Herausforderungen » gest stage in Vancouver and remained

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves and shortstop Andrelton Simmons agreed on a $58 million, seven-year contract on Thursday, a record deal for the latest young star locked up by the NL East champions. The deal, which runs through the 2020 season, is the largest ever awarded to a player subject to American draft rules with less than two years of service time. Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo signed a $41 million, seven-year contract last May. Simmons, 24, showed power potential in 2013, when he hit 17 home runs, but he earned the big contract with his defence. He won his first Gold Glove award in 2013, when he led the major leagues with 499 assists. "We feel that Andrelton is one of the premier shortstops in the game today, and we are happy that we were able to agree on this multiyear contract," general manager Frank Wren said in a statement released by the team. The Braves this month also reached multiyear agreements with first baseman Freddie Freeman, outfielder Jason Heyward, closer Craig Kimbrel and right-hander Julio Teheran, committing $280.7 million to the rising stars, including Simmons. Simmons hit .248 and drove in 59 runs last season. He earned the new contract after playing in only 206 career games. Simmons received a $1 million signing bonus and will earn $1 million this season. He will earn $3 million in 2015, $6 million in 2016, $8 million in 2017, $11 million in 2018, $13 million in 2019 and $15 million in 2020. It has been a busy month for the Braves and Wren. On Sunday, the team agreed to a $42 million, four-year contract with Kimbrel, 25, the All-Star closer. That came two days after the 23-year-old Teheran agreed to terms on a six-year, $32.4 million deal. Earlier this month, the Braves announced multiyear deals with a pair of 24-year-old hitters — Freeman and Heyward. Freeman, the All-Star first baseman, agreed to the biggest contract in Braves history — $135 million for eight years. Of all the new deals, only Heywards is for fewer than four years. Heyward, the outfielder who won his first Gold Glove in 2012, signed for two years and $13.3 million. Even management has been included in the wave of new deals. Manager Fredi Gonzalez and Wren also have been given contract extensions. Simmons ranks with Freeman, Kimbrel, Teheran, Heyward, Justin Upton, left-hander Mike Minor and others as the foundation for the Braves future. Chipper Jones retired after the 2012 season, and Tim Hudson and catcher Brian McCann departed as free agents after last season, leaving the team that won 96 games last year with a young roster. Simmons hit only .216 against left-handers last season, and he hit only .219 in 283 at-bats as a leadoff hitter. The team took off when Heyward was moved to the leadoff spot, and Simmons was more productive in other spots in the lineup. 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Ryan Reaves Jersey . -- Oakland Athletics starting pitchers Jarrod Parker and A.SOCHI, Russia - Jonathan Toews doesnt know where hell keep this Olympic gold medal. His mom and dad have the other one from four years ago back home in Winnipeg. "Maybe Ill hang em up together," he says. Toews has not yet reached the age of 26. He already owns two Stanley Cups and now his second gold on the grand Olympic stage - all in the last four years. He also boasts gold from two World Juniors and another from the 2007 Worlds. He scored the first goal in Canadas 3-0 triumph over Sweden in Sundays gold medal match and further cemented himself as one of the defining - if not the defining - winners and crunch-time players of his generation. He was the best player on the biggest stage in Vancouver and remained right up there again this time around in Sochi. That winning feeling never seems to get old. "I think every time you get the chance," said Toews, gold medal still around his neck afterward, "theres still that feeling of nerves that you dont want to pass up the chance to win. You want to do it again. You never know how many chances youre going to get so you want to do the best you can to bring it home. Im just lucky to be part of these teams that want to win as bad as I do." That burning desire to win is what makes Toews such a special player and leader at a wise-beyond-his-years age of 25. Its why the Chicago Blackhawks pinned him with the captaincy at the tender age of 20, this after just a single season in the NHL. He is both willing and able to do whatever it takes to win. Score a goal. Kill a penalty. Win a faceoff. Shut down the oppositions top offensive force. Toews can and will do it all. On this day against the Swedes, it was scoring the elusive first goal and eventual game-winner. Toews, who led the forwards with over 19 minutes, hadnt scored before that in these Olympics, but there he was redirecting a terrific pass from Jeff Carter and setting the tone for Canada. "I know Johnny cares so much about hockey," said Canadian and Blackhawks teammate Duncan Keith, also a winner of two Cups and two Olympic gold medals. "He lives and breathes hockey. Thats the way he is as a person. That sort of stuff doesnt surprise me at all." In the semifinal against the Americans, he was shutting down the previously unstoppable Phil Kessel, keeping the eventual tournament scoring leader (tied with Erik Karlsson) off the board entirely in a tense 1-0 win.dddddddddddd In fact, it was the line of Toews, Carter and Patrick Marleau that keyed in on the oppositions best throughout the entire tournament. The trio was a driving force in Canadas dominant defensive effort, one that saw them yield exactly three goals in six games and not one in either the semifinal or final. "Hes a winner," said Alex Pietrangelo, less than two years younger than Toews, but worlds apart in experience. "Resume speaks for itself. Obviously a great leader. Plays the game the right way. Plays the game hard, every practice, every game. Great guy to learn from, great guy to follow." Toews is so respected around the league for his winning accomplishments that even Sidney Crosby, the games top player, checked with his Chicago counterpart before accepting the captaincy for Team Canada. He wanted to make sure Toews, a winner of two Cups to just one for Crosby, was okay with it. For first-time Olympians like Pietrangelo and Matt Duchene, Toews and Crosby were the two to watch here in Sochi, the two to follow on the difficult path to gold, the second in as many Olympics for Canada. "Him and Sid are the two guys I probably look up most to in the league," said Duchene. "You want to follow in the footsteps of those guys." Stepping into the lineup for the injured John Tavares in Fridays semifinal against the U.S., Duchene said he looked to Toews and Crosby for leadership. "...they were kind of my calming factors. I looked at them and saw how they were dealing with it and thought okay, thats where I want to go as an individual so this is how I have to act and how I have to deal with it. "I didnt have any nerves the last two games and that was pretty amazing." For the second time in as many gold medal games it was Toews and Crosby both scoring for Canada - the latter on a breakaway against Lundqvist - both elevating their play under the most pressure-infused of situations. Both knew nothing less than gold was good enough, either for the nation or themselves as individuals. "This is old hat for them this game here," Duchene said with a growing smile. "This probably ranks in the top five biggest games ever [for them], not number one like me by a mile. Its pretty cool. Those are the guys you want to be like as you get older." ' ' '