By George Farelli

Canadian Baseball Network

Abraham Toro had one homer in 33 plate appearances when he came to the plate with two out in the top of the ninth at the Rogers Centre on Sept. 1.

His Houston Astros were in a scoreless draw with the Toronto Blue Jays. Yet, this at-bat with Alex Bregman on base was a make-it-happen at-bat.

Houston starter Justin Verlander had thrown 111 pitches through eight innings. He had one inning left in the tank for his no-hit bid. Toro homered and then Verlander needed only nine pitches to set down Brandon Drury, Reese McGuire and Bo Bichette in order for his third no-hitter.

Amidst the celebrations you could see Verlander looking left, looking right and yelling “Where’s Toro? Where’s Toro?”

It was an hour or two after the game when the Toronto writer emailed the Houston scribe: “Remember Toro is from Canada -- don’t forget to mention Verlander’s name in there somewhere.”

Ah, Canadian humour.

Toro (Longueuil, Que.) led all Canadians who played affiliated ball in the minors, independent ball or across the pond in runs scored and RBIs. He shared the lead in batting average with Blue Jays farmhand Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) who was with the class-A Lansing Lugnuts, while Toro was second in hits, and home runs in the minors.

Toro was the best hitter of the 132 Canadians in the minors, so he wins the Canadian Baseball Network hitter of the year and winner of the Randy Echlin award. He started in the Astros minor-league system playing 98 games for the Corpus Christi Hooks and was promoted to triple-A Round Rock for 16 games.

The Canadian Baseball Network 12th annual awards saw pitcher of the year honours go to RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.), who started the season pitching for the class-A Cedar Rapids Kernals, moved to the class-A Advanced Fort Myers Miracle and toed the rubber for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the double-A League playoffs. He was 8-5 with a 2.69 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) as he walked 25 and struck out 129 in 93 2/3 innings.

The leading hitter in the foreign or independent ranks was Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) of SK Wyverns in Korea, who was a winner for a third consecutive time. He hit .276 with 29 homers and 95 RBIs in 137 games.

Former No. 1 pick of the Seattle Mariners, RHP Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) of the Ottawa Champions of the independent Can-Am League was the top pitcher in the foreign and independent ranks. He was 8-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 18 starts. He walked 23 and fanned 145 in 118 2/3 innings.

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Canadian Baseball Network offensive Canadian player of the year in the minors, Randall Echlin award - Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.).

Starting the season with the double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, where he had played 50 games the season before, Toro opened going 1-for-8 in the season’s first two games against the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Seven games later, he hit his first homer against the same Sod Poodles against RHP Lake Bachar.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft by Houston scout Jim Stevenson (Leaside, Ont.),Toro, who played for the Montreal Orioles of the Quebec Elite Junior Baseball League coached by Marc-André Ronda, hit .278 with five doubles, a triple, four homers and 21 RBIs in 23 games in the season’s first month.

The merry month of May was Toro’s second best of the season. In that month, he had 11 multi-hit games, including three, three-hit contests and a four-hit performance against Amarillo on May 21. For the month he hit .340 with three doubles, a triple, six homers, 25 RBIs and registered a 1.029 OPS in 27 games.

He added three more multi-hit games in June, including going 3-for-4 against the Arkansas Travelers on June 17.

In his final month in double-A, Toro had 11 multi-hit games, including three-four hit contests and hit .364 with 11 doubles, two triples, three homers and 15 RBIs in 26 games, before being promoted to the triple-A Round Rock Express at the beginning of August.

He continued his torrid hitting in triple-A in August, putting together 10 more multi-hit games, including a five-hit game against the El Paso Chihuahuas on August 8.

In all, the switch-hitting Canadian batted a combined .324 with 17 home runs and a .527 slugging percentage in 114 games in double-A and triple-A in 2019. For his efforts, he was named Astros Minor League Player of the Year.

We had eight voters and Toro was a unanimous choice followed by Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) who was at class-A Lansing Lugnuts and Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) of the Triple A El Paso Chihuahuas. Naylor was in the minors for only 54 games as he spent most of his time with the San Diego Padres.

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Canadian Baseball Network pitcher of the year _ RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.).

Drafted by Twins veteran scout Walt Burrows (Brentwood Bay, BC) in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, this former Ontario Blue Jay began the season at class-A Cedar Rapids for four starts. Only once did he allow more than one run -- working 20 2/3 innings allowing five runs (2.18), while going 2-1.

After not throwing more than 84 pitches in his four starts with the Rapids, Balazovic was promoted to the class-A Advanced Fort Myers Miracle and pitched seven scoreless (10 strikeouts in a 95-pitch outing) on May 5 to beat the Palm Beach Cardinals 4-0. He then defeated Bradenton in his next outing (two runs in 5 2/3 innings, with 12 strikeouts). His other wins for Fort Myers were against Daytona Beach (seven scoreless), Florida (one run in 5 2/3 innings), Bradenton (four scoreless) and Jupiter (five scoreless).

His highest pitch count was 97 in five innings (four runs) against St. Lucie. He struck out nine or more hitters four times in 18 games. He was the fourth-ranked prospect in the organization.

In all, Balazovic finished the season with a combined 8-5 record and a 2.69 ERA, while striking out 129 in 93 2/3 in 19 games between class-A and class-A Advanced in 2019.

According to Minor League Baseball

His 2019 breakout has been driven primarily by a plus fastball that regularly reaches in the low-to-mid-90s with plenty of movement. He sat 93-95 during his appearance in the Futures Game, when he tossed a scoreless inning for the American League side while facing top NL prospects Daulton Varsho, Gavin Lux, Cristian Pache and Joey Bart. He also draws positive reviews for his above-average slider, and his changeup has improved to the point where it can be a true third option. The whole package plays up thanks to the right-hander’s impressive control, as evidenced by his 6.6% walk rate in 2019.

For his efforts, the 6-foot-5 right-hander was selected to participate in the 2019 Futures Game. He was also part of the pitching staff of the Canadian national team that won silver at the Pan Am Games in July.

Balazovic took every first-place vote but one. Brandon Marklund (North Vancouver, BC) class-A Lexington Legends and Tyler Gillies (London, Ont.) of class-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rounded out the top three.

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Canadian Baseball Network offensive player of the year, foreign or independent ball: Jamie Romak (London, Ont.).

The former London Badger is a repeat winner coming off his Canadian minor league record of 43 home runs in 2018. No one knows what the other winners will earn before their last at-bat. However, the SK Wyverns 1B earned $1.05 Million. US in 2019.

During the 2019 season, Romak had two, four-hit games. His first came against the Kia Tigers on May 11 (double, homer, three RBIs) and his second against the Doosan Bears on September 14 (four singles, RBI). He also registered seven, three-hit games, including two against the Samsung Lions ((June 8 (homer, two RBIs), September 28(homer, RBI)) and one each against the Hanwha Eagles (August 3 (double, three RBIs), Kia Tigers (August 1 (two doubles, home run, two RBIs), LG Twins (June 26 (two RBIs), KT Wiz (June 11 (double, homer, six RBIs ) and NC Dinos (May 15 (two doubles, two RBIs).

He also had 30, two-hit games, including five each against the Hanwha Eagles and Lotte Giants, four each against LG Twins, NC Dinos and KT Wiz and three versus the Doosan Bears.

In all, Romak batted .276 with 29 home runs (tied for second in the KBO) and 95 RBIs in 137 games, while setting career-highs in doubles (28) and walks (73). Romak also had 86 runs, a .508 slugging percentage and an .882 OPS.

Romak was also a unanimous choice over Wes Darvill (Langley, BC) of the Winnipeg Goldeyes. and David Glaude (Quebec City, Que.) of the Trois Rivieres Aigles..

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Canadian Baseball Network top pitcher of the year, foreign or independent ball _ RHP Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Ont.).

This 6-foot-7 right-hander fanned 18 batters for the Ottawa Champions on July 16 against the Rockland Boulders to set a Can-Am League record for strikeouts in a single game. Just over a month later, on August 18, Aumont struck out nine New Jersey Jackals in a complete-game shutout to break the Can Am League single-season strikeout record (131). The previous mark (130) was held by John Kelly who split the 2007 season between the Brockton Rox and the Jackals.

In all, Aumont was 8-4 with a league-best 2.65 ERA in 18 starts spanning 118 2/3 innings for the Champions. He finished with a record 145 strikeouts and topped the circuit in fewest runs allowed (35) among qualified starters. For his efforts, he was named the Can-Am League Player of the Week three times and the 2019 Can-Am League Pitcher of the Year.

Along with authoring a stellar year for the Champions, he pitched for Team Canada in the Pan Am Games and went 2-0 and didn’t allow a run in 13 innings en route to victories against Argentina (six innings) and Nicaragua (seven). At Premier 12, he worked eight scoreless in a win over Cuba.

A 2007 first-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners, Aumont is in his 12th pro season. He made 46 appearances in the majors for the Philadelphia Phillies between 2012 and 2015. He also played in the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox organizations. On Monday, he signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays that includes an invite to spring training.

As a teen, Aumont pitched for Les Ailes du Québec and Académie Baseball Canada under coach Joël Landry.

Likewise Aumont went 8-for-8 in the voting. In second spot was Brock Dykxhoorn (Goderich, Ont.) of the Lotte Giants. Tied for third were RHP Scott Mathieson (Abbotsford, BC) of the Yomiuri Giants and Dustin Molleken (Regina, Sask.) of the Quebec Capitales.

HONOUR ROLL

AFFILIATED PLAYERS

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

(Starting in 2011 the award was named after the The Honourable Mr. Justice Randall Echlin, former head of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame selection committee, a lifelong fan of the game and a man with a baseball-shaped heart the size of a box of new Rawlings.)

2008 _ Tim Smith (Toronto, Ont.) Rangers.

2009 _ Tyson Gillies (Langley, BC) Mariners.

2010 _ Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) Brewers.

2011 _ Taylor Green (Comox, BC) Brewers and Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) Jays.

2012 _ Oscar Taveras (Montreal, Que.) Cardinals.

2013 _ Sean Jamieson (Simcoe, Ont.) Diamondbacks.

2014 _ Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont.) Blue Jays.

2015 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners.

2016 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners.

2017 _ Tyler O’Neill (Maple Ridge, BC) Mariners/Cardinals and Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) Blue Jays.

2018 _ Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal, Que.) Blue Jays.

2019 _ Abraham Toro (Longueuil, Que.) Astros.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

2008 _ Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.) Braves.

2009 _ James Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) Brewers and John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) Brewers.

2010 _ Scott Mathieson (Langley, BC) Phillies.

2011 _ Mark Hardy (Campbell River, BC) Padres..

2012 _ James Henderson (Calgary, Alta.) Brewers.

2013 _ Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) Twins

2014 _ Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) Nationals.

2015 _ Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC) Phillies and Shane Dawson (Drayton Valley, Alta.) Jays.

2016 _ Jameson Taillon (The Woodlands, Tex.) Pirates and Nick Pivetta (Victoria, BC) Phillies.

2017 _ Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) Braves.

2018 _ Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) Jays.

2019 _ Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) Twins.

Affliated award winners from

By organization: Blue Jays 6, Brewers 5, Mariners 4, Phillies 3, Braves 2, Twins 2, Astros, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Padres, Pirates, Rangers, Nationals one each.

By provinces: BC 12, Ontario 7, Alberta 4, Quebec 4 and Saskatchewan one.

INDEPENDENT/FOREIGN LEAGUE PLAYERS

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

2008 — Drew Miller (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.

2009 — Pete LaForest (Hull, Que.) Quebec Capitales and Colin Moro (Calgary, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.

2010 - Drew Miller (Medicine Hat, Alta.) Calgary Vipers.

2011 – Matt Rogelstad (Port Moody, BC) Edmonton Capitals.

2012 – Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) Quebec Capitales.

2013 – Jonathan Malo (Laval, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2014 - Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) Quebec Capitales.

2015 - Jim Adduci (Burnaby, BC) Lotte Giants, Korea.

2016 - Carter Bell, (Courtenay, BC) Joliet Slammers.

2017 - Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns/triple-A El Paso.

2018 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea

2019 _ Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) SK Wyverns, Korea

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

2008 — Michel Simard (Charlesbourg, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2009 — Aaron Wideman (Mississauga, Ont.) New Jersey Jackals.

2010 – Aaron Cotter (Kitimat, BC) Sioux Falls Pheasants.

2011 – John Mariotti (Toronto, Ont.) Quebec Capitales

2012 – Jeff Duda (Surrey, BC) Quebec Capitales.

2013 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2014 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2015 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2016 – Karl Gelinas (Iberville, Que.) Quebec Capitales.

2017 - Scott Mathieson (Aldergrove, BC) Yomiuri Giants.

2018 _ Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.). Orix Buffaloes/

2019 _ Phillippe Aumont (Gatineau, Que.) Ottawa Champions.

Indy foreign lands winners from

Provinces: Quebec 9, BC 6, Ontario 6, Alberta 2, Saskatchewan 1.

Major leaguers in bold.