There is no question whether Miguel Cabrera is the best player in baseball right now, as the third baseman leads the league in average and runs batted in. He is also tied for second in home runs, trailing the leader by two.
Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012, posting a .330 average with 44 home runs and 139 RBI’s. Cabrera led the AL in average, home runs, and RBI’s, being the first player to win the award since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
However, winning this prestigious award wasn’t easy as Cabrera only won the home run category by one defeating Josh Hamilton who had 43. Cabrera led the AL in average, but was second in the majors, behind Buster Posey, who batted .336.
As for the RBI category, Miguel had no trouble, beating Hamilton by 11.
In 2013, Cabrera is playing even better. The right-handed batter has a .385 average, the best in the majors by .30. His RBI total is at an astounding 57, beating Chris Davis by 11. However, Cabrera is behind Davis in home runs, as Davis has 16 and Cabrera 14.
Cabrera is just 30 years old, as he still is in the prime of his career. The right-handed batter is definitely capable of winning the award in back-to-back seasons.
The Detroit Tigers batting lineup is the best in the majors, so no pitcher can really pitch around one of the batters. Behind Cabrera is Prince Fielder, so he gets good pitches to hit. Cabrera’s walk total dropped by 44 last year, proving that pitchers are more inclined to pitch to him and not Fielder.
In every full season, Cabrera has had at least 100 RBI and only once did he have less than 30 home runs. In the last three seasons, Cabrera has had a WAR above six, an extremely high number for hitters.
Right now, Cabrera is on pace to hit a video-game like .388, hit 49 home runs and 200 RBI. It is very unlikely Cabrera will keep this stride up, but his numbers will still be extremely high.
So could he possibly win the Triple Crown again? To answer that, yes, it is possible Cabrera could win this award yet again. However, is it likely? Probably not.
Cabrera only beat Mike Trout in the average category by .04. Right now, Joe Mauer is in second with a .347 average, .41 less that Cabrera. But near the end of the season, the number will be closer, and other hitters will give Cabrera a run for his money.
In the home runs category, Cabrera is down by two to Davis. But he is also close to Edwin Encarnacion, Robinson Cano, and Mark Reynolds. The category will be close, possibly coming to the last day.
In RBI’s, Cabrera is killing the other players, but it will still come down to the wire. Cabrera is trying to beat Hack Wilson’s record of 191, which is a different story. There is a good chance Cabrera will win the award yet again, as his numbers seem fictional. But if anyone has a chance at winning this award, it is Miggy.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
