OT: Cabrera to win Triple Crown Tonight?

Correction: Trout has appeared in 138 games. 

Although I'd like to see Cabrera win the MVP, I will have no complaints if Trout wins it. The Triple Crown is much more important to Cabrera's legacy anyway.

Any talking head still discussing the mvp race is just filling time, Cabrera is a lock to win the MVP.

This is one of those 'will be the only time I see this in my life' sort of moments as a fan.  An incredible accomplishment. 

EDIT - I believe the Rangers play in the afternoon, so we'll know where Hamilton ends up before the Tigers play. 

I'm a Sox fan (Ketchup, not Mayo), and while I grew up hearing about how Yaz was the last player to win the Triple Crown, I think it's about time someone else accomplished it. It's been generations since it has been done. The sport really needs something like this. 

Pretty incredible, what an accomplishment.  Let's hope Griffin/relievers will give Cabrera a little help today by shutting down Hamilton!  

Cabrera numbers are sick..i hope he gets it

Why is this a debate IMO?  Two words: Justin Verlander

I don't think the writers like giving out the award to players on the same team in back to back years - especially if they havent won the Series yet.

Generally, the people who are pulling for Mike Trout (who aren't Angels fans) are white journalists who root for crappy NL teams. That's really the only way I can think of for them to compare the ludicrous "other Triple Crown" (SB, OBP, WAR) to the existing one.

Leyland said on the radio that Cabrera will be a game-time decision and he'll be watching the Texas game to help make the decision. If Hamilton doesn't hit a HR, don't expect them to play Cabrera.

I've said this since Cabby joined the Tigers, but he is hands down the best hitter in the game.  I wouldn't trade him for anyone. 

Texas will be done playing before the Tigers start.  The Angels start at 6:40 and the Tigers start at 8:10.  For those playing along at home here are the possible batting averages based upon tonight's potential performance.

Then it should be impossible for him to lose the batting title if he sits out, correct? Trout would have to go 5-5 just to tie him, and he'd just be hoping that Hamilton doesn't hit 2 HRs. 

Fielding percentage is a worthless stat for showing how good someone is defensively.  You'd need your head examined if you were going to tout Cabby's defensive prowess over Trout using fielding percentage.  Trout is by far the superior defender -- in fact, he's the best CF in the game.

Of course I want Miguel to win the MVP, but he's already achieved something more important this season: making the playoffs.

Go Tigers!!

I was starting to wonder if anybody would ever accomplish this again. I always thought Pujols in his prime was the most likely candidate -- he's won a batting title, home run title, and RBI title, but never managed to do all three in one year. A great accomplishment for Miggy.

I have no dog in the MVP argument b/w Trout and Cabrera (I'm a Cardinals fan), but I see the argument on both sides -- I don't think you can just say "There's NO WAY Trout should win the MVP." Dude has had a phenomenal season, plays a more premium defensive position. I'd probably vote for Cabrera, but you can make a good case for Trout too. (I'm not a sabremetrics nut, but I do think it helps us understand the game and players' contributions better than ever).

Also, to the OP: I wouldn't bandy about fielding percentage as a proof of defensive prowess (for Cabrera or anyone else). You can have a great fielding percentage but shitty range, which means you commit fewer errors, but also don't get to as many balls as someone with better range.

he's got the HR crown, anyway. I'm delighted for him and the team. 

Appreciate this update!

I hope (and honestly think) Cabrera will win the MVP, but Jayson Stark made a pretty good (and objective) case for Trout in a write-up yesterday. Here's the link.

I've often said that if I had to pick one hitter to send to home plate with a big game riding on it, I'd pick Cabrera. But that doesn't mean he's been a better baseball player than Mike Trout. And remember, that Triple Crown isn't the only historic achievement that belongs in this argument. Trout is the first player EVER to hit 30 homers, steal 45 bases and score 125 runs in one season.

If you want to toss in his slash line, his 62 extra-base hits, his 92.3 percent stolen-base success rate or any other item on his stat sheet, you'll find that no player in the history of baseball has combined this much excellence in so many areas in the same season. Again, that phrase was "no player in the history of baseball."

And by the way, Trout only needs 1 more SB to make it a 30-50 season for him. If he gets on base today, you can bet your bottom dollar he'll be off to the races to get #50.

Either way, it's exciting that we're this close to history, and that the person making history happens to be playing for my team.

I'm really sick of the WAR stat.  I wish people would stop throwing that meaningless stat around.   Last years WAR leader in the American League was...Ben Zobrist.  He batted .269 with 20 HR's and 91 RBI's.

Yes.

Next question.

One thing to look at is how each has down down the stretch. Trout's numbers have tappered off significantly since Aug. 1st, while Miggy has been even better. He helped get his team into the playoffs. Trout was a big reason the Angels were even relavent, but once the book was out on him he couldn't keep pace.

It shouldn't be close in my opinion. Trout had a great year, but he wasn't as effective after pitchers had tape of him and learned how to pitch to him. His September numbers left a lot to be desired for a potential MVP winner. Cabrera on the other hand played out of his mind towards the end of the year. Pitchers knew what they had to do and still couldn't stop him.

Baseball mojo is a wierd thing.  You don't talk to a pitcher who's throwing a no hitter, so maybe we shouldn't talk about this until tomorrow.

Absolutely nothing.

How so many people are going crazy over such a pointless metric is beyond me.  It's based off comparing stats with a fictional minor league player, fergodsakes!  I honestly just see this as ESPN freaking out that their midseason "lock" for the MVP (Trout) no longer looks like the most deserving candidate.  Also, I can imagine, as much as we and so many others love Miggy, many marketing departments aren't too thrilled with having to turn Cabrera into a bankable marketing star, which they would clearly have to try to do if he has an MVP trophy to go along with a triple crown.  Just my little conspiracy theories as to why WAR has picked up a lot of steam as of late...

Trout isn't exactly chopped liver compared to Cabrera:

45 more SBs
.003 higher OBP
probable gold glove winner (sorry Austin!)
20 more runs scored

versus

.007 lower BA
14 less HRS
56 less rbis (wow!)
30 less slugging pct

It's a simple question of Trout's extra speed and defense vs. Cabrera's extra power + RBI. To dismiss this as a debate that should be one-sided is likely no more than a failure to see all sides of the argument.

"How is this not already handed to Cabrera and why is there even a debate... it's baffling." -- ESPN wants to create drama. Drama == PROFIT.

WAR is a nice framework stat but my biggest issue with it is the fact that the formula for calculating is not defined. How do Fangraphs and Keith Law calculate WAR when in and of itself has a subjective formula? If there is no specific formula wouldn't that lead to inconclusive results?



I certainly think the MVP is up for debate, it's the douches like Keith Law that thinks its an absolute runaway for Trout that make me go insane.

A team had back to back MVPs at different positions?

I think the issue with him sitting out today is based on the mystique surrounding these records created by Ted Williams.  In '41, he was at .3995, which would have been rounded up to .400.  Instead of sitting, he played a doubleheader and went 6 for 8 to finish at .406.

I think the media will chastise Leyland/Miggy if he sits regardless of whether he deserves to or not.  I personally think there should be no issue if he sits (he has only missed one game), but hope he plays to really seal the deal.

I'm okay with Trout winning the MVP - the guy has had an amazing year and one that hasn't been seen before.  And the only reason his team isn't in the playoffs is because of the division they play in - all three teams have a better record thant the Tigers.  And to be fair, this is actually Cabrera's worst overall season of the past three (minor differences admittedly), so it is a little weird that this is the mortal lock year when two years ago he had better slash numbers and nearly the same classic HR/RBI/Avg. breakdowns. 

Personally, I'd love to see the Tigers go back-to-back MVPs, but I'm okay with a transcendent year like Trout's being recognized.

I wanna preface this by saying that I'm a casual baseball fan and dont understand all the intricacies of the sport.

A great argument made for Cabrera being more "valuable" to the Tigers than Trout is to the Angels that hasn't been brought up here yet and I thought I would share.

Cabrera is responsible for plating 204 runs.  (His runs scored + his RBI - his HR so they aren't counted twice). 

So thats 109+139-44= 204

The Tigers have scored 725 runs so far this season meaning Cabrera has had a hand in 28.1% of all the runs scored.

Trout meanwhile is responsible for 182 runs (129+83-30).  The Angels have scored 693 runs since Trout was called up.  

So Trout has had a hand in 26.26% of his teams run production.  

That means even with all his extra speed on the bases, Trout still isn't "as valuable" offensively to his team as Cabrera has been to the Tigers.

So with that said, I think the debate then comes down to how much emphasis you put on defense.  I'll leave that to those of you who know better.

I'm a Tigers fan and love Miggy, but if I had a vote I would vote for Trout.  I just think he has contributed to the Angels in more ways and is a complete 5-tool player, a once in a generation talent.  

Cabrera's Triple Crown is an awesome accomplishment, but in reality HR's are the only stat that is truly representative of a great season.  AVG. is not nearly as important as OBP.  And RBI doesn't really mean all that much except that the batters ahead of him were able to somehow get on base.  Winning the Triple Crown would be nice, but has very little meaning in determining who is the better player.  Trout's 49 steals are indicative of his excellent speed and base-running prowess,and Trout is most definitely a better defensive player than Miggy.  While I agree Cabrera probably has played better than Trout recently, and he may well end up winning the MVP, I would not be voting for him.

As a Tigers fan, i certainly want Cabrera to win the MVP, but i can make a compelling arguement for either player. And i certainly wouldn't feel like it's a travesty if Trout wins.

However, i'd end up voting for Miggy based on a few things. One, the higher average over more games; not playing as many games isn't Trout's fault, but it's still a fact. Two, Trout's production has fallen off in August and September. Three, late season and late inning production stats really favor Cabrera. Four, the intagibles of switching positions to a more difficult to field position and performing above expectations (certainly not being a liability). This one you could balance out with Trout being a rookie, which counts for something; on the other hand, Trout has only proven that he's really fast and had an incredible couple of months in the middle of the season.

In the end and assuming Cabrera wins the Triple Crown, that will matter a hell of a lot more than winning the MVP. Cabrera will be on a short list with some of the games greatest hitters and will be the last Triple Crown winner for what could be a few decades based on history. In five years Trout winning the MVP will be forgotten by most except when it pops up as a question about rookie MVP winners in bar trivia or becomes the exclamation point on the first season of an incredible career.

Hamilton, 2 ABs, no HR through 3.  He is up 2nd in the 4th.