Hot Stove: 2/7

History of Baseball: 1908
World Series Champions: Chicago Cubs (99-55, .643 WPCT).
Two men who did much for the development of baseball passed away in 1908.  Henry Chadwick, who first wrote down the rules and invented the batting average and earned run average, died at 82, while Dickey Pearce, a shortstop from 1856-1877 and inventor of the "tricky hit", now known as the bunt, passed away at 72.  On September 21st, the Philadelphia A's brought up power hitting third baseman Frank "Home Run" Baker.  He would go on to become one of the greatest home run hitters of the Dead Ball Era.  The 1908 season saw two extremely close pennant races.  One was forever immortalized in the "Merkle's Boner" game.  The Giants and Cubs, tied for first place, met at the Polo Grounds on September 23rd.  With runners on first and third in a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the ninth, Al Bridwell hit an apparent walk off single when Moose McCormick scored from third.  However, Fred Merkle, the runner on first who was playing in his first major league start, failed to touch second base as the fans swarmed the field, and Cubs second baseman Johnny Evers realized this.  He retrieved the ball and tagged second base, forcing the 19 year old Merkle out.  Because fans could not be cleared from the field, the game was ruled a tie and was to be made up after the season, should the Giants and Cubs remain tied.  Sure enough, they were, and the Giants won the make up game to take the pennant.  Because of "Merkle's Boner", the Giants missed out on the World Series.  Six days prior to the Cubs' pennant clinching win, the Naps' Addie Joss and the White Sox' Ed Walsh put together one of the greatest pitchers' duels of all time.  Walsh and Joss, who rank first and second on the all time ERA list at 1.82 and 1.89, respectively, saw their teams battling for the AL pennant.  Walsh tossed a complete game while striking out 15 and allowing just one run, but Joss was even better.  He tossed the fourth perfect game in major league history, out-dueling Walsh 1-0.  The NL pennant race, as stated earlier, finished with the Cubs (99-55) one game ahead of the Giants and Pirates (98-56).  The AL race was just as tight, as the Tigers (90-63) won the pennant by just half a game over the Naps (90-64).  The White Sox were a game and a half back at 88-64.  The New York Highlanders, Boston Doves, and St. Louis Cardinals all lost over 100 games, with the Cardinals finishing last in all of baseball at 49-105.  The 1908 World Series featured a rematch of 1907, with Mordecai Brown's Cubs squaring off against Ty Cobb's Tigers.  Again, the Cubs won, this time four games to one.  It marked the last time in history that the Cubs have won the World Series, as their 105 year drought is unparalleled in baseball history.  To put it in perspective, the last time they won, the Ottoman Empire was still around.  Statistically, the Pirates' Honus Wagner his sixth NL batting crown, finishing at .354.  Detroit's Ty Cobb won his second straight AL crown, this time at .324.  Brooklyn's Tim Jordan led the majors with 12 home runs.  Wagner was undoubtedly the NL MVP (if they had one), hitting ten home runs, driving in 109, and batting .354 with 53 stolen bases and 100 runs scored.  In all, Wagner led the majors in average, RBI, stolen bases, hits (201), doubles (39), on-base percentage (.415), slugging percentage (.542), and OPS (.957).  Detroit's Matty McIntyre topped the league with 105 runs scored.  1908 could be considered the Year of the Pitcher for the Dead Ball Era.  18 pitchers posted sub-2.00 ERA's, while nine brought their ERA's below 1.70.  Topping it all was Cleveland's Addie Joss, who went 24-11 with a 1.16 ERA and 0.81 WHIP in 42 games (35 starts), the seventh lowest ERA of all time. Boston's Cy Young, who posted his 15th and final 20-win season, went 21-11 with a 1.26 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 36 games (33 starts).  It would be Young's final season in a Boston uniform.  Ed Walsh put up a legendary season in his own right, going 40-15 with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP in 66 games (49 starts).  Christy Mathewson had one of the best seasons of his career as he finished 37-11 with a 1.43 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP.  Washington's Walter Johnson put up a solid rookie season, as he finished 14-14 with a 1.65 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP.  Joe McGinnity, pitching in the eleventh and final season of his career, had a solid last showing as he went 11-7 with a 2.27 ERA.  He would be elected into the Hall of Fame in 1946.  Because the league was becoming so pitching dominated, both the AL and the NL decided to introduce a more lively baseball for the 1909 season.  Also that offseason, composers Albert Von Tilzer and Jack Norworth put out the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", as sung by Billy Murray.  

News
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has dropped all litigation and will accept his 162 game suspension.
Braves signed Freddie Freeman to an eight year, $135 million extension ($16.88 million per season).
Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner passed away at 91 years old of natural causes.
Former Diamondbacks/Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling has announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
A's signed Coco Crisp to a two year, $22.75 million extension ($11.38 million per season).
Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson will be out until at least May after elbow surgery.
Padres lefty Cory Luebke will miss the 2014 season with another Tommy John surgery, his second in as many years.

Ralph Kiner, one of the greatest home run hitters of all time, has passed away at 91 years old.  Many baseball men from his time period have called rained praise on him, with Marty Noble calling him "one of baseball's genuine and most charming gentlemen".  Tim McCarver said that "any group of people is better off if Ralph joins".  I don't know much about him personally because I never met him, but I do know this: Ralph Kiner was one of the greatest home run hitters that ever lived.  His 36.9 home runs per season is second only to Albert Pujols (37.8) on the all time list.  He was born in the desert copper mining town of Santa Rita, New Mexico in 1922, then grew up in Alhambra, California.  Kiner went in to the U.S. Navy during World War II, then signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates afterwards.  By 1946, the 23 year old was in Pittsburgh.  Kiner was a solid player right off the bat, and he hit 23 home runs, drove in 81, and batted .247 in his rookie season with the Pirates, even leading the NL with those 23 home runs.  Despite the high totals of 23 home runs and 81 RBI, he would not finish below either of those marks until 1954.  Kiner had a breakout season in 1947, hitting 51 home runs, driving in 127, and batting .313 in 152 games to win his second straight NL home run title (tying for the major league lead with fellow NL player Johnny Mize).  He finished sixth in the NL MVP voting, though his numbers told otherwise.  Kiner's numbers dipped a bit in 1948, but he still hit 40 home runs, drove in 123, and batted .265 to claim his third straight NL home run title (again tying with Mize for the MLB lead).  He finished seventh for NL MVP.  The 6'2" slugger stepped up in 1949 for arguably the best season of his entire career, and one of the greatest offensive seasons for a power hitter.  In 152 games, he hit 54 home runs, drove in 127, and batted .310 with six stolen bases, his 54 homers leading the majors by a long shot for a fourth straight NL home run title and third straight MLB home run title. He finished behind only Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, and Enos Slaughter in a stacked MVP race.  Playing in his second All Star Game, he hit his first of three All Star home runs, this one off of Lou Brissie (16-11, 4.28 ERA).  In the midway season for the century, Kiner continued his dominance, hitting 47 home runs, driving in 118, and batting .272 in 150 games.  He led the MLB in home runs again, but finished fifth for NL MVP.  He hit a ninth inning, game tying home run off of Art Houtteman (19-12, 3.54 ERA) in the All Star Game.  In 1951, he put up more of the same, pounding 42 home runs, driving in 109, and batting .309.  Of course, he led the majors in home runs again.  It was his fifth straight season atop the major league home run board, and his sixth straight at the top of the NL.  For a third straight season, he homered in the All Star Game, this time off Mel Parnell (18-11, 3.26 ERA).  In 1952, he saw his numbers begin to decline, as he finished with "only" 37 home runs, 87 RBI, and a .244 average in 149 games.  He still led the majors in home runs for a sixth straight season, and the NL for a seventh.  He rebounded a bit in 1953, hitting 35 home runs, driving in 116, and batting .279 in 158 games, a career high.  However, for the first time since 1946, another man led the majors in home runs.  Braves sophomore Eddie Mathews stole both Kiner's string of seven straight NL titles and his string of six straight MLB titles with his 47 home runs in 1953.  Kiner, who split the season between the Pirates and the Cubs, finished seventh in the majors and fifth in the NL with his 35. 1954 would be his final season in the NL, and he finished with 22 home runs, 73 RBI, and a .285 average in 147 games.  In 1955, he hopped over to the Cleveland Indians for one final season.  In 113 games, the only time ever in his career that he failed to play in 144 or more, he hit 18 home runs, drove in 54, and batted .243.  Chronic back issues forced him out of the game after the season, cutting him off during the prime of his career.  If he had continued playing into the 1960's, he could have been ranked among the all time greatest hitters.  For his career, he finished with 369 home runs (74th all time), 1015 RBI, and a .279 average in 1472 games.  He also scored 971 runs and hit 216 doubles over his ten year career.  Despite playing only seven and a half years in Pittsburgh, he remains second on the all time Pirates leaderboard in home runs (301) and slugging percentage (.567), seventh in RBI (801), and 14th in runs scored (754).  With all that said, he is just 28th in games played (1095), showing how much he did in such a small amount of time.  Kiner was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1975, and had his uniform #4 retired in 1987 by Pittsburgh.  

Free Agent Signings
Diamondbacks agreed to terms with Bronson Arroyo (14-12, 3.79 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2014 age: 37) on a two year, $23.5 million deal ($11.75 million per season).
Brewers signed Francisco Rodriguez (3-2, 2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 10 SV, 2014 age: 32) to a one year, $3.25 million deal.
Marlins agreed to terms with Carlos Marmol (2-4, 4.41 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 2 SV, 2014 age: 31) on a one year, $1.25 million deal.
Astros signed Jerome Williams (9-10, 4.57 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 2014 age: 32) to a one year, $2.1 million deal.
Marlins signed Jeff Baker (11 HR, 21 RBI, .279 AVG, 1 SB, 2014 age: 32-33) to a two year, $3.7 million deal ($1.85 million per season).
Cardinals signed Pat Neshek (2-1, 3.35 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 2014 age: 33) to a minor league deal.
Mets signed Kyle Farnsworth (3-1, 4.70 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 2 SV, 2014 age: 38) to a minor league deal.
Dodgers signed Justin Turner (2 HR, 16 RBI, .280 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 29) to a minor league deal.
Nationals signed Koyie Hill (0 HR, 0 RBI, .155 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 35) to a minor league deal.
A's signed Sam Fuld (2 HR, 17 RBI, .199 AVG, 8 SB, 2014 age: 32) to a minor league deal.
Rockies resigned Manny Corpas (1-2, 4.54 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 2014 age: 31) to a minor league deal.
Rangers signed Daniel Bard (0-0, 9.00 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 2014 age: 28-29) to a minor league deal.
White Sox signed Mitchell Boggs (0-3, 8.10 ERA, 2.06 WHIP, 2 SV, 2014 age: 30) to a minor league deal.
Rockies signed Paul Janish (0 HR, 2 RBI, .171 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 31) to a minor league deal.
Pirates signed Omir Santos (popout in only at bat, 2014 age: 33) to a minor league deal.

The Diamondbacks addressed their pitching issues by adding Bronson Arroyo to the rotation.  He joins a young rotation with Trevor Cahill, Wade Miley, Brandon McCarthy, Patrick Corbin, and Randall Delgado.  Now, in the case of injury to any party, the D-Backs can easily recover with a deep rotation.  Aside from McCarthy, Arroyo is the only pitcher in that group with significant major league experience past a few seasons.   Despite moving into his late thirties, the Tampa area native has maintained consistent, effective pitching.  Only once over the past five seasons did he not post an ERA between 3.74 and 3.88.  Every season since 2005, he's made at least 32 starts, a string of nine straight seasons and counting.  He won 17 games in 2010, and was just as good last year.  At 36 years old, he went 14-12 with a 3.79 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 32 starts.  His best season came back in 2006, when he went 14-11 with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 35 starts.  For his career, he is 138-127 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP in 391 games (355 starts) for the Pirates (2000-2002), Red Sox (2003-2005), and Reds (2006-2013).  Among active pitchers, he is eighth with his 2278.2 innings pitched, behind only Mark Buehrle (2882.2), Tim Hudson (2813.2), C.C. Sabathia (2775.1), Bartolo Colon (2583.2), Barry Zito (2569.2), Ryan Dempster (2387), and A.J. Burnett (2353.2).

The Brewers have added the fiery but controversial Francisco Rodriguez to their bullpen (again).  Milwaukee originally traded for him in 2011, then flipped him over to the Orioles in 2013.  He will likely be the set-up man in 2014, as Jim Henderson will again be the closer.  Of course, Rodriguez has had issues in the past.  The Venezuela native was arrested for third degree assault on his girlfriend's father in 2010, then was arrested again in 2012 for domestic abuse of the mother of his child.  Back to baseball, Rodriguez is the single season saves holder, having saved 62 games in the 2008 season with the Angels.  It could be argued that 2008, when he also had a 2.24 ERA, was not his best season, but rather 2006, when he posted a 1.73 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP while saving 47 games in 69 appearances.  Last year, he only appeared in 48 games, but went 3-2 with a 2.70 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and ten saves.  For his career, he is 41-36 with a 2.70 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and 304 saves over 730 appearances.  He holds a 2.95 career postseason ERA over 26 appearances.  Rodriguez is third among active pitchers in saves, behind only Joe Nathan (341) and Francisco Cordero (329), now that Mariano Rivera retired.  He is also sixth in games played by a pitcher.   

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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