Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumstead
Uh...the Tigers have some guy named Victor Martinez who got hurt that also plays 1B...so the Tigers would have had 3 1B/DH's...Cabrera agreed to play 3B so that the Tigers could sign Fielder, it had nothing to do with Delmon Young...sigh...
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My bad -- but the basic point still stands. That Cabrera was willing to move to a defensive position where he sucks may have be a nice thing to do and it might have have allowed his team to add talent, but it doesn't make him personally more valuable. That his front office couldn't add talent to the roster without creating a defense that may well cost the team a playoff spot should not be a feather in Cabrera's cap.
In giving Cabrera extra credit, you're essentially penalizing Trout for having the audacity to simply play a high value defensive position from the get go. If we're going to talk about the value of defense, it's no contest. And if we're going to talk about replacements, let's consider that Trout's presence has allowed the Angels to let a washed-up Bobby Abreu go and to not have to play Peter Bourjos and his limp-noodle bat.
The Triple Crown is an awesome statistical achievement and if there were an award for best hitter, I'd give it to Miguel Cabrera. Bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, 2 on, down 3, Cabrera is right there with Votto as the guy I want up. But being the best hitter and a good teammate does not mean you're the most valuable player, especially if you cost your team runs in the field and on basepaths.