Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera named finalists for baseball’s major awards – MLB News
Detroit Tigers have not won anything as yet but two players took a big step towards winning the American League Most Valuable Player on Wednesday. Third baseman Miguel Cabrera did not have any problems securing one of the five finalist spots for the AL MVP
and Justin Verlander is one of the three candidates for the 2012 American League Cy Young Award.
Both Cabrera and Verlander posted some impressive numbers last season, helping the Tigers win the American League Central Division title for the second straight time. Cabrera, in particular, showed unmatchable abilities as he hit .330 with 44 home-runs and
139 RBI’s.
He also led American League in OPS, slugging, total bases and extra base hits. Cabrera has won a number of prestigious awards this offseason. Without a shadow of a doubt, he is a strong favourite to win the AL MVP as well.
With Major League Baseball and Baseball Writers Association of American combining to introduce a new step for winning one of major awards, a player will have to be a finalist to win. An MLB official made an announcement this week that Cabrera and Verlander
are the finalists for AL MVP and Cy Young Awards respectively.
While Cabrera secured the finalist spot with ease, objections has been raised on Verlander’s status. Harold Reynolds, one the show’s hosts, believes Tampa Bay Rays’ closer, Fernando Rodney, who made 48 saves with a staggering .60 ERA last season, should
have been named as the finalist for Cy Young Award instead of Verlander.
He also stated that Cabrera, who became the first hitter to win Triple Crown Award earlier this season, should win the AL MVP without too much of a problem. Mike Trout of Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers’ Adrian Beltre and New York Yankees’ slugger Robinson
Cano are the other candidate for AL MVP.
The three finalists for the Cy Young Award are Verlander, Rays’ David Price and Angles’ ace Jered Weaver. Both Weaver and Price claimed 20 wins in 2012. Price, in particular, had a memorable time on the mound, going 20-5 with 2.56 ERA. According to Reynolds,
Price is likely to win the next Cy Young Award and become one of the most dominating pitchers in baseball.
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