Why Miguel Cabrera Is Not The Best Player Of His Generation [BLOG]
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
Miguel Cabrera is one of the most amazing players in the history of Major League Baseball. Ever since breaking onto the scene in 2003, fans, analysts and other players have watched in awe of what he is capable of doing.
He won a World Series Championship in 2003 as a rookie with the Florida Marlins and has only gotten better since. He's finished in the top five in MVP voting seven times in 11 full seasons, winning back-to-back American League MVPs in 2012 and 2013 with the Detroit Tigers.
With everything he has accomplished -- gaudy numbers and trophies galore -- many of the greatest baseball minds out there believe that Cabrera is one of the greatest players of all time. And they're right.
Fans in Detroit line up at Comerica Park to catch a glimpse of greatness, knowing that something amazing could happen as long as "Miggy" is in the lineup. Supporters in Detroit are some of the first to call Cabrera the greatest player of his generation.
However, there is something that many, many people forget. There is someone who slipped through the cracks of the baseball consciousness in recent years. One of Cabrera's peers who may -- and probably should -- go down in history as an even greater player.
This player has more MVPs, more World Series Championships and better career statistics than Miguel Cabrera.
Albert Pujols.
Before you call me crazy, here's Pujols' and Cabrera's statistics from when both players were 21-years-old until they turned 31:
Granted, Pujols has dropped off considerably since his move to the Los Angeles Angels, but he is having a resurgence this season, with 23 home runs and 47 RBIs through 73 games.
One thing that hindered Pujols' chase for further all-time greatness was a knee injury that slowed him in 2013. He hasn't sustained his career .315 batting average while with the Angels, but his power numbers are on the rise this season.
Pujols won the Rookie of the Year award in the National League in 2001, batting .329 with 37 home runs and 130 RBI. He finished fourth in the NL MVP voting that season at age 21.
Pujols won the NL MVP in 2005, 2008 and 2009, and won World Series Championships in 2006 and 2011. There's one thing that Pujols has that Cabrera will likely never win -- two Gold Gloves.
There is one thing, however, that may help Cabrera's case for being considered a better player in the eyes of history when it's all said and done -- his Triple Crown Award.
Even with all of the lofty numbers Pujols tallied while with the Cardinals, he never won baseball's coveted Triple Crown. He came close in 2010, finishing first in home runs and RBIs, but just fifth in the National League in batting average.
Another thing that may have caused people to overlook Pujols is that he started in a era when everyone was putting up big numbers -- the Steroid Era. Hitting dominated, where the pendulum has swung back to pitching in recent years.
There's no doubt that both Cabrera and Pujols will be first-ballot Hall of Famers, and they should both be in the conversation as some of the greatest players to step foot on a baseball diamond. But people should be more careful when they throw around terms like "greatest player of the generation" without thinking about what "generation" means.
Not to take anything away from Miggy -- he does absolutely amazing things on the field, while being a fan-favorite off the field. Tigers fans should be appreciative every time they walk into the ballpark to see him play because they're witnessing history.
But keep things in perspective while doing so.
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