Plenty of baseball fans have enough sense to agree that the first baseball player to earn the Triple Crown in 45 years, while also leading his team to a World Series berth is ... um, pretty valuable.
But a few doubters are STILL arguing that Tigers' 3B Miguel Cabrera isn't worthy of this year's Most Valuable Player award for the American League. And while we might be biased here in the Motor City, it's clear that we're not the only ones who think Miggsy has earned every honor that Major League Baseball can throw at him.
Tigers' ace Justin Verlander was filmed stumping for his favorite 2012 MVP candidate after the Tigers swept the New York Yankees to earn their first ticket to the World Series since 2006. While the humble Cabrera unknowingly answers questions, JV (the 2011 MVP honoree) pops his head into the frame to mouth his support, chanting "MVP! MVP!"
This isn't the first time Verlander has campaigned on behalf of Cabrera. Two games before his teammate's historic Triple Crown achievement in early October, the Tigers' pitcher angrily noted that Cabrera hadn't received enough national fanfare for such a remarkable athletic feat.
"I think he's been relatively under the radar for what he's done, for what he's doing. It hasn't happened in 40-some years," Verlander told the Associated Press. "It kind of annoys me. I don't know about anybody else. I don't know about him. It probably doesn't annoy him."
Angels CF Mike Trout has also been touted as a possible AL MVP candidate. Over in the NL, San Fransisco Giants' catcher Buster Posey, Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and Pittsburgh Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen are all popular candidates for the annual title.
While the award isn't announced until after the World Series, MVP voting takes place before the postseason begins -- meaning that Miguel's playoff stats AND Verlander's antics are, at this point, both moot.
Who do you think should win this year's AL MVP award?
