Any other year, Blue Jays righty hander Marcus Stroman would be a top notch candidate for rookie of the year in the American League. I still think he will finish a solid third in the voting but for the 2014 season, as there are really only two stand-alone candidates. In a league starved for power hitters and runs these days, Jose Abreu has put up some incredible numbers. The 27-year-old who defected from Cuba signed a six-year, $68-million deal with the Chicago White Sox last winter. Hes making $7 million this season and has been worth every penny, Hes set a White Sox rookie record with 35 homers, has driven in 102 runs and is hitting .322. Few of his home runs are "cheap" and he hits the kind of monster shots that keep fans talking well after the game is over. Should Abreu get the Rookie of the Year award on a silver platter? Many would say yes, that he has no real competition, but Id beg to differ on that. Matt Shoemaker is having an incredible season in his own right with the Angels. Hes 15-4 with a 3.16 ERA, and those 15 victories are a Halos rookie record. Hes struck out 119 and walked only 24. All of this from a right hander who turns 28 on September 27. This might venture more into the MVP category than Rookie of the Year, but Shoemaker has more than picked up the slack since another Angels standout Garrett Richards was injured and lost for the season. The Angels also have the best record in baseball at 93-56 and lead Oakland by 10 full games. At worst, Shoemaker and Abreu should share the award, and yes that has happened before. In 1976 in the National League, Padres reliever Butch Metzger shared the honours with Reds starter Pat Zachry. In 1979 Blue Jays shortstop Alfredo Griffin split the vote right down the middle with Twins 3rd baseman John Castino. There are those who argue Abreu shouldnt even be eligible since he played pro ball in Cuba, but the precedent has already been established: Jackie Robinson , who won the very first Rookie of the Year award back when there was only one for both leagues played in the old Negro Leagues before breaking the colour barrier and signing with the Brooklyn organization in 1946. Does being named the top rookie lead to a great career? Not always. In fact, going back to 1947, only 14 winners have gone on to earn a place in the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. The Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers have had the top rookie a record 16 times. The Yankees hold the American League record with eight. The Blue Jays and the Montreal Expos tied with two rookies of the year. The Jays two were both acquired in trades: Alfredo Griffin in 1979 and Eric Hinske in 2002, while Montreal were homegrown in pitcher Carl Morton in 1970 and Andre Dawson in 1977. The only Canadian I know of to win the award was outfielder Jason Bay of the Pirates in 2004, and the only current team never to have had a rookie of the year is Arizona. A very important meeting is coming up in West Palm Beach Florida on September 23. On that date, the Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners will be meeting to try and finalize financing for a new Spring Training baseball facility that would house the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. Both clubs desperately want upgraded facilities that would also lessen the travel time to their grapefruit league games. Washingtons current lease with Vierra, Florida runs through 2017, while the Astros can leave Kissimmee, Florida after 2016. You might remember, as recently as this past spring, the Blue Jays were involved with Houston in a similar project in Palm Beach Gardens, when local residents balked at having the ball teams in their neighborhood with all the inherent noise and traffic, That deal ultimately fell apart. The Blue Jays current lease with Dunedin expires after 2017. Wholesale Shoes Black Friday Free Shipping . Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. Shoes Black Friday Deals 2020 . Van Slyke drove in a career-high four runs with two homers off struggling left-hander Tony Cingrani, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled away to a 6-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night, a rare comfortable win in their pitching-dominated series. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/. -- Jose Bautista never worries about hitting homers during the regular season. Fake Shoes Black Friday . The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers. Cheap Shoes Black Friday .Sinclair, from Burnaby, B.C., led the Canadian team with three goals at the four-nation competition. She also earned tournament most valuable player honours.The Canadian captain scored on a penalty kick in the 63rd minute and added the winning goal a minute later.PHOENIX -- The San Francisco Giants were kicking the ball around so badly Monday night that manager Bruce Bochy wanted to start spring training over again. Then the Giants bats came alive, Arizonas bullpen wilted, and San Francisco rallied from four runs down to beat the Diamondbacks 9-8 on Buster Poseys two-run home run off new closer Addison Reed in the ninth inning. "I think we want to be a team that keeps grinding and keeps pushing," Posey said. "It was nice to be able to do that tonight right out of the chute to give us that confidence that when we get down we know we have the ability to come back." Poseys star turn didnt surprise Giants starter Madison Bumgarner, who left after giving up four unearned runs in four innings. "Hes on a different level, man," Bumgarner said. "Hes so good and hes been that good since day one. Its fun to watch him play every day." Posey had no experience against Reed, who came to the Diamondbacks in an off-season trade from the Chicago White Sox. "Ive never faced him before, spring training or anything," Posey said. "I was really just trying to get a pitch I can handle." He got it on a fastball that he sent over the left field wall. "For us to come back and win a game like that, it just shows you, you go hard for nine innings ," Bochy said. "These guys did and got some big hits later in the game. It seemed like it got contagious, then Buster came through for us in a big way. It was the season opener for San Francisco and the first true home game for the Diamondbacks, who started the season with two losses as the home team against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Australia. Miguel Montero, who had three hits and reached base five times, homered to lead off the Arizona ninth and make it a one-run game. Brandon Belt had three hits, including a solo home run, and singled ahead of Poseys homer. Arizona scored four unearned runs off Bumgarner in the fourth and led 7-3 after six. San Francisco got four runs with two outs in the seventh, with reliever Brad Ziegler walking in the tying run. Jean Machi (1-0) pitched 1 2-3 innings of relief to get the victory.dddddddddddd. Reed (0-1), acquired from the Chicago White Sox in the off-season, got the loss. Sergio Romo, who gave up the home run to Montero, earned the save. After Monteros shot to left, Chris Owings reached on a bunt single and was sacrificed to second by Gerardo Parra. Pinch-hitter Eric Chavez struck out and A.J. Pollock, who has started the season 0 for 13, popped out to end it. Pollock was 0 for 6 with four strikeouts. In the Giants big seventh, pinch-hitter Ehire Adrianza doubled in a run, ending Arizona starter Brandon McCarthys night. McCarthy was livid about home plate umpire Tom Hallions call of a ball on a 2-2 pitch just before the double. "There was a call in the seventh that changed the entire outlook of the game," McCarthy said. "We all have to execute after that point but ... it kind of leaves a bitter taste." Oliver Perez came in and gave up three hits without an out, including an RBI double by Angel Pagans RBI double and Pablo Sandovals run-scoring single. Ziegler relieved Perez and gave up a single to Posey to load the bases, then walked Hunter Pence for the tying run. Arizonas four-run fourth inning opened with a fielding error by second baseman Joaquin Arias on Mark Trumbos groundball. Montero hit a bouncer to the third baseman Sandoval, who bobbled it just long enough for Trumbo to make it to second. The Diamondbacks greeted reliever Yusmeiro Petit with four consecutive hits in the fifth, including a leadoff double by Martin Prado, followed by Trumbos RBI single. Parra got his third RBI of the night with a ground out and Arizona led 6-2. The Diamondbacks got their seventh run after the Giants botched a rundown play between first and second. NOTES: Arizonas Goldschmidt extended his hitting streak to 22 games, dating to last season. ... McCarthy struck out the side in the first. He did that once last season, April 16 against the Yankees. ... The Giants opened on the road for the fifth straight year. ... On Tuesday night, Wade Miley (0-1) pitches for Arizona, Matt Cain goes for the San Francisco. ' ' '