MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian is leavingthe Toronto beat to cover the Cleveland Indians. It’s a shame to lose him, as Bastian is a dedicated and intelligent writer who provided great material for the website.

Texas reliever Neftali Feliz has been named the 2010 American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year, the first Ranger to win since Mike Hargrove,in 1974, 14 years before Feliz was born. Feliz and runner-up Austin Jackson, the Detroit OF, were the only players named on all 28 ballots. According to noted baseball humorist (and Batter's Box's own) Jamey Newberg, "Derek Jeter placed third. (Not really.)"

Giants catcher Buster Posey got the National League nod. Read the full story on ESPN.com.

Feliz and Posey, recent World Series rivals ... that's some kinda all-rookie battery!

The last extra-innings game of the year at the Dome resulted in a walk-off win for the home side.



Ricky Romero warms up on the mound while third baseman Edwin Encarnacion reaches for the rosin bag.  Romero did not have his best outing of the season as he gave up three runs on five hits and five walks over five innings but he kept the O's in check after giving up all three of his runs in the second inning.

The Blue Jays made a few roster moves today. The team outrighted Brian Tallet and DeWayne Wise to Triple-A Las Vegas, but both players elected to become free agents instead. Also, the Oakland A’s claimed Edwin Encarnacion off waivers.

Dave Niehaus, the  one-and-only voice of the Seattle Mariners -- the team's primary broadcaster since their inception in 1977, has passed away.

There were plenty of legitimate complaints to Niehaus' style -- extreme homerism, Americanization of Latino names, stuff like that. But these were minor points compared to the voice-becoming-part-of-the-family joy Niehaus brought to the entire Pacific Northwest United States.

Rest well, David.

Quick, who had the best outfield in baseball last year? Well, it wasn't the Blue Jays, but they were pretty darn close.

Three Reds. Two Rockies. Two Cardinals. An Astro and a Phillie. Here they are ...

The complete list for NL GG'10:

C Yadier Molina Cardinals
1B Albert Pujols Cardinals
2B Brandon Phillips Reds
SS Troy Tulowitzki Rockies
3B Scott Rolen Reds
OF Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
OF Michael Bourn Astros
OF Shane Victorino Phillies
P Bronson Arroyo Reds

Any thoughts, BoxNation? Who got ripped off? Who got erroneously rewarded, and if you answer that, who SHOULD have won that position? And finally, which "team" is better overall, defensively, the AL or the NL?

Alternate titles: The Buck Stops Here! Molina, Mo Passed Balls. Encarnacioner of a Lonely 22 Home Runs. Okay, I'll stop.

Yes, that's right. For the fifth time, Derek Jeter's fielding glove has officially beend deemed "Gold." In fact, three-quarters of the Yankee infield -- Mark Teixeira, Robby Cano and Jeter -- were so recognized this year, so everyone in that infield except Alex Rodriguez ...

The complete list for AL GG'10:

P Marl Buehrle, White Sox
C Joe Mauer, Twins
1B Mark Teixeira, Yankees
2B Robinson Cano, Yankees
SS Derek Jeter, Yankees
3B Evan Longoria, Rays
OF Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
OF Carl Crawford, Rays
OF Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners

Really, no surprises. Any thoughts, BoxNation? Who got ripped off? Who got erroneously rewarded, and if you answer that, who SHOULD have won that position? And hey, this is the AL  -- no Gold Glove DH?

Bullpen as weak link, Gregg as Matsuzaka, Downs as icon, Roenicke as Purcey, and absolutely no idea what next year's pen looks like.

Three coaching gigs have been filled, and you'll certainly recognize a couple of names.

By Mike Green, Bauxite emeritus

The hallmarks of Roy Halladay’s career have been precision, dedication and durability.  2010 was just another great year for him.  It looked superficially like his best year, as he went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and 30 walks and 219 strikeouts in 250 innings. It wasn’t really though, as he had moved to the weaker league, and run-scoring was down in both leagues in 2010.  The most important addition to his Hall of Fame portfolio was probably the playoff no-hitter, his second of the season. 

 

Roy Halladay was drafted by the Blue Jays out of high school with their first pick, the 17th overall, in 1995. 

Kyle Drabek will be featured on the cover of Baseball America's American League East issue in which the top 10 prospects for each team in the division are profiled.  To mark the occasion, here are photos of his debut in Toronto September 22nd.

Drabek is greeted by bullpen coach Rick Langford as he gets ready to make his second major league start against Seattle.

The difference between the Jays 2009 and 2010 starting rotations was like night and day. Or maybe just afternoon and afternoon.

Baseball America released their Blue Jays top ten prospect list today.  There is no surprise at number one but there are some surprises further down the list.