Benton, AR native Cliff Lee was traded for the second time in less than 5 months on Wednesday. In July, he was sent from Cleveland to Philadelphia, and he has now been dealt from Philadelphia to Seattle where he will don a Mariners jersey in 2010.

A total of 9 players were involved in the 4-team trade, most notably Roy Halladay, who will be sent from Toronto to Philadelphia. The other 7 players involved are each minor league prospects. Halladay, like Lee is a former Cy Young Award winner.

Total, Lee played 12 regular season games and 4 postseason games with the Phillies before the trade, going a combined 11-4 with a 2.78 ERA. Now with the Mariners, he will return to the American League in 2011 where he went 83-48 in 194 games with Cleveland from 2002-2009

Lee has now been traded 3 times in his career. The first came in 2002, when Montreal dealt him to Cleveland. The record among Arkansas for being traded at the major league level is 5, set by Alex Johnson, who was born in Helena, AR.

In November, the Phillies exercised an option on Lee’s contract, signing him to a one-year, $9 million dollar deal. The deal will be the same in Seattle.

Arkansas native Travis Wood was announced to the Topps AA All-star team on Wednesday, topping off an impressive season.  The honor is likely the final of numerous given to him for his excellent 2009 season.

Wood, who was born in Little Rock and went to high school Bryant, AR, split 2009 between the AA Carolina Mudcats and the AAA Louisville Bats. With the Mudcats, he went 9-3 with a 1.21 ERA, best of any pitcher in AA baseball. In 8 games with Louisville, Wood went 4-2 with a 3.14 ERA.

Previously, wood was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Week twice, a SL Midseason All-Star, a SL Postseason All-Star and the SL Most Outstanding Pitcher.

Already an all-star and gold glover, Pine Bluff, AR native Torii Hunter has been named 1 of 9 American League recipients of the Silver Slugger Award, as announced Thursday. He is the first Arkansas-born baseball player to win the award, which has been around since 1980.

Hunter, 35, had an excellent season. He appeared in only 115 games, but hit 22 homeruns, drove in 90 and hit .299, a career high. He also played 9 postseason games with the Los Angeles Angels, going 9 for 33 at the plate.

Hunter is also expected to receive some votes for the AL MVP award, announced November 23rd, but is not expected to win. Hunter is also a nominee for Defensive player of the year in the This Year in Baseball Awards.

For the 9th year in a row, Torii Hunter has been awarded a Rawlings Gold Glove, as announced on Tuesday. His is now only the 7th player in Major League Baseball History to win at least 9 Gold Gloves for outstanding defense in the outfield.

Total, Hunter made only 1 error in 977.1 innings played in 2009. His .997 fielding percentage tied for the best among center fielders this season.

Even though Hunter has collected a closet full of Gold Gloves in his 13-year Major League career, he still has a long way to go if he were to catch fellow Arkansan Brooks Robinson, who won 16 Gold Gloves in his career. Altogether, 35 Gold Gloves have been won by an Arkansas-born player between 7 players.

It was announced Friday that the Philadelphia Phillies have exercised the option for the 2010 season on Cliff Lee’s contract, meaning Lee will return for a second year with a Philadelphia.

Lee did very well with the Phillies in 2009 after being traded from Cleveland in July for 4 players. In 12 starts, he won 7 games and lost 4, posting a 3.39 ERA. In addition, he went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in the post-season, which included Philadelphia winning the National League Pennent.

Lee will be paid $9 million in 2010 before becoming a free agent in 2011, baring a contract extension.

In his first year with the New York, A.J. Burnett has the World Series as a member of the Yankees. It is New York’s 27 World Series tittle, but the first for Burnett.

Burnett, a native of North Little Rock, AR started to games for the Yankees. He did very well in the first, pitching 7 innings on only 1 runs, but was roughed up severely in his second start. In that game, he allowed 6 runs in only 2 innings. Nevertheless, Burnett now owns his first World Series Ring.

Also a member of the New York Yankees, former Arkansas Razorback Eric Hinske won his second fall classic in 3 years.

For the first time in the history of Baseball, two Arkansans started against each other in the World Series on Monday. A.J.  Burnett from North Little Rock, AR started for the New York Yankees against Benton, AR native cliff Lee, who started for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The game, the fifth of the 2009 World Series, was won by Lee and the Phillies by a score of 8-6. He pitched 7 innings on 5 runs. Burnett on the other hand lasted only two innings and surrendered 6 runs.

After Cliff Lee started Game 1 of the World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, A.J. Burnett started Game 2 for the New York Yankees on Thursday. Together, they became only the first pair of Arkansans to start both Game 1 and Game 2 of a World Series.

Lee, a native of Benton, AR, pitched a complete game and allowed only 1 unearned run. Burnett, born in North Little Rock, AR, surrendered 1 run in 7 innings. Each won their respected outing.

Twice before has a pair of Arkansas-born players start back-to-back World Series games. In 1948, Gene Bearden started Game 3 and Johnny Sain started Game 4. 14 years before in the 1934 World Series, brothers Dizzy Dean and Paul Dean from Lucas, AR started Game 5, Game 6 and Game 7.

Cliff Lee started the first game of the 2009 World Series on Wednesday for the Philadelphia Phillies, and in doing so became the first Arkansan in 61 years, as well as the 4th in history, to make a Game 1 start.

Lee, a native of Benton, AR, joins Lon Warneke, johnny Sain and Hall of Famer Dizzy Dean as the only Arkansas-born players to start Game 1 of a World Series. Schoolboy Rowe, though born in Waco Texas, grew up in El Dorado, AR and started the 1935 World Series against Warneke.

Lee pitched excellently in his start, holding the New York Yankees to only 1 unearned run over 9 innings. In addition, he struck out 10 and walked none. Amazingly, all 4 Arkansas-born players to make a Game 1 start have pitched a complete game, going 4-0 with only 3 runs between them, good for an 0.75 ERA.

Ryan Franklin was announced as the winner of The Sporting News Reliever of the Year award on Friday. The Fort Smith native is the first Arkansas-born player to the award, which has been around since 2001, or the TSN Fireman of the Year award, which was given out for 40 years between 1960 and 2000.

Franklin had an excellent season, but struggled towards the end of his 2009 campaign. He finished the year 4-3 with a 1.92 ERA and 38 saves, 3rd best in the National League. Franklin allowed 13 runs all season, but 7 of them came in September. In addition, he went 0-1 and surrendered 2 runs in 2 playoff games.

Franklin’s season could be considered the greatest season ever for a reliever from Arkansas. He broke the single season record for saves by an Arkansas, a mark that was previously held by Ellis Kinder, who saved 27 games in 1953.