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.

Great Rookie Cards (Part 3)

#19  1984 Topps Dan Marino

Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, some might even say the greatest of all-time. Marino was known for his precision on offense and lightning quick release. His tools at the quarterback position allowed him to lead the league in passing 5 times while throwing for 420 career touchdowns which currently puts him 3rd all-time among quarterbacks.

#18 1954 Topps Hank Aaron

Still regarded as "The Homerun King" to many baseball fans Hank Aaron had a knack for putting the ball over the fence. He hit 755 homeruns which places him just 2nd all-time behind only Barry Bonds (Who took steroids). His homeruns where never these long majestic bombs we see guys like Chris Davis or Miguel Cabrera hit but they got the job done.

#17  1966 Philadelphia Dick Butkus

8 times a pro bowler and regarded as one of the greatest line backers to ever play the game Dick Butkus left his mark all over the game of football. Before there was Brian Urlacher or Ray Lewis the NFL had Dick Butkus and he was mean. In 1979 the long time Chicago Bears standout was inducted into the football hall of fame in Canton,Ohio.

#16 1998 Upperdeck Authentic Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning is an incredible leader of men on the field, an extension of the head coach on the field if you will. In terms of pure talent and knowing X's and O's i'm not sure you can do much better than Peyton Manning. He has had some tremendous season in the past but the group of receivers he has in Denver this season may be the best he has ever had.

#15 1955 Topps Harmon Killibrew

573 Homeruns is what Harmon Killibrew collected while playing in the major leagues.  During his tenure he led the league 6 times in Homeruns. Whether with the Twins or Senators he was always and a productive, powerful guy. Killibrew was elected to the hall of fame in 1984.

#14 1989 Upperdeck Ken Griffey Jr.

I don't like to compare players from different eras but in the 1990's Ken Griffey jr was a modern day, left handed version of Willie Mays. More importantly he did things the right way in an era where so many players earned an asterisk next to your name. Griffey was a true 5 tool player and that's very rare in baseball.

#13 1972 Topps Julius Erving

before he captured the imagination of basketball fans in New York and Philadelphia Julius Erving played his rookie season in the ABA for the Virginia Squires. He was Jordan before Jordan taking the high flying above the rim style and bringing it to the forefront of mainstream. He also made the dunk contest popular with his very basic but very hard free throw line dunk. DR.J was the kind of guy you wanted to be the pioneer of a sport trying to grow.

#12 2000 Topps Miguel Cabrera

Miguel Cabrera by the age of 15 was playing pro baseball and was signed by the Florida Marlins. Fast forward a decade and some change later and he is undeniably the best player in baseball and has collected a World Series ring, MVP and a triple crown. At the rate he is going he may be the best hitter of this generation.

#11 1961 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain was the most physically imposing player of his time. Looking at the back of his basketball card at his stats would make you question if he was even real in the first place. As we all know he still holds the single game record for points in a game with 100.

Hope you enjoyed part 3 of this series stay tuned for the top 10 great rookie cards in sports history coming up in the next few days. Thank you for reading and follow us on Twitter @TruSchoolSports and @ThatBoyBtaylor.

Great Day For A Ballgame!

It won't be this crowded

Going to keep this short and sweet its Monday I got 1 week before college starts so this is a great time to take in baseball game. Don't go to that many Marlins game now compared to when they played at Dolphin Stadium but I think I picked a good one today.

The Marlins are horrible this year and don't have much going for them on offense but we have a lot of nice young pitchers. At the forefront of our plethora of young arms is rookie sensation Jose Fernandez who continues to prove why he is one of the best young pitchers in the game. Tonight he is tasked with taking on one of the hottest teams in baseball in the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Match up I’m really looking forward to seeing all night is Fernandez vs Yasiel Puig . Puig is the hottest thing going in baseball right now outside of Miguel Cabrera so to see arguably the 2 best rookies this season match up is interesting. Along with all that Fernandez has to attack the rest of the Dodger order with guys like Matt Kemp andAdrian Gonzalez. So hoping for a great game, a Marlins win and a few Hanley Ramirez strikeouts....LETS GO MARLINS!!

The Baseball Hall of Fame & 3rd Basemen

When you look at how many players their are position-wise at each and every position in the Baseball Hall of Fame, 3rd base is the one that lacks in players category. Why? It's simple, their just haven't been that many great 3rd basemen in the MLB compared to as tacked of a position as Pitcher or any of the outfield spots. Even the Catcher position has more Hall of Famers than 3rd base, with Catcher having 16 to the 3rd basemen's 14. The 14 3rd basemen Hall of Famers are lead by Wade Boggs,

the infamous George Brett

and Mike Schmidt

and are rounded out by 500 home run club member in Eddie Mathews, Frank Baker, whose the best base-swiper from all the 3rd basemen already in the Hall and not to mention, Jimmy Collins, George Kell, Freddie Lindstrom, Brooks Robinson, Ron Santo and Pie Traynor. There also is Paul Molitor who was elected as a DH - the only one in MLB history - that manned the hot corner whenever he wasn't the DH for the day. Some people say he's a 3rd basemen, others says he's a DH, it's an iffy subject. The Negro Leagues also has three 3rd basemen in the Hall of Fame, being Ray Dandridge, Judy Johnson and Jud Wilson making the list of players at 14. Only the Designated Hitter position has less Hall of Famers but you can count DH out with the voters tendency to not consider DH's in the Hall, so basically 3rd base has the least amount of players. Fortunately, 3rd base has some possible Hall of Fame candidates in Adrian Beltre, Scott Rolen, David Wright, Miguel Cabrera (he's a lock but what position he'll get elected is either 1st base or 3rd base) and 3B/SS Alex Rodriguez... I choked a bit while saying that. Albeit, the chances of A-Rod making the Hall of Fame are less than 1%, the man's still hit over 600 home runs, with steroids, but his talent's always been there for him. Things are looking up for 3rd basemen in the Hall of Fame. Personally, I say Adrian Beltre is a lock for the Hall of Fame because of how amazing of a hitter he is, hitting .282 to go with 371 homers, with a a quarter of the 2012-13 season to go, through his 16 year career. His best season was in 2004 when he played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting a stellar .334 with a monster 48 dingers and 121 RBI. Beltre's pure strength is also shown for notoriously hitting home runs off of one knee.

Other than him being an amazing hitter, his defence can be compared to the Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, the defensive wiz, as Beltre has won 4 Gold Gloves in his career along the way.

I'm not going to give you some fielding percentage stats because I've learned from the must-read novel, MoneyBall: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis, that the stat is useless. I'll take the immense appreciation of all the managers that have had the privilege to manage him, including Ron Washington who said, "If we could get 27 balls going down to Adrian every night, I'll take it, because I know most of the time it's going to turn into an out", showing how good a defensive player he truly is. Scott Rolen is like Adrian Beltre in the sense that he hits for average, good power and amazing defense which is evident from him hitting .281 with 316 homers and winning 7 Gold Gloves through his 17 year career. Rolen's best season, like Beltre, was in 2004 when he hit 34 homers to go with 124 RBI while batting .314 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

The only thing is, Rolen is a notch under in all those things above. If Beltre makes it into the Hall, Scott Rolen has a 40-60 chance to make it in and I'm being optimistic. If anything, Rolen's defense is his biggest case to make the Hall.

David Wright is another 3rd basemen that is likely to make it into the Hall. Wright has a better chance of making it than Rolen but not as much as Beltre. David Wright is as good as a 3rd basemen you can find. He is also likely going to be a Met for life which is becoming rarer and rarer these days for a player staying with one team throughout their whole career. Through his 10 year career, he has amassed a .301 batting average with 220 home runs with a quarter of the 2012-13 season left. Along with those incredible stats, he's won 2 Gold Gloves and owns 11 New York Mets franchise records. That's right, 11! Wright could possibly end up being the best player in the Mets franchise history.

His best season in his career was in 2007, hitting .325 while smashing 30 home runs to go along with 34 stolen bases, his one and only 30-30 season of his career, and 107 RBI's. As far as getting elected into the Hall of Fame, David Wright's career through his age 29 season (he is now 30) is very comparable and may be even better than a player already in the Hall, George Brett, who some say is the best 3rd basemen of all-time.

The only thing going against "Captain America" is that he's becoming somewhat of an injury-prone player. As far as Miguel Cabrera goes, I won't explain his Hall of Fame candidacy because it's self explanatory and the same goes for Alex Rodriguez (insert comment while smirking). 3rd base may be the least populated position in the Baseball Hall of Fame, other than DH of course, it's going to improve its case on being one of the best positions in the Hall of Fame.

The Greatest Sporting Event I Ever Went To

They say a childhood is priceless and quite frankly I concur with that statement. Growing up in South Florida as a kid I was deeply rooted in the sports scene. I had so many exciting times following the Marlins,Dolphins,Heat and Panthers. Everything was great from watching Dwyane Wade dunk on people to Pavel Bure scoring 60 goals a year to Miguel Cabrera hitting home runs into the upper deck, all of it was great. I had a blast watching stuff like that but nothing compared to what I witnessed on January 29^th 2006. You see before I liked any sports I was a HUGE WWE wrestling fan. Around December 2005 I had told my dad how badly I wanted to go to the Royal Rumble in Miami and I don't know how he did it but he got the tickets even though they were sold out. So here I was a wide eyed 11 year old kid going to the American Airlines Arena not to watch Dwyane Wade and Shaq but to watch the likes of John Cena, Rob Van Dam, Rey Mysterio and Triple HHH. I was beyond excited.

Everything was fantastic in my opinion as far as themes for pay per views go I think the 2006 theme for the Royal Rumble with the whole Roman Coliseum set up and the Julius Ceaser promo was great. I wonder why the WWE hasn't used it since. Anyway my father and I had seats all the way up in the nose bleeds (Where The Real Fans Sit) but it didn't matter to me I was just happy to be there.

The Royal Rumble is one of the biggest pay per views every year for the WWE. The Royal Rumble match features 30 WWE superstars who get a number and come to the ring in that order. The objective once they start fighting is to throw the opponent over the top rope and when they touch the floor they are eliminated. The winner gets a #1 contenders spot which guarantees them a shot at the WWE or World Heavyweight title at Wrestlemania (The Super Bowl Of Wrestling)

So as I am sitting in my seat anxiously waiting for the match to start I ask my dad who he though would win the Royal Rumble match he said Big Show and I said Rob Van Dam. Turns out we were both dead wrong as the shortest guy in the ring in Rey Mysterio won the Royal Rumble outlasting other superstars and breaking the record for lasting the longest in a Royal Rumble match at 1:02:12 breaking Chris Benoit's record set in 2004. At that Particular time the now legendary Eddie Guerrero had just died and Rey said he payed tribute to him by winning the match so it was a great gesture. Mysterio went on to Wrestlemania 22 and defeated Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight tittle.

The match after that featured John Cena vs Edge in the midst of their little rivalry for the WWE championship. Now I remember bits and pieces of the match and John Cena once again beating Edge to retain his title but I will never forget his entrance. He came to the ring on this platform raised above the ground, I can't really describe it so just watch the video below to see what I am talking about.

The Main event took place between Mark Henry and Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight championship. It was the first time in the history of pro wrestling that 2 Olympians would fight for a world title so some history there. The match was very eventful featured lots of chair shots and Kurt Angle eventually wound up winning the match but that s not why I remember the match. Shortly after Angle arose victorious from his title defense the lights dimmed and the Undertakers music came on. In summary the a bunch of fireworks went off and the ring collapsed, pretty scary stuff for an 11 year old kid.

The 2006 Royal Rumble was over and to this day after going to my fair share of sporting events it remains the single greatest event I have ever attended to this day.

How Yasiel Puig In 2013 Reminds Me Of Miguel Cabrera In 2003

Yasiel Puig has provided an instant boost to the morale of the Dodgers since he set foot inside the Dodger clubhouse. They were struggling at the beginning of June at 24-32 with the season slowly but surely going down the tubes- enter Yasiel Puig and fast forward about a month and a half later and the Dodgers now sit atop the NL West division at 53-47 a lot of the Dodgers turnaround could be attributed to the energy that Puig has brought to the line up. It has made players around him start playing better and the Dodgers look like the team people expected before the season started. Now I have seen this same type of energy and impact before and it happened to come in the form of Miguel Cabrera 10 years ago back in 2003 for the world champion Florida Marlins.

Although Puig now and Cabrera then are 2 different kind of players the energy and impact both of them brought to their respective ball clubs is vastly similar. Puig on June 3^rd made his major league debut vs the San Diego Padres for a struggling Dodgers team at 24-32 lingering towards the bottom of the NL West. Puig went 2-4 and had an outfield assists to end the game on a double play resulting in a Dodgers win. Miguel Cabrera on June 20^th 2003 got his 1^st start in the big leagues although the production of that game isn't as great as Puig's what he did produce matches Yasiel. Cabrera went 1-5 in that game but that 1 hit which was his 1^st in what is now a great major league career was a walk off home run in the 11^th inning off of Al Levine which gave the Marlins a 3-1 win over the Devil Rays. From that point forward the Marlins looked like an entirely different ball club. They played a lot looser and with a lot more energy and after May 23^rd 2003 the Marlins compiled a 72-42 record which was best in baseball and led them to a 91-71 finish and a wild card berth which ultimately led them to a World Series championship over the New York Yankees. Cabrera had a lot to do with the Marlins great production after May 23^rd. Puig Like Cabrera in 03 has been a huge reason that the Dodgers since his arrival on June 3^rd are 30-15 up to this point.

Puig and Cabrera like I said earlier are much different players and Puig right now at 22 is 2 years older than Cabrera in 2003 he was 20. The energy they both brought to the teams they played for are very alike in my eyes. The only question now is if the Dodgers make the playoffs will the Impact that Puig has had here in 2013 wind up in resulting in the same way as Cabrera in 2003 when the Marlins won the world series?? I guess only time will tell.

It's Time For Some Baseball

Now that basketball season is over and I don't have to focus on the media circus that is the Miami Heat the blog will now be changing its focus to baseball. I will still write things about basketball with the draft and summer league coming out but it's time to focus on Americas past time the way I should be. Outside of the Marlins who I follow because they are my team I was very oblivious to most things going on in the MLB this season. I'm very happy my Marlins are playing better baseball winning 5 out of their last 8 against the Cardinals,D-Backs and Giants.

I'm excited to see if Miguel Cabrera can repeat and win the triple crown again as he currently leads in the batting average and RBI categories he is still chasing Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis who has 27 homeruns to Cabrera's 20. I think Miggy who is one of the most consistent hitters we have ever seen in baseball history will be right there when it's all said and done for the repeat.

I'm definitely excited to see if Giancarlo Stanton will be in the home run derby this season. As most baseball fans know his batting practices alone are a homerun derby and he posses once in a life time power that most people aren't really accustom to seeing so him at an event like the homerun derby would be nothing but a treat for the fans of the MLB.

Of course I will still have my card posts but I'm going to incorporate other pieces of exclusive memorabilia that I feel would be cool to share with you guys. So far all my guys here who collect baseball memorabilia /Cards and all that good stuff you will love all the stuff coming up.

Still love my baseball and can't wait to show you guys some of these great posts and videos I'm have coming up.