Miguel Cabrera should edge out Mike Trout

This afternoon the AL MVP will be announced and it should be a close contest between Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. The stats are pretty astounding. I don’t know why anyone else is even on the ballot.

- Cabrera ranks first in batting average, OPS, home runs, RBI, and total bases; second in runs, hits, and runs created per 27 outs (RC27); third in wins over replacement (WAR).

- Trout ranks first in runs, stolen bases, RC27 and WAR; second in average, OPS; third in triples. And plays really good defense.

One of the biggest things going for Trout is his defense. He plays lights out center field, no doubt. He’s a human highlight reel. Cabrera is maligned for his defense. But he also did something special for his team, and that was moving from first base to third base so Prince Fielder could have a spot on the team. His defense was below average, but I cut him a little slack because of his flexibility. And speaking of Fielder, he didn’t exactly provide Gold Glove defense at first base to hide poor plays from his teammates.

Trout is a complete player. He’s like Jose Reyes plus 30-homer power. Defense, speed and baserunning, power, and hits for a high average. There are probably a whole bunch of sabermetric stats that he leads in that I’ve never even heard of. He is crazy-exciting.

Cabrera is a big-time slugger who won the Triple Crown, a landmark accomplishment that hasn’t been achieved in 45 years. He is the league’s best and most feared hitter.

It’s a cheap shot I know, but for being renowned for his defense, Trout wasn’t picked for the Gold Glove at his position.

Both players’ teams underperformed for much of the year. Trout definitely sparked a resurgence for the Angels but in the end they still couldn’t even stay with the Oakland A’s or Baltimore Orioles, despite having a roster full of stars. The Tigers got behind the White Sox but surged strong in the second half and won the division handily before advancing to the World Series.

It’s not a lifetime achievement award but hey, Cabrera deserves MVP. He has hit above .320 in 7 of the last 8 years, tallied 30+ homers in 8 of the last 9, and averaged 118 RBI in his 9 full seasons. He could have won MVP three other times. He's the most consistent slugger in my lifetime. He won the Triple Crown in a pitcher’s park. Mike Trout likely had the best rookie season ever but he missed the first month of the season. I can’t wait to see what he can do across 162 games. Trout will have plenty of opportunities to collect multiple MVP awards but for now, my unofficial vote goes to a very deserving Miguel Cabrera.