2012 Top American League Players

Baseball Blogger’s Alliance members vote for a variety of post-season awards. Its Stan Musial Award is given to the top player in each league. In this blog post I will discuss my American League choices.

1. Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers. I don’t believe the Detroit Tigers would have won the A.L. Central Division without Cabrera’s spectacular production. He further increased his value to the Tigers by moving back to third base to make room for Prince Fielder to play first base. A franchise owes its players, fans and staff to do everything it can to make the playoffs, because once a team is in the tournament, anything can happen. Miguel Cabrera was a huge cog in the Tigers wheel, and deserves the American League Most Valuable Player Award. 

2. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Some very knowledgeable baseball insiders are calling for Trout to win the MVP, and I can make a case for it, especially if the BIG “what if” had actually happened. Fans will argue for many years that if the Angels had not waited until April 28th to bring him up from the minors, that they would have made the playoffs and Mike Trout would be the A.L. MVP. Why? Because without Mike Trout the Angels won 6 games and lost 14, for a .300 winning percentage. With Mike Trout, the Halos won 83 games and lost 59, good for a .585 winning percentage. This would have exceeded the .580 winning percentage of the AL West Division Champion Oakland Athletics, the same division they call home. Getting back to Trout, his 8.6 oWAR, 2.2 dWAR, 30 home runs, league-leading 49 stolen bases and .399 OBP are fantastic numbers for any player. Remember, however, that Trout is not any player; he is a 20 year old rookie.

3. Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers. A pillar of consistency for a Rangers team that had several streaky players in its lineup, the All Star third baseman played in 156 games, hit 36 home runs, had a .359 OBP and posted a .321/.561/.921 slash line.

4. Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland Athletics. The rookie got better as the season unfolded. Before the All Star Game, Cespedes had a .263/.465/.790 slash line and a .326 OBP; after the All Star Game, the slash line grew to .311/.533/.909 and the OBP; increased fifty points to .376.

5. Robinson Cano, New York Yankees. The second baseman was a steady contributor on a team that won 95 games. He played in 161 games, hit 33 home runs, and had a .313/.550/.929 slash line.

6. Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles. The center fielder led the surprising Orioles in games played, hits, runs scored, doubles, stolen bases, slugging percentage and OPS. His slash line was .287/.505/.839.

7. Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers. The twenty-five year old center fielder began to fulfill his enormous potential in 2012. There is a direct correlation between his striking out fifty fewer times this season than in 2011, and the corresponding fifty-one point increase in his batting average. A .300/.479/.856 slash line point to a promising future.

8. Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers. The streaky, periodically-troubled outfielder mashed 43 home runs, appeared in 148 games, his most in four years, and had a .285/.577/.930 slash line.

9. Mike Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Talk about versatility. Trumbo played first base, third base, left field, right field and was a designated hitter for the Halos. Even with a so-so second half, he hit 32 home runs with a .268/.491/.808 slash line.

10. Derek Jeter, New York Yankees. We continue to see why the Yankee Captain is a guaranteed first-round Hall of Famer. At the age of 38, Mr. November lead the American League in plate appearances (740), at bats (683) and hits (216). He got on base at a .362 clip. We know he’s not a great defensive shortstop, but his positive impact on his team is incalculable.