run Baker and Eddie Collins combined to bat .436 (17-39) with a home run (Baker's), ten RBI, four stolen bases, and seven runs scored in the five game series.  Chief Bender earned two of the A's' four victories, with the others going to Eddie Plank and Joe Bush as Philadelphia cruised to their third title in four years.  The Giants, on the other hand, became the second (and final) team to lose three straight World Series, after the Tigers' run from 1907-1909.
For the first time in baseball history, the Chalmers Award was given to a non-hitter.  Walter Johnson, the Triple Crown winner who put up arguably the greatest pitching season in history, went 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP over 48 games (36 starts) to set the standard for pitching excellence.  Brooklyn's Jake Daubert won the award in the NL, batting .350 with two home runs, 25 stolen bases, and 76 runs scored.  Overall, Ty Cobb batted .390 to lead the majors and secure his seventh straight AL batting title.  Cleveland's Shoeless Joe Jackson was not far behind, batting .373.  Daubert's .350 average led the NL.  The Phillies' Gavvy Cravath had a great season (in my opinion a Chalmers Award deserving season), leading the majors with 19 home runs and 128 RBI while batting .341 in 147 games.  Home Run Baker led the A's on offense, batting .337 with 12 home runs and 117 RBI.  He enabled his teammate, Eddie Collins, to lead baseball with 125 runs scored while batting .345.  As mentioned before, Walter Johnson put up a legendary season from the mound.  He led the majors in wins, ERA, innings (346), strikeouts (243), opponents' average (.187), WHIP, complete games (29), and shutouts (11).  The 1.14 ERA was the fifth lowest of all time, while the 0.78 WHIP was second only to Pedro Martinez' 0.74 from 2000 (both ERA and WHIP are minimum 162 innings).  He is also one of only seven post 1900 pitchers with at least eleven shutouts.  In the Walter Johnson-free NL, Christy Mathewson was the most dominant pitcher.  In 40 games (35 starts), he went 25-11 with a 2.06 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP, leading the NL in the latter two stats.  White Sox pitchers had a great year, as three starters posted sub-2.00 ERA's.  Eddie Cicotte led the bunch by going 18-11 with a 1.58 ERA, while Jim Scott went 20-21 with a 1.90 ERA.  Rookie Reb Russell (and possible Hall of Famer had it not been for the 1919 Black Sox Scandal) led the trio in victories, going 22-16 with a 1.90 ERA.  All this great pitching led to a fifth place finish in the AL at 78-74.  Chief Bender of the Athletics managed to go 21-10 with a 2.21 ERA and 13 saves, becoming the second and final player to win 20 games and save 13 games in the same season.  After the season, a new major league would be formed that rivaled the American and National Leagues.

News
Reds signed Homer Bailey to a six year, $105 million extension ($17.5 million per season).
Braves signed Andrelton Simmons to a seven year, $58 million extension ($8.29 million per season).

Free Agent Signings
Dodgers agreed to terms with Cuban star Erisbel Arruebarruena (missed 2013-2014 season, 28 career Cuban HR, .279 AVG, 2014 age: 25) on a five year, $25 million deal.
Red Sox agreed to terms with Chris Capuano (4-7, 4.26 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 2014 age: 35) on a one year, $2.25 million deal.

The Dodgers picked up a solid infielder in Erisbel Arruebarruena.  While his contract might rise above $25 million with all of the letters they'll need to purchase for the back of his jersey (13 to be exact), he's a great investment.  He's extremely good on defense, and he hits for a high average.  Though he will never be a power hitter, he could end up as a mainstay at second base or shortstop for the Dodgers.  His best season in the "Serie Nacional de Cuba" was 2011-2012, where he batted .333 with eight home runs and ten stolen bases in 94 games for Cienfuegos.  In 2012-2013, he batted .301 with six home runs and eight stolen bases in 76 games.  He missed the 2013-2014 season after trying to defect to the US, but he was successful in his most recent attempt.  For his career, he has 28 home runs, 178 RBI, and a .279 average with 41 stolen bases in 463 games over six seasons.  He won't be 24 until May.

Waiver Claims
Blue Jays claimed Liam Hendriks (1-3, 6.85 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 2014 age: 25) off waivers from off waivers from the Orioles, who claimed him from the Cubs, who claimed him from the Twins.

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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