Who's the AL MVP?

Do you give it to the Cabrerra if he wins the Twiple Crown, or do you you give it to the best player, Mike Trout?

Cabrerra can obviously hit but he doesn't measure up to Trout on defense or speed/running.

I think Trout will get it regardless if Cabrerra get the TC!

the vote is now 5-0, thank god we're a smart bunch here. trout's having a historic year, in his 20yr old season! his war is already best mark for cf all time.

having said all that since it looks like angels will be out and tigers in, miggy will get it regardlyess because the dinosaur voters are clueless (prove me wrong!). the tc will only ice it.

These guys are running the same poll and have it so far as 55% Trout, 45% Cabrera:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1353313-mike-trout-angels-rookie-has-multiple-mvp-awards-in-his-future

If Trout had been in the league for ten years and Cabrera was a rookie, this wouldn't even be a discussion.

i consider bleacherreport to be above espn and cbs as far as readers who are "clued" in and not just casual fans...and it's already that close. there's just no scenario i can see trout winning it, with his team not making it and cabrera potentially getting the tc and the white sox choking the division away.

this is just like braun and kemp last year, except it'd be even more of an injustice.

I have to agree with Quan. Trout is the obvious choice for knowledgeable but the dinosaurs will stain their undies if Cabrerra gets the TC and they will give him the MVP for that and figuring that Trout will probably have numerous chances to win MVPs during his career.

part of me agrees that if a team doesn't make the postseason...does it really matter how valuable a given player was? He obviously wasn't valuable enough for the team to make it?

It's an individual award, not a team award. It's supposed to recognize the best player in the league. No one player, no matter how good, can carry a team to the playoffs. The season is just too long.

ullmandds wrote:part of me agrees that if a team doesn't make the postseason...does it really matter how valuable a given player was? He obviously wasn't valuable enough for the team to make it?

well you can say pete with trout's 10+wins if he was on the tigers they'd be cruising into the playoffs already instead of still fighting it out with miggy's 6wins contribution.

Funny Jay... i agree that it is supposed to be an individual award... but it seems to have evolved into the player that helps his team the most?

Trout has put up the best rookie season in mlb history, and didn't get called up until a month into the season!! Ridiculous numbers:

.321, 30 HR's, 48 SB's, 80 RBI, and the best part....127 runs scored!!

He could easily steal a few more bags before the end of the regular season, who was the last guy to go 30/50? Imagine what he could do with 75 more AB's?

Miggy isn't any different than he has been in previous years, and he's a dud defensively. How many balls did he boot at 3B this year? Trout is an elite CF. Trout is the AL MVP hands down.

there's been only four 30/47+ season (including trout now)...2 by eric davis and the other barry bonds. bonds holds the record with 52 sb, with 13 caught stealings. so a 30/47 season is rarer than the triple crown

Well your scenario is coming to fruition... Cabrera is now in sole possession of all three categories... and it is looking very likely that he will get the Triple Crown.

It's definitely a good debate and trout is a lock for rookie of the year... ultimately I agree with you guys in that Cabrera will most likely get it... and with both of their numbers so impressive in somewhat different ways... it's kind of picking hairs at this point. both candidates are certainly deserving... and if the angels were going to the postseason the argument would be that much more compelling...

miggy (most skilled fat man in america) went 4-5 with hr and now batting .329...mike trout so far is 4-4 and is at .325 against king felix. i don't think josh hamilton can catch cabrera in hr playing at oakland, so it might be up to trout for the batting title.

miggy's pretty much feasted on inferior pitching this month while trout's had to go against the al west and better pitching (as compared to league).

way to go m trout...4-4 last night!!!

Had Trout been given a starting job on opening day, the Angels would probably be in the playoffs too. He's amassed THOSE numbers (.321, 30 HR, 127 Runs scored, 48 SB) in only 137 games. To paraphrase Berra, "this phenom IS phenominizing"

Cabrera, great year, and were it not for the emergence of Trout, a no-brainer MVP. Triple Crown, awesome, but not five tools awesome.

I'll be the contrarion, I enjoy it.

If a man leads a league in HR, RBI, and AVG, and is the first one to do so in 45 years, and also comes in second in hits and runs scored, and basically carries his team to a division title, I refuse to feel it's an injustice if he's given the MVP award. Trout will get his ROTY, and deservedly so, and it certainly wouldn't be an injustice if he got the MVP, as well, but I'm fine with Cabrera getting it. He may not be who we would all choose, but I think we can agree it would be a heck of a lot more acceptable than Joe Gordon getting it in '42 instead of Ted Williams.

Can I recast my vote for Derek Jeter?!

ullmandds wrote:Can I recast my vote for Derek Jeter?!

Now THERE'S a contrarion!

Actually, loathe the Yankees though I do, I'd have to agree that Jeter deserves a vote or two. Not to win, certainly, but to at least get some consideration. To do what he's done at his age, and to be the mainstay on a team where guys have been going down left and right, is fairly remarkable. I don't even know off the top of my head: Has anyone 38 or older ever led their league in hits before?

ullmandds wrote:Can I recast my vote for Derek Jeter?!

per your prognostication i'm gonna start stockpiling jeter rcs for his mvp speech. hoping for good news come november!

you mean...autographed jeter rookie cards...right?!?!?!

you got it pete...you convinced me i needed *4* of them:

Hope my O's kick his autographin' arse tomorrow night!

rooting for o's/a's or cincy.