2012 American League MVP Debate

Hello everyone,

Today I. gonna look at the 2012 American League MVP debate.

Here are the top three candidates:

PLAYER 1
G     AB    R    H    2B   3B    HR    RBI    SB    BB    SO    AVG    OBP    SLG   OPS     
146  567  100  189  38    0      40      129       4      60      88     .333    .396      .612    1.008    

PLAYER 2
G     AB    R    H    2B   3B    HR    RBI    SB    BB    SO    AVG    OBP    SLG   OPS     
138  520   98   149  27    2       42      123      7      58     144    .287     .358     .588    .947    

PLAYER 3
G     AB    R    H    2B   3B    HR    RBI    SB    BB    SO    AVG    OBP    SLG   OPS     
125  507   118 166  24     6      27      77       46     57     121    .327     .396     .558    .900    

As you can clearly see, all three candidates are having stellar seasons.
Player 1 seems to have the best overall numbers. He leads the American League in batting average, runs batted in, on base percentage, slugging, OPS, second in home runs, and second in runs scored. This player is a legitimate threat to win the triple crown-THIS YEAR! In addition, his team is in the hunt for a postseason birth, but probably need a strong finish to make it.

Player 2 has had a nice season, but has been extremely streaky. He leads the majors in home runs, second in runs batted in, third in runs scored, second in slugging, and fourth in OPS. He is having an excellent season, but probably a long shot. Also, his team is in first place of his division and WILL be in the postseason.

Player 3 seems to be the popular pick due to his "saber" stats . . . whatever they mean. He is having a great season by any standard, but let's examine his offensive numbers. He leads the league in runs scored and stolen bases, and is second in batting average. His other numbers are excellent, but do not rank in the top five. His team is in the hunt for a postseason spot, but the are on the outside looking in at the moment. Along with Bryce Harper, he  is one of the most hyped young players in the majors right now.

Can you guess who these players are?

1. Miguel Cabrera, Third Base, Detroit Tigers

2. Josh Hamilton, Outfielder, Texas Rangers

3. Mike Trout, Outfielder, Los Angeles Angels 

My Take:  While I believe that all three are strong candidates to win the award, I would argue that Miguel Cabrera has had the best season of them all. He has a legitimate chance to win the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski achieved it in 1967. If he takes the Triple Crown, the other guys have no chance at all.

However, Mike Trout seems to be the darling of the saber-metric world. To be honest with everyone, I am not completely on board with this new wave of baseball statistics, It seems as though the traditional means of determining a players worth has worked well so far. Anyway, I think Trout is a lock to win the Rookie of the Year award by a landslide, but I am not sure if the MVP is in the cards quite yet, but I can see him finishing second.

Josh Hamilton is having a monster season, but I think that his two month slump in the middle of the year may hurt his chances. I think that he will finish third despite being the only player locked for a postseason appearance.

Who do you think will win the American League MVP?
Let me know either in the comments spot below or on Facebook!

As always, thanks for reading!

Marty Sabin