The AL MVP Choice is Clear

            How can someone who has a chance to get the Triple Crown in the American League, which has not been done in over forty years, lose the MVP race? When the person who wins is being compared to an early Mickey Mantle and may be the most spectacular defensive outfielder we’ve seen in a while.

Mike trout will win the American League MVP award, just narrowly beating out Miguel Cabrera. No one can take away what Cabrera might do, which would be winning the Home run, RBI, and Batting title in one year, but it is not enough to take over what a 21 year old complete player is doing in his rookie season. The WAR (wins above replacement) stat, though imperfect, may be the only statistic that can completely judge a players overall value.

Trout is leading the majors with a 10.4 WAR, which is 3.6 ahead of Cabrera. Cabrera is not even the highest player on his team; Justin Verlander is in a three way tie for second in the majors. Even if you do not want to look at WAR, you just need to watch them play. Mike Trout is on his way to becoming a revolutionary player and is showing some of the greatest defense in the majors. When it comes to defense, Trout wins every time. Cabrera is actually one of the worst defensive third baseman in the majors.

When it comes to hitting, Cabrera is obviously the better player, but when you dissect some of the stats, it is not by much. The RBI stat is a bit overrated because it is more about opportunity than actual skill. The fact the Trout is a leadoff man means he gets on base more and is not meant to drive in the runs, but score them. You need to look more into Mike Trout’s game to see the amount of impact he has on scoring runs.

First of all, Trout is one of the best base stealers in the game. His success rate is 46 for 50, one of the best ever with that many attempts. This stops double play opportunities, which will add in more runs. Also Mike Trout’s defense has saved around 25 runs from scoring, while Cabrera has not given much added value with any base running or defense. Then you look that Trout is only .06 behind Cabrera in Batting Average, which is one of the most important stats for a hitter.

The argument should not be used as a divider and something to be upset about. The fact that there is the possibility that we could have one of the greatest hitting performances of all time, along with one of the greatest all around performances, IN THE SAME YEAR! My prediction for Mike Trouts Career is that his name will be stated in the same breath as Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle.

So Who is your AL MVP?

All stats are provided by ESPN Stats Page.