Spring Training Update: 3/16

History of Baseball: 1917
World Series Champions: Chicago White Sox (100-54, .649 WPCT).
    The 1917 season is memorable for two unique games.  The first occurred on May 2nd, when two of baseball's top pitchers, Fred Toney and Hippo Vaughn, squared off in a match between the Reds and the Cubs.  Both pitchers took no-hitters into the tenth inning, where Toney finally allowed a single and eventually a run.  Vaughn closed out his no-hitter to win the game 1-0.  The other memorable game occurred on June 23rd.  Babe Ruth, pitching for the Red Sox, walked the Senators' leadoff man, Ray Morgan.  After an argument with umpire Brick Owens, Ruth was ejected and Ernie Shore was selected to relieve.  Morgan was promptly caught stealing and Shore retired the next 26 batters, unofficially tossing a perfect game.  At the time, it was actually considered to be a perfecto, but rules have subsequently been amended and Shore's historic achievement is no longer recognized.  Other footnotes from around the league included Ty Cobb's 35 game hitting streak, at that point the fifth longest in history and the longest since his own 40 game streak in 1911.  On September 17th, Honus Wagner played in his 2792nd and final game, retiring with 101 home runs, 1732 RBI, 722 stolen bases, and a .329 career average.  Chief Bender also retired in 1917, though he would return for one game in 1925.  Bender was 212-127 with a 2.45 ERA over his 15 year career, though his final ERA would be 2.46 with his 1925 appearance.  Bender's rotation mate with the A's, Eddie Plank, also retired after a 17 year career.  He was 326-194 with a 2.35 ERA.  Over the past two seasons, Chief Bender, Eddie Plank, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, Mordecai Brown, and Nap Lajoie had all retired, marking the beginning of the end for the pitching-dominated Dead Ball Era.  New players such as Babe Ruth, George Sisler, and Rogers Hornsby had already jumped in to take their place.  Many influential players, including Allie Reynolds (2/10), Dom DiMaggio (2/12), Lou Boudreau (7/17), Phil Rizzuto (9/25), and Johnny Sain (9/25) were all born in 1917.  
     The Pittsburgh Pirates struggled through Honus Wagner's final season, finishing last in all of baseball at 51-103.  47 games ahead of them at the top of the NL were the New York Giants, who easily won the pennant with a 98-56 record.  The Philadelphia Phillies finished in second place, ten back at 87-65.  The Chicago White Sox easily won the AL pennant, going 100-54 to top even the powerhouse Red Sox, who finished nine back at 90-62.  The Giants and White Sox met in the World Series, where Chicago won four games to two.  Eddie Collins batted .409 and scored four runs to lead the White Sox offense.  Notably, New York's Dave Robertson batted .500 (11-22) in the losing effort.  Red Faber earned three of the White Sox' four wins, with Eddie Cicotte adding the fourth.  The White Sox would not win another World Series until 2005. 
   After not winning the 1916 AL batting title, Ty Cobb came back with a vengeance in 1917 and batted .383 to claim the title by 30 points over the Browns' George Sisler (.353).  Edd Roush won the NL batting title at .341.  The Phillies' Gavvy Cravath and the Giants' Dave Robertson tied for the major league home run lead at 12, while Detroit's Bobby Veach led baseball with 103 RBI.  Detroit's Donie Bush scored 112 runs, and Cobb stole 55 bases to round out the league leaders in important categories.  The White Sox' Eddie Cicotte put up the best year of his career, going 28-12 with a 1.53 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over 49 games (35 starts).  Grover Cleveland Alexander technically didn't win a third straight NL pitchers' Triple Crown, but if one excludes the Giants' Fred Anderson, then he did.  Old Pete went 30-13 with a 1.83 ERA and 200 strikeouts, with his ERA losing only to Anderson, who was 8-8 with a 1.44 ERA in just 162 innings (as compared to Alexander, who threw 388).  Other dominating pitchers from that season included Babe Ruth (24-13, 2.01 ERA), Carl Mays (22-9, 1.74 ERA), and Walter Johnson (23-16, 2.21 ERA, 0.97 WHIP).  Future Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski put up a solid breakout season, going 19-14 with a 1.81 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP for the Indians. 

News
Braves signed Ervin Santana (9-10, 3.24 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 2014 age: 31) to a one year, $14.1 million deal.
Nationals signed Michael Gonzalez (0-3, 4.68 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 2014 age: 36) to a minor league deal.
Pitchers Luke Hochevar (Royals), Kris Medlen (Braves), and Brandon Beachy (Braves) will likely undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2014 season.
Diamondbacks signed Oliver Perez (3-3, 3.74 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 2 SV, 2014 age: 32) to a two year, $4.25 million deal ($2.13 million per season).
Rangers signed Joe Saunders (11-16, 5.26 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 2014 age: 32-33) to a one year, $500,000 deal (plus up to $3.15 million in incentives).
Orioles signed Johan Santana (missed 2013, 139-78 career record, 3.20 ERA, 2014 age: 35) to a minor league deal.
Royals signed Ramon Troncoso (1-4, 4.50 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 2014 age: 31) to a minor league deal.
Padres claimed Alex Castellanos (1 HR, 1 RBI, .167 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 27-28) off waivers from the Rangers, who claimed him from the Red Sox, who claimed him from the Dodgers.

Ervin Santana is an extremely important addition to the Braves.  Starters Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy were both lost to elbow injuries in the same week, and both are likely to have Tommy John surgery and miss the season.  That left a huge whole in the Atlanta rotation, which before Santana, included only Mike Minor (also progressing from a less serious injury), Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and Freddy Garcia as major league caliber starters.  The Braves would have likely had to call up either Yunesky Maya or David Hale.  Santana likely won't be ready until mid-April, but he is a very good asset for the season.  Though he has been extremely inconsistent throughout his career due to high home runs allowed numbers (226 for his career), the 6'2" Dominican can be a real asset when he keeps the ball in the yard.  In 2012, he allowed a major league leading 39 home runs while going 9-13 with a 5.16 ERA.  It is actually interesting to assemble "Santana's hitter" by putting up his opponents' total home runs, RBI (for the sake of simplicity, earned runs), and average.  In his best season, Santana's hitter hit 23 home runs, drove in 85, and batted .237 in 835 at bats, or roughly a season and a half for a regular hitter.  He was also 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in 32 starts.  In his worst season, 2007, Santana's hitter hit 26 home runs, drove in 96, and batted .288 in 604 at bats, while Santana was 7-14 with a 5.76 ERA.  Last year, another of Santana's best years, his hitter hit 26 home runs in 798 at bats while Santana went 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP.  For his career, Santana is 105-90 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP over 268 games (265 starts) for the Angels (2005-2012) and Royals (2013).  

Michael Gonzalez was a member of the 2012 NL East champion Nationals, and now he's back for the 2014 season.  While he's not guaranteed a spot on the team, he has the chance to compete closely with other lefties like Ross Detwiler, Xavier Cedeno, and Jerry Blevins.  Gonzalez had his best season in 2006, when he went 3-4 with a 2.17 ERA and 24 saves for the Pirates, while lefties batted a minuscule .163 against him.  He also earned double digit saves in 2008 and 2009.  In his only year with the Nationals, 2012, he posted a 3.03 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP over 47 appearances, holding left handers to a .179 average.  He took a step backwards with the Brewers last year, posting a 4.68 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP in 75 appearances.  Lefties batted .274, so he will have to bounce back if he wants to make the team.  He'll also have to lower his walks, which stand at 4.2 per nine innings for his career.  Over his eleven year career, the South Texas native is 17-24 with a 3.14 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and 56 saves over 509 appearances.

Game Scores (SS=Split Squad)
Nationals (9-8) beat the Marlins (SS, 11-5) 2-1.
Phillies (5-11) beat the Red Sox (7-9) 4-1.
Orioles (10-5) beat the Yankees (SS, 8-9) 2-1.
Marlins (SS, 11-5) beat the Yankees (SS, 8-9) 5-0.
Rays (SS, 10-4) beat the Blue Jays (6-10) 6-3.
Rays (SS, 10-4) beat the Pirates (9-7) 6-3.
Dodgers (SS, 6-10) beat the Padres (6-9) 5-4.
White Sox (6-7) beat the Dodgers (SS, 6-10) 5-4.
Mets (SS, 7-8) beat the Cubs (SS, 8-9) 9-4.
Cubs (SS, 8-9) beat the Royals (7-8) 6-5.
Tigers (9-7) beat the Astros (7-8) 14-3.
Rockies (8-10) tied the Angels (8-8) 4-4 (10 innings).
Top Scorer: Rangers beat the A's (SS) 16-15 and Reds beat the Brewers 16-4.

Standings
Grapefruit (Florida) League: Top: Rays (10-4, .714 WPCT).  Bottom: Phillies (5-11, .313).
Cactus (Arizona) League: Top: Indians (12-3, .800).  Bottom: Rangers (4-10, .286).
Nationals: 9-8, .529, 6th in Grapefruit League.

Spring Leaders
Offensive: AVG: Marwin Gonzalez (Astros), .481 (13-27).  HR: Chris Heisey (Reds), 5.  RBI: Nick Castellanos (Tigers), 16.  SB: Dee Gordon (Dodgers), 9.
Pitching: Wins: Jesse Chavez (A's) and Max Scherzer (Tigers), 3.  K's: James Shields (Royals), 18.  ERA: Jesse Chavez, 0.00 (12.2 shutout innings).  SV: Josh Collmenter (D-Backs), Francisco Cordero (Red Sox), Jean Machi (Giants), and Michael Mariot (Royals), 3.

Top Performers
Offensive: Ian Kinsler (Tigers): 3-3, 2 home runs (2), 4 RBI, 3 runs, stolen base (1).
Pitching: Brad Hand (Marlins): Win (2-0), 5 shutout innings, no hits, 1 walk, 6 K's (15).
Worst Pitching Performance: Lucas Harrell (Astros): Loss (1-2), 1.2 innings, 10 runs (9 earned), 12 hits, no walks, no K's.

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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