Is It Time To Include Miguel Cabrera In MVP Discussion?

Maybe it's just one or two average months that keep Miguel Cabrera out of the discussion for the American League Most Valuable Player award each year.

In 2008, the Detroit Tigers' first baseman hit 18 of his 37 home runs during the months of August and September. His on base percentage plus slugging (OPS) was fully .113 points higher after the All-Star Break (.951) than before it (.838). He finished on top the AL board for home runs and a close second-place in RBI, while being one of the few reasons to be excited about the Tigers as they finished a disappointing season.

After a hot April this year, the doldrums of the early season struck again. But with a blistering-hot week at the plate, Cabrera again seems to be putting it all together in the second half. He has seven home runs and 25 RBI this month, to go with a 1.158 OPS.

He's 10 off the pace in home runs, and 13 behind the leader in RBI, but Cabrera is steadily making his way up the ladder in traditional stats, while sitting behind only Twins catcher Joe Mauer in OPS (1.065 vs. .988 for Cabrera).

All the while, Cabrera continues to show great growth with the glove, and currently has the second highest Ultimate Zone Rating by a first baseman, as listed at Fangraphs.com.

The key batter for a first-place club, who also has a pretty good glove to go with it? That seems to be the very definition of an MVP, doesn't it?

Yet, it seems like the ship has sailed for the MVP discussion. The debate appears to be  framed around Mauer—certainly the leader of a theoretical Most Outstanding Player discussion—and Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira—a very productive player on what appears to be the best team in the AL.

Thus, the two players in the main debate seem already to be decided. Do you give the award to the slick-hitting catcher on a team that likely won't make the playoffs. (This is an open-and-shut case if the Twins do make the playoffs.) Or do you give it to the best hitter on the best team?

So to me, it seems like Cabrera is at best, a third-place vote. But he shouldn't be, the debate should be framed: Mauer vs. Cabrera.

I can think of only two reasons why it is not.

The first is more conspiratorial in nature. Teixeira is a Yankee. You must include an AL East player in any discussion of MVP. But I don't want to get into conspiracies.

The second reason seems to be RBIs, a flawed traditional stat if ever there was one.

It's easy to criticize Cabrera for a lack of RBI, but he is hitting .331 with a .934 OPS with runners in scoring position, so that may be a lack of opportunities due to a weak Tigers' lineup as much as anything. (By the way, those numbers put Cabrera behind Mauer with .371 and 1.126, and ahead of Teixeira with .271 and .875)

Otherwise, neither Cabrera nor Teixeira, who has four more home runs, have been incredibly consistent over the course of the season. And Teixeira has a lot more help in carrying the Yankees' offense.

To me, the vote is simple.

If you believe the MVP should go to the best player in the league, it's Mauer, and not even close. If I was voting today, that's who I'd choose.

But if you believe it should go to the player who meant the most to his team, and the Tigers hold on to make the playoffs, Cabrera simply must be ahead of that discussion.