Whicker: Beltran elected to Hall of Fame but difficult to separate him from Bonds

“You’re forgiven for being surprised when Carlos Beltran was elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

He piled up 2,725 hits during his 20 years, and hit 435 home runs, too. Seven times he scored 100 runs, and eight times he drove in 100. He won four Gold Gloves and was a prolific and high-percentage base-stealer.

But he led his league in nothing, except his 162-game perfect attendance year in 2002, and he was a Top-5 MVP vote-getter only twice. He was a compiler, sneaking up on those numbers, and that’s perfectly fine. A more complimentary term would be “grinder.” At the very least he was one of the better centre fielders of the last 30 years. Andruw Jones, a lesser one, also got elected. “

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Shushkewich: Hicks' strong rookie season with Marlins helps him land WBC roster spot

“Heading into the 2024-25 offseason, catcher Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) knew that a change of scenery could be on the horizon.

The former Toronto Mets and Arkansas State University backstop started the 2024 season with the Texas Rangers, playing alongside Mitch Bratt (Newmarket, Ont.) in double-A Frisco, but finished the campaign with the Detroit Tigers. Hicks and right-hander Tyler Owens were dealt at the trade deadline to the AL Central squad, with veteran backstop Carson Kelly heading to Texas in return. “

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Elliott: Blue Jays add four Latin Americans to top bonus rankings

Latin America continues to be a baseball talent hotbed as well as a source of investment for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Vice-president Andrew Tinnish along with Sandy Rosario, director of Latin American operations, his assistant directors Harry Einbinder and Francisco Plasencia, plus cross checker Lorenzo Perez, added four signing bonuses of $200,000 or more led by Venezuelan C Juan Caricote, who was given a $1.95 million signing bonus.

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