Hot Stove: 2/14

History of Baseball: 1910
World Series Champions: Philadelphia Athletics (102-48, .680 WPCT).
The 1910 season started off in grand fashion.  President William Taft became the first president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the season, establishing a tradition that has been followed sporadically ever since.  On July 19th, Cy Young became the first pitcher in baseball history to win 500 games.  Walter Johnson would come relatively close with 417, but no other pitcher would ever even dream of the total.  Young's Cleveland teammate, Addie Joss, pitched in his final season, but didn't go out without a bang.  On April 20th, he no-hit the White Sox, then finished his ninth and final season 5-5 with a 2.26 ERA over 13 games (12 starts).  For his terrific nine year career, he went 160-97 with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.  To this day, he is the all time leader in WHIP and is one of only two pitchers with an ERA below 2.00 (the other being rival Ed Walsh at 1.82).  Unlike in previous years, 1910 did not feature any close pennant races.  The Cubs (104-50) took the NL by 13 games over the Giants (91-63), while the A's (102-48) took the AL by 14.5 games over the Highlanders (88-63).  The St. Louis Browns (47-107) and the Boston Doves (53-100) finished last in their leagues.  The A's and Cubs met in the World Series, but Philadelphia took home the trophy by winning four out of five games.  The A's were led by Frank Baker and Eddie Collins, who hit .409 and .429 in the Series, respectively, as well Danny Murphy, who homered, drove in nine, and batted .350 across the five games.   For the regular season, Chalmers Automobile announced that they would award a new car to the player with the highest batting average in baseball.  On the last day of the season, it looked as though Ty Cobb had it locked up, as he held a .385 average to Nap Lajoie's .376.  Cobb sat out the final game to protect his average, but there was a scheme in the works.  Cobb was one of the most hated players in baseball, and Lajoie's foes for the day, the St. Louis Browns, were not to fond of Cobb.  They ordered their infielders to play back on the outfield grass, allowing Lajoie to go 8-8 over the double header with seven bunt singles to raise his average to .384.  A race that close in that day and age had about the same effect as an election with a slim margin of victory: recount after recount.  In the end, it was decided that Cobb's average of .385 stood over Lajoie's .384, and Cobb was the champion.  However, amid the mess, Chalmers decided to award both players with cars.  68 years later, in 1978, Pete Palmer found an issue in the calculations.  Cobb in fact had batted only .383, which means that Lajoie rightfully deserved the award, and Cobb's career average was .366, not .367.  To this day, it is still debated what actually happened.  The National League race for the batting title wasn't nearly as controversial, as the Phillies' Sherry Magee's .331 average easily topped the Cubs' Solly Hoffman's .325.  The Doves' Fred Beck, the Cubs' Frank Schulte, and the Red Sox' Jake Stahl all tied for the major league lead with ten home runs, while Sherry Magee drove in 123.  Cobb was easily the MVP in my opinion, hitting eight home runs, driving in 91, and batting .385 with 65 stolen bases.  One could also consider Magee, who hit six home runs, drove in 123, and batted .331 with 49 stolen bases.  I'd also throw the Red Sox' Tris Speaker into consideration, as he hit seven home runs, drove in 65, and batted .340 with 35 stolen bases.  On the mound, we got to witness what happens when one of baseball's all time greatest pitchers plays on a bad team.  Ed Walsh posted an incredible 1.27 ERA, but went just 18-20 as his White Sox stumbled to a sixth place finish in the AL at 68-85.  In addition to ERA, Walsh also led the league with a 0.82 WHIP.  Jack Coombs led the A's to the World Series by leading baseball in wins en route to a 31-9 record and a 1.30 ERA.  Washington's Walter Johnson put up a breakout season, going 25-17 with a 1.36 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, even though his Senators went just 66-85 and finished behind Walsh's White Sox in the standings.  He also led the majors with 313 strikeouts.  Deacon Phillippe, who had been pitching since his days in Louisville in 1899, put up one last big season, going 14-2 with a 2.29 ERA in 31 games (8 starts), primarily serving as a reliever for the Pirates.  After three relief appearances in 1911, he would retire with a 189-109 record and a 2.59 ERA over 13 years.  Sam Leever was another great pitcher who saw his career come to a close in 1910, retiring at 194-100 with a 2.47 ERA over 13 years, all with the Pirates.  Leever, Phillippe, and Joss were all gone from the mound, but 1911 would be ready to usher in the replacement worthy of all three.

News
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2014 season, which will be his 20th.
Three time All Star Roy Oswalt will retire after 13 major league seasons at the age of 36.
Mariners pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma strained a finger in his throwing hand and may miss the start of the season.

The story of Roy Oswalt's decline is similar to that of Jason Bay.  In just three years from 2010-2012, Oswalt went from ace to league average to unwanted.  On the other hand, he will be remembered as one of the greatest pitchers in Astros history, up there with Nolan Ryan (don't riot, I mean only Ryan's time with the Astros), Joe Niekro, and Larry Dierker.  Oswalt's baseball career began in the tiny town of Weir, Mississippi, population 553.  After high school, he played baseball at Holmes Community College in Goodman, MS.  The Astros scouted him, and because of Oswalt's remoteness in rural Mississippi, he fell to the 23rd round of the draft, where the Astros took him with the 684th overall pick.  They were thus able to lure him away from pitching at Mississippi State University, his dream college.  He was moving through the minors with relative success, but he needed a spark, quite literally I might add, to jump start his career, also quite literally.  He suffered what he thought was a torn shoulder in 1999, and was looking at a serious amount of missed time.  While working on his truck, he accidentally shocked himself with a voltage high enough to cause extreme contractions in his hand.  Once he was able to free himself, the pain in his shoulder miraculously disappeared.  In his own words, he remarked to his wife "My truck done shocked the fire out of me, and my arm don't hurt no more".  He then put up an incredible minor league season in 2000, going 15-7 with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP in 27 games (26 starts) at High Class A Kissimmee and AAA Round Rock.  The Astros called him up for the 2001 season, and he rocked the NL by going 14-3 with a 2.73 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 28 games (20 starts).  Only out of sheer bad luck did he lose out on the NL Rookie of the Year Award.  A 21 year old Albert Pujols just so happened to take the award unanimously, hitting 37 home runs, driving in 130, and batting .329 for the Cardinals.  Oswalt, who also finished fifth in the NL Cy Young race in '01, returned for a full season in 2002, where he went 19-9 with a 3.01 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, improving to a fourth place finish in the NL Cy Young race.  He missed some time to injury in 2003, but still went 10-5 with a 2.97 ERA in 21 starts.  In 2004, he earned his first 20 win season, going 20-10 with a 3.49 ERA to finish third in the Cy Young race.  2005 would be arguably the best year of his career, as he went 20-12 with a 2.94 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, earning a fourth place Cy Young finish.  He was lights out in the NLCS, going 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA over his two starts as he led Houston to the World Series.  He was just as good in 2006, going 15-8 with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 33 games (32 starts).  He finished exactly fourth in the NL Cy Young race for a third time.  2007, his age 29 season, would be the beginning of his decline.  In 33 games (32 starts), he went 14-7 with a 3.18 ERA.  His ERA continued to rise in 2008, reaching 3.54, though he did go 17-9.  2009 would be his final full season with the Astros, and he put up a pedestrian season by going 8-6 with a 4.12 ERA in 30 starts.  Partway through 2010, Oswalt held a 6-12 record and a 3.42 ERA over 20 starts, and he was flipped to the Phillies.  There, he caught his groove, and went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP over 13 games (12 starts) to finish out the season at 13-13 with a 2.76 ERA.  Heading into the 2011 season, Oswalt was part of the Phillies "Four Aces", with Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Cole Hamels.  However, Oswalt pitched only decently that season, going 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA over 23 starts.  He signed on with the Rangers in 2012, but struggled to a 4-3 record and a 5.80 ERA in 17 games (9 starts).  He signed on with the Rockies in 2013 to try and salvage his career, but 32.1 disastrous innings showed just a 0-6 record and an 8.63 ERA in nine games (six starts).  He retired in the off season with a career record of 163-102 and a 3.36 ERA over 365 games (341 starts).  He owns no career Houston records from his time with the team from 2001-2011, nut he is second to Joe Niekro in wins (143) and to Nolan Ryan in strikeouts (1593).  He's also third in starts (291) and innings pitched (1932.1).  He and Joe Niekro are the only two Astros in history to win 20 games in a season twice, and he is the only pitcher in Astros history to win at least 19 games three times.  He has a solid postseason track record, as he's gone 5-2 with a 3.73 ERA in 13 games (11 starts).

Trades
Nationals traded Nathan Karns (0-1, 7.50 ERA, 1.92 WHIP, 2014 age: 26) to the Rays for Jose Lobaton (7 HR, 32 RBI, .249 AVG, 0 SB, 2014 age: 29) and minor leaguers Felipe Rivero (9-7, 3.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP at High Class A, 2014 age: 22-23) and Drew Vettleson (4 HR, 62 RBI, .274 AVG, 5 SB at High Class A, 2014 age: 22-23).

This is a very interesting deal.  At first I was angry when I saw "Nationals trade Karns to Rays for Lobaton", knowing that Karns is the superior player.  It was only after a little digging that I found that the Nats received two prospects in the deal.  Now, I'm actually happy to see that the Rays thought Karns was worth all of that.  We acquired a reliable back-up catcher, a pitching prospect, and an outfield prospect at the low cost of a future regular reliever.  Though the Nationals already signed Koyie Hill and Chris Snyder to minor league deals, and Jhonatan Solano and Sandy Leon are major league ready, the Nationals never actually found a solid back-up to Wilsom Ramos behind the plate.  They have one in Jose Lobaton.  The guy has never been a superstar, but he did prove to be a usable player in 2013.  Playing in 100 games, he hit seven home runs, drove in 32, and batted .249 as he split time with Jose Molina behind the dish with the Rays.  He also has the ability to draw walks.  For his career, he has nine home runs, 52 RBI, and a .228 average over with 58 walks in 191 games.  Washington also acquired minor leaguer Felipe Rivero, a 22 year old lefty out of Venezuela.  He spent the entire season at High Class A Charlotte, going 9-7 with a 3.40 ERA in 25 games (23 starts).  He doesn't have big issues with walks, which is good for a young lefty.  He should start the season at AA Harrisburg in 2014, and possibly be in the bigs by 2015.  Drew Vettleson was the last player acquired by the Nationals.  The 22 year old outfielder, who was a switch-pitcher in high school, also spent the entire 2013 season at Charlotte, batting .274 over 121 games.  The low power total is nothing I would be too worried about, as he did hit 15 home runs in 2012 at Class A Bowling Green, and he also knocked 29 doubles and six triples in 2013.  He's still growing and should grow into more power.
The Nationals gave up Nathan Karns to get the trio.  Though he didn't pitch in a minor league game until age 23, Karns rushed through the minor leagues and was in the majors by 2013.  His spectacular minor league career included a 24-12 record to go along with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 60 games (54 starts).  The Nationals called him up from AA Harrisburg in 2013, but the three starts he made in place of injured Ross Detwiler did not go well: twelve innings, ten earned runs (7.50 ERA) on 17 hits and six walks.  He'll likely start 2014 at AAA Durham, but will probably be in the bigs at some point this season.  Many scouts profile the 26 year old to be a reliever in the long run.

Free Agent Signings
Mets signed Jose Valverde (0-1, 5.59 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 9 SV, 2014 age: 36) to a minor league deal.
Cubs signed James McDonald (2-2, 5.76 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 2014 age: 29) to a one year, $1 million deal.
Angels signed Brandon Lyon (2-2, 4.98 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 2014 age: 34) to a minor league deal.
Mariners signed Randy Wolf (missed 2013, 132-117 record, 4.20 ERA, 2014 age: 37) to a minor league deal.
Marlins signed Chaz Roe (1-0, 4.03 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 2014 age: 27) to a minor league deal.
Mariners signed Zach Miner (0-2, 4.40 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 2 SV, 2014 age: 32) to a minor league deal.

The Mets are taking a chance on former All Star closer Jose Valverde.  Right now, it looks like Bobby Parnell will be New York's closer, but a solid spring from Valverde could change that.  As recently as 2011, the Dominican native was among the best closers in all of baseball, but an unexpected drop-off in dominance has changed that.  Though they signed him to a minor league deal, which was warranted due to the fact that he posted a 5.59 ERA in 2013, they are hoping they get the 2011 version of Jose Valverde.  That year, he went 2-4 with a 2.24 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and 49 saves in 75 appearances.  Add in the postseason, and he saved 52 games without blowing a single one.  Valverde also saved over 40 games on two other occasions (2007 and 2008), but how he will fare in 2014 is yet to be seen.  For his career, he is 26-32 with a 3.19 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and 286 saves in 605 appearances for the Diamondbacks (2003-2007), Astros (2008-2009), and Tigers (2010-2013).  The 286 saves are tied for fourth among active pitchers with Jonathan Papelbon, behind only Joe Nathan (341), Francisco Cordero (329), and Francisco Rodriguez.  They are also 27th on the all time list.

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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