The 2011 MLB regular season has just finished and with playoffs under way, the Detroit Tigers find themselves back in the post season after a five year exodus. Justin Verlander has taken all the headlines with his Cy Young-esque season and has even found himself amongst the American League MVP talk from a few people. Victor Martinez has been a fantastic addition batting fifth in the lineup but the glue that holds it all together is none other than Miguel Cabrera.
Cabrera has had an MVP calibre year but that is no surprise as he seems to defy logic hitting for contact, average and power every year. He has hit over 100 RBI's a season for the past 8 years not to mention he has 1597 hits in that time and also 277 home runs. This feat is even more incredible when you consider he has played at Comerica Park in Detroit for the past four years which is a very friendly ball park for pitchers to pitch in. The 2011 season saw Cabrera register a career high in on-base percentage with .448 and also in his last 10 games end the season he was batting .517 to help the Tigers win the division. He demonstrated his clutch performing, as when he drove a run in during the 2011 season, the Tigers went (49-24) at a winning percentage of .671. For such a big man, he has exceptionally fast hands and can turn on a lot of pitches and drive them out of the ball park. It is worth noting that this year the help of Victor Martinez providing protection for him to actually see pitches that are hittable. Teams can no longer pitch around Cabrera this year with Martinez lurking behind him on deck,and he has made them pay with nearly career numbers across the board this season. He finally nailed a batting title to his emerging resume that could rival modern greats by the time he is done. For me, only Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero have better career statistics than Cabrera right now and with A-Rod taking performance enhancing drugs, there will always be an asterisk next to his name. He could be better defensively, but is still capable of making quality athletic plays at 1st base after being converted from a 3rd baseman to a 1st baseman after signing with Detroit in 2008. Do people look down at Miggy's baseball prowess for his off the field problems and perceived character issues, which I admit do not cover himself in glory.
It is only a matter of time before we see Miggy grab a regular season MVP award to crown his incredible consistency then the baseball world will stand up and recognise him amongst the best hitters in baseball.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
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