Miguel Cabrera Is The Michael Jordan Of Baseball

Miguel Cabrera is head and shoulders above just about every hitter in baseball right now and what he is doing now is the stuff of legend. In fact I may even go as far as saying that he is the Michael Jordan of baseball as far as individual talent and accolades go. Now as we know Cabrera captured the 1^st Triple Crown since 1967 last season but he has a chance to become the first player to ever capture back to back triple crowns this year.

Think about that for a second, in the 100+ years of baseball no player has ever dominated at such a level to where they lead the league in batting  average, home runs and RBI’s in consecutive seasons. That speaks volumes to the hitter Cabrera is that he even has the opportunity to do something like this. I have always said even dating back to his Marlins days that Miguel Cabrera was the purest, most complete hitter in baseball. As soon as he matured he began to prove me right and has shown who he is at his zenith. We are witnessing greatness and for all the negativity surrounding the game with performance enhancing drugs, I think more attention needs to be paid to the positivity he represents in the game right now.

 He still needs to catch Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis who has 47 home runs, if he can do that Cabrera could have arguably the greatest triple crown season in the history of baseball. Its going to be a tough task catching Davis who seemingly seems to hit a home run every time Miguel inches a bit closer but keep in mind its only 4 home runs and we know how quickly Miggy can get hot. The next month will make for some exciting baseball seeing Cabrera trying to make history.

Like I said earlier Cabrera could arguably the greatest season ever by a triple crown winner ever. People who are educated on the history of the award and the stats of some of the winners like Lou Gehrig Or Jimmie Foxx might see that as blasphemy but just here me out. Take a look at the stats below from 2 of the greatest Triple Crown seasons ever.

Jimmie Foxx 1933  356./48 HR/163 RBI

Lou Gehrig 1934    363./49 HR/165 RBI

Flat out gaudy numbers that will be hard to touch, even for a guy like Miguel Cabrera but lets take a look of Cabrera’s numbers as of August 31^st.

(As of August 31^st 2013)

Miguel Cabrera 2013   359./43 HR/130 RBI

Now as we look at those stats right now it looks similar to Gehrig and Foxx (excluding RBI’s). The 2 greatest triple crown seasons are in the same category as Cabrera. No disrespect to the era that those guys played in but pitching in this era is on an entirely different level then those guys saw. Velocity is higher, pitchers change speeds more efficiently and there are more teams around the league so he isn’t as familiar with all the pitchers in the league to the degree that Gehrig and Foxx were.

Now I have done some math and have calculated based on monthly averages what Cabrera final stat line will look like at the end of this season. Let me break it down 1^st Cabrera Averages 21 RBI’s 8 Homeruns,35 Hits and 97 at bats per month after you add up all his totals from previous months and divide. If you add that to his current total this is what his final stat line in 2013 will look like.

( Final Stat line For 2013)

Miguel Cabrera 2013  362./51 HR/151 RBI’s

So as we look at that and compare it to Gehrig and Foxx he hits for a higher batting average than them as well as hit more homeruns than them. Granted there are many variables that play a role in the final outcome such the execution of his monthly averages and his health. Regardless of whether he wins the Triple Crown or not, if he finishes with a stat total that looks like that it cements his place as the greatest hitter of the generation. If he actually catches Chris Davis in homeruns this month and wins the Triple Crown then that’s just a bonus.

We are watching history in the making and if you are a hardcore baseball fan you can look at his season with the proper perspective.

Jose Fernandez Is The New Favorite For Rookie Of The Year

After his 2 starts this week, Jose Fernandez has become the front runner for National League Rookie of the year. For a Marlins team that has been horrendous this season, Fernandez has been a model of consistency. At the age of 21, Jose Fernandez has already put his name in the same sentence of elite pitchers in the game today.

Strength In Numbers

In his rookie season, after only pitching 1 year of class A-ball, Jose Fernandez is 3^rd in ERA (MLB) with an ERA of (2.30), behind only fellow rookie Matt Harvey (2.27) and Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw (1.72). With a 10-5 win/loss record, the Marlins ace has a higher winning percentage of (.667) than Kershaw (.650). KJ In the category of strikeouts per 9 innings. Fernandez at (9.73) strikeouts per 9 innings is higher than Adam Wainwright (8.24) and Felix Hernandez (9.36). To go along with all of that his opponent batting average of (.188) is better than MLB strikeout leader Yu Darvish (.191).

Those stats would be impressive for anybody but for a rookie playing on a very offensively challenged ball club they look even greater. To appreciate how great Fernandez has been this season you have to really know how bad the Marlins offense is. So like I stated earlier, the rookie phenom has a 10-5 record, which is impressive playing for the Marlins. As a collective offense, the Marlins don't strike fear into the hearts of many opponents, ranking dead last in runs scored (415) and hits (997). We are in late August, heading into the last month of the season, and the Marlins still are the only team that doesn’t have 1,000 hits as a team yet. So the fact the Jose Fernandez has so little to work with from his offense and is posting the numbers he has, speaks volumes to what he is accomplishing in his rookie season.

Puig Who?

Last Monday against the red hot fellow Cuban rookie sensation Yasiel Puig and the LA Dodgers Jose Fernandez validated himself to the baseball world as the 2013 National League rookie of the year. Marlins Park was more filled than usual with both Cuban rookie phenoms facing off against each other, Miami's large Cuban community came to see which one would shine the most. Like most of the baseball world they came to see Puig but were left impressed with Fernandez as he shut down the Dodger order going 6 innings, giving up only 4 hits, 1 earned run and collecting 8 strikeouts in a 6-2 Marlins victory over the Dodgers. Puig went 0-4 against Fernandez with a strikeout, looking very uncomfortable. At times Puig didn't even look like a big league hitter. He even had more hits then Yasiel hitting a single to center field in the 3^rd inning. So against baseball's hottest name Fernandez dominated and proved against the media's favorite rookie why he is the real rookie of the year.

No Contest

Barring a massive meltdown in September, Jose Fernandez will be the National League rookie of the year. If he maintains this kind of consistency through the whole entire month of September, he may even get some Cy Young consideration. One series that could really do a lot for Fernandez as far as Cy Young consideration goes is the September 27-29 series vs Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers. If he gets the start, he will be taking on baseball's best offense in Detroit, which leads the league in runs scored at (615). Not to mention the best hitter on the whole planet Miguel Cabrera, who won the triple crown last season. If he has a start against them like he did against the Dodgers, then it will be tough to not get Cy Young consideration. As far as the rookie of the year award goes, he has already won it, he's been the most consistent rookie from start to finish. Plus I think it would be incredibly hypocritical of baseball to give Puig the rookie of the year award, when they didn't let him participate in the all-star game. As well as giving it to him over a guy who made the all-star team and has been here all year long. So it will be interesting to see if baseball can stay consistent as far as what they believe in. If Jose Fernandez doesn’t win rookie of the year then I believe that all this is fixed and they are Puig lovers.

Throwback Thursday: 1989 Oakland A's

This afternoon The Oakland A’s Clinched the division tittle over the back to back AL Champion Texas Rangers. Against all odds with players who were cast offs from other teams came out of nowhere to win 94 games and capture the AL West title. With Oakland in the playoffs and the bay area once again buzzing about the green and gold the A’s are in the playoffs looking to do something they haven’t done since 1989 which is win a world championship and that’s our subject today the 1989 Oakland A’s.

Back in 1989 the A’s were the best team in baseball winning 99 games which was a league best that season. Guys like Mark Mcgwire, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckerseley  and Dave Stewart dominated baseball and made teams respect and ultimately fear Oakland. Dave Stewart was 21-9 with a 3.32 ERA and arguably the most dominate pitcher that year. The line up featured Dave Parker, Mark Mcgwire, Rickey Henderson and was one of the best offenses in Baseball the A’s balance of speed,power, pitching made them contenders. Once they got to the playoffs though they made sure that nobody would stop them. They beat the Toronto BlueJays in dominant fashion 4-1 in the 1989 ALCS. Ricky Henderson was the ALCS MVP. They would play the crosstown rival San Francisco Giants and sweep them in 4 games winning by 3 runs or more in all of them to capture the 1989 World Series championship, Dave Stewart was the World Series MVP. The 2012 version of the A’s start their quest towards a championship for the 1st time since 1989 as they square of with Triple crown winner Miguel Cabrera and the AL Central Champion Detroit Tigers.

How Dontrelle Willis should be remembered

Not too long ago former Florida Marlins all-star pitcher and Fan favorite Dontrelle Willis retired from the game of baseball. Willis is known for his high leg kick delivery he learned growing up in Alameda, California. Willis is most remembered for his midseason run he had as a 21 year old young pup going 14-6 his rookie season and winning the rookie of the year en route to helping the Marlins 2nd world series title. 2005 saw the D-train go an impressive 22-10 and earn cy young runner up. After that season he was never the same pitcher again he failed to throw strikes with any consistency. After a few average seasons in Florida Willis was dealt to the Detroit Tigers along with fellow team mate Miguel Cabrera. From 2008-2011 Willis only recorded 4 wins and after bouncing around with the Tigers, D-backs, Reds, Phillies, Orioles Dontrelle decided to hang it up and retire via Twitter saying “im deeply thankful for everything the game has done for me and I will always remember the great people I met along the way #mlb”. Now a lot of people what will D-trains legacy be in the game of baseball? Some will look at it from the negative approach so from a positive one. I am gonna look at D-trains legacy as a positive one a 2 time all-star,20 game winner and a guy who was a huge part of the Marlins 2nd world championship. Above all that though I think people should look at Dontrelle willis and say that he played with a passion of a man but joy of a kid all at the same time. He played the game hard everyday gave you all he could ran the bases hard and had an infectious energy that rubbed off on teamates. I grew up going to Pro player stadium watching the man pitch so maybe im biased but when I would sit there in my cheap seats and watch him pitch he was always worth the price of admission. I have followed the Marlins since I was 4 years old and I have never seen a connection from player to fans like I saw With Dontrelle Willis and Marlins fns,so while many people will lable him a bust I will remember him for what he is a champion, hard worker, and great person and will continue to rock the black #35 jersey at marlins park. CONGRATS D-train on a good career thanks for the memories!!!!!!!