After shutting down Stephen Strasburg for the season, the Washington Nationals fell from top spot in the TSN. .ca MLB Power Rankings for a couple of weeks, but theyve returned to the number one ranking in the seasons final edition. While the Nationals pitching cant conceivably be as good as it would be with Strasburg, they have a competent group of starters (Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Edwin Jackson, Ross Detwiler) and an improving offence. Adam LaRoche and Bryce Harper finished the season on a tear, helping to lift the Nationals back to the top of the grid. Washington holds a slight advantage over Atlanta, whose value has soared thanks to impressive second-half pitching performances from Kris Medlen and Mike Minor. Oakland, expecting to get ace lefty Brett Anderson back in the rotation for the playoffs and coming off a furious finish to win the AL West, move up to third in the rankings. Sitting in top spot in late September, the Cincinnati Reds have slipped to fourth, as they wait for first baseman Joey Votto to snap a 40-game homerless drought. Texas late-season slide, which cost them the division title, knocked them down from third to fifth. The New York Yankees, perhaps with a greater sense of urgency than in previous seasons due to the age of so many crucial contributors, are ranked sixth. Beyond that, the San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Detroit Tigers round out the Top 10. The Toronto Blue Jays endured a disappointing season once again, and finished 24th in the rankings. My picks for MVP, CY Young and Rookie of the Year: AL MVP Mike Trout, CF, L.A. Angels of Anaheim (30 HR, 83 RBI, 49 SB, .326 AVG, .963 OPS) Runners Up: Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit (44 HR, 139 RBI, .330 AVG, .999 OPS) Robinson Cano, 2B, N.Y. Yankees (33 HR, 94 RBI, .313 AVG, .929 OPS) I understand the historical context of Cabreras Triple Crown and congratulate him for it, but have little doubt that Trout was more valuable. Never mind that the Tigers made the playoffs, Trouts Angels won more games in a more difficult division and there are no fancy stats needed to justify that, especially once base-running and defence are considered, Trout has been the most complete player in the American League. NL MVP Ryan Braun, LF, Milwaukee (41 HR, 112 RBI, 30 SB, .319 AVG, .987 OPS) Runners-Up: Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pittsburgh (31 HR, 96 RBI, 20 SB, .327 AVG, .953 OPS) Buster Posey, C, San Francisco (24 HR, 103 RBI, .336 AVG, .957 OPS) Based on the numbers alone, Braun is right in the same neighbourhood as he was during last years MVP season, but his positive test (which was ultimately overturned) may present a conflict for voters, who have shown a reluctance to reward those who use performance-enhancing drugs. If Braun does get bumped, both McCutchen and Posey are also viable candidates, with Posey likely a more popular choice because of team success, but McCutchen was sensational for a Pirates team that was in contention for a good portion of the season. AL CY YOUNG Justin Verlander, Detroit (17-8, 2.64 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 239 K, 238 1/3 IP) Runners Up: David Price, Tampa Bay (20-5, 2.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 205 K, 211 IP) Felix Hernandez, Seattle (13-9, 3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 223 K, 209 IP) A very close race between Verlander and Price, close enough that Verlander making an extra couple starts and pitching 33 more innings is enough to give him the nod for his second straight Cy. NL CY YOUNG Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles (14-9, 2.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 229 K, 227 2/3 IP) Runners-Up: R.A. Dickey, N.Y. Mets (20-6, 2.73, 1.05 WHIP, 230 K, 233 2/3 IP) Gio Gonzalez, Washington (21-8, 2.89 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 207 K, 199 1/3 IP) The more popular sentiment might be to give the award to Dickey, and I wont argue strenuously against the 37-year-old knuckleballer, because hes had a tremendous season, but Kershaw has been slightly more dominant. AL ROOKIE OF THE YEARMike Trout, CF, L.A. Angels of Anaheim (30 HR, 83 RBI, 49 SB, .326 AVG, .963 OPS) Runners Up: Yoenis Cespedes, CF, Oakland (23 HR, 82 RBI, .292 AVG, .861 OPS) Jarrod Parker, RHP, Oakland (13-8, 3.47 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 140 K, 181 1/3IP) Both Cespedes and Parker have been impressive and crucial components as part of Oaklands division-winning effort, but if Trout is getting my pick for MVP, he is miles ahead of the field when it comes to Rookie of the Year. NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Bryce Harper, RF, Washington (22 HR, 59 RBI, 18 SB, .270 AVG, .817 OPS) Runners-Up: Todd Frazier, 3B/1B, Cincinnati (19 HR, 67 RBI, .273 AVG, .829 OPS) Norichika Aoki, RF, Milwaukee (10 HR, 50 RBI, 30 SB, .288 AVG, .787 OPS) After the three-quarter point in the season, Harper wasnt even in the top three, so I made the assertion that he wasnt likely to win the award unless he finished with a flourish. A 1.049 OPS in September is a serious flourish and enough to emerge at the top of a wide open field in the National League. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. [url=http://www.buccaneersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-michael-koenen-jerse... Koenen Jersey . Four years ago, Rosario caught a game-winning touchdown pass as time expired to lift Carolina over the San Diego Chargers. . -- Phil Varone scored the winning goal and the Rochester Americans spoiled Hamiltons first home game in 29 days with a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs in American Hockey League action Saturday. [url=http://www.buccaneersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-jonathan-casillas-je... . -- Sporting Kansas City has waived Brazilian midfielder Julio Cesar, former second-round draft pick Cyprian Hedrick, Serbian defender Neven Markovic and midfielder Konrad Warzycha. [url=http://www.buccaneersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-carl-nicks-jersey-zz... Nicks Jersey . No wonder he wants to stick around. Bynum says about Philadelphia, hes "leaning toward making this my home." That brought even louder cheers from an event that was more pep rally than press conference. . "After a year of thinking and good talk with my coaches and nutritionist, its time, my next fight will be at 170 Thanks for the support .GAVLE, Sweden -- Cody Franson is on his way to the Swedish Elite League to play for Brynas. How long the unsigned Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman stays there remains to be seen. In announcing the signing Monday, the Swedish Elite League team made it sound like Franson would be around for the entire season, but his agent later clarified that he haad the option to return to North America if the lockout ended and a contract could be reached with the Leafs. [url=http://www.buccaneersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-tom-crabtree-jersey-... Crabtree Jersey. The 25-year-old defenceman is a restricted free agent who went unsigned by Toronto throughout the summer. He made US$800,000 while appearing in 57 games with the Leafs last season, scoring five goals and 21 points. ' ' '