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PrintTrout or Cabrera? Cabrera or Trout? Cabrout or Trobrera?
It’s the debate that is picking up steam as the 2012 Major League Baseball season comes to a close, and the oddsmakers at The Greek have thrown their hat into the ring.
As you can see, it’s becoming a two-horse race.
Can we just go ahead and call it the battle of Old School vs. New Age?
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera currently leads the American League in batting average (.333) and RBI (130), and he’s second in the league in home runs (41), only one behind Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.
In other words, he’s a legitimate threat to win the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski did it for the Red Sox in 1967. Plus, he’s been “clutch” (provided you believe in such a thing in baseball), smashing 16 home runs and knocking in 45 runs since the calendar flipped to August while he tries to will the Tigers to the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Angels outfielder Mike Trout is a stat geek hero.
Trout can’t compete with Cabrera’s traditional stats, but it’s his total game that has the nerds and fantasy addicts drooling. Trout’s defense and baserunning should be taken into account, they say, and his 10.2 WAR (wins above replacement) smashes the competition. (New York’s Robinson Cano is closest at 6.6; Cabrera is at 6.5.)
Our vote (if we had one): Trout. He’s been the total package as a player this year, and he’s putting together a historic season (even more historic, some would say, than hitting for the Triple Crown). But that doesn’t mean you should bet on it, because too many of the voters will side with Cabrera, especially if he can get the Tigers to the playoffs.
