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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. Robert Hagg Jersey . -- On any given day here at his companys Silicon Valley headquarters, Vivek Ranadive is ready to compete against any employee who wants to challenge him to any contest. Anthony Stolarz Jersey .Y. - Matt Harvey wants to make sure hes on the mound in late October — if the New York Mets get there for the first time since 2006. http://www.officialflyersfanstore.com/au...-flyers-jersey/. The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Ron Hextall Jersey .com) - The Toronto Blue Jays will look to snap a three-game skid Friday night when they continue their road trip in the opener of a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Bernie Parent Jersey .7 million, one-year contract.The deal, announced Friday, includes a $50,000 performance bonus if the left-hander appears in 60 games. NEW YORK -- Gio Gonzalez apparently gets his swing ready in spring training, too. The pitcher homered in his first start for the second straight season -- sprinting around the bases because he didnt realize it was gone -- and tossed three-hit ball to lead the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets 5-1 Wednesday night. "I think it was the fastest home run jog in baseball," Gonzalez said. "I was about to slide home!" Gonzalez also registered six of Washingtons 13 strikeouts, giving the staff a total of 31. In a post on Twitter, the Nationals said thats the most for any team after two games in modern major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. STATS confirmed the 31 whiffs by New York batters were the most in the first two games since at least 1914, surpassing the previous mark of 28 by Houston hitters against Texas last season. Ian Desmond also went deep and Jayson Werth had four hits for the Nationals, who followed up their 10-inning comeback on opening day with a more routine victory against one of Gonzalezs favourite foes. The left-hander walked one in six comfortable innings, improving to 6-0 with a 1.62 ERA in his last seven starts against New York. Left fielder Bryce Harper threw out a runner at the plate, and Denard Span scored twice following extra-base hits. "Today was definitely a little smoother for me personally," first-year Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "What you worry about is a little bit of a letdown, with everything coming out of spring and a day off, its easy to have a letdown. But they didnt. They were ready to go today, which was great." Mets manager Terry Collins stacked his lineup with eight right-handed hitters, but it hardly mattered. New York provided little support for Bartolo Colon (0-1), touched up for nine hits over six innings in his Mets debut. The beefy right-hander signed a $20 million, two-year contract in the off-season after going 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA for Oakland last year, when he finished serving a 50-game suspension for a positive drug test. Desmond and Gonzalez (1-0) both homered in the fifth against Colon. "I think I pitched very well," Colon said through a translator. "They were just coming out a little high, thats all." Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard and Craig Stammen finished a three-hitter. Mets closer Bobby Parnell has a partially torn elbow ligament that might require surgery, and new outfielder Chris Young came out in the second inning with tightness in his right quadriceps.dddddddddddd The injury kept Young on the bench in the opener. "I feel terrible about not being able to contribute," he said. Juan Lagares, an early bright spot, got the Mets off to a good start with a leadoff triple. He scored on David Wrights sacrifice fly, snapping Gonzalezs streak of 16 shutout innings at Citi Field. Consecutive doubles by Werth and Adam LaRoche tied it in the fourth. Desmond hit the first pitch of the fifth over the left-centre wall, and Gonzalez went deep two batters later. A right-handed batter, the pitcher drove a 2-2 delivery off the railing just above the shortened fence in left-centre at Citi Field. The ball caromed back onto the outfield grass and Gonzalez sprinted home, unaware that second base umpire Todd Tichenor was signalling home run. "That was epic. Thats going to go down in the memory bank for a long, long time," Desmond said. Back in the dugout and out in the bullpen, Gonzalezs teammates had a blast. "I was trying to catch my breath as the guys were piling on," Gonzalez said. "I was just trying to find an oxygen tank." The umpires didnt even look at a replay. "Even the bullpen guys were telling me, You were running away like you were running from the cops!" Gonzalez said. "I dont know what that is about, but I guess I know what it is now." It was Gonzalezs third career homer. He also connected during his first outing last season off Miamis Kevin Slowey, and in August 2012 against Houston right-hander Armando Galarraga. "He swung that bat good, didnt he?" Williams said. "Hes got bragging rights for a few days, anyway." Ruben Tejada tried to score from first when Lagares doubled inside third base with two outs in the fifth, but was cut down at the plate on a strong throw by Harper. "The things he can do with that arm are pretty special," Desmond said. "Your instincts tell you what a normal outfielder can do, not one with a Bazooka." NOTES: Williams recalled playing third base behind Colon when the right-hander made his major league debut with Cleveland in 1997. ... Washington RHP Jordan Zimmermann starts the series finale Thursday afternoon against RHP Zack Wheeler. ' ' '