List of top 100 performers in the game - MLB 2012 Update - Part 2
2. Miguel Cabrera
Surrounded in controversy over a ‘drunk driving incident’, Miguel Cabrera’s life seemed to be in a mess until the 2011 spring training season started. Nobody would have expected Cabrera to produce such great performances in 2011, considering his poor form
in the previous two seasons.
Cabrera’s close friend commented on the driving incident and said, “Miguel needs to say the word,” the friend said. “He needs to say he's an alcoholic. You can't get better until you admit you have a problem. He needs to admit he's an alcoholic.”
However, Detroit’s manager was not one of his critics as he predicted Cabrera to have one of the best seasons of his entire career. Batting with an incredible .344 average and .448 OBP, he achieved best stats not only in AL but the entire league. Furthermore,
Tigers’ most reliable batter made it through the season without any further problems off the field.
Tigers GM, Dave Dombrowski said, “He's a quality person. He has a good heart. He's very supportive of his teammates. He's great with kids. He loves his family. … But of course, when something like this happens, it's under the spotlight. … Hopefully, we can
put these types of situations behind him, and all those other things will shine forward.”
After he was traded to Detroit from Florida, Cabrera has proved just why he is such a dangerous player. Providing the Tigers with almost everything they could have asked for, he got them over the finishing line on several occasions.
With a highest .421 OBP among all players over the last three years, Miguel Cabrera is placed second on the list of top 100 performers in the game these days. In addition to his excellent batting average, Cabrera achieved a sensational .334 RBI, .332 AVG,
163 wRC + and 18.9 WAR.
Since his debut in 2003, not many pitchers have been able to find ways to get him out cheaply. It will not be wrong to say that the only man who is capable of stopping him is himself. If he continues his impressive run in the 2012 regular season as well,
he is bound to top the 2012 list of top 100 performers.
3 Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols set high standards for himself. During the 2011 regular season, Pujols batted in 99 RBI’s, with 37 homers, .906 OPS and 5.1 WAR. For many players, that would be their career’s best season. For Pujol, it was a forgettable season. In his ten-season
long career, Pujols has twice posted a sub .1000 OPS, won Silver Guard Award six times, made it to the All Star team nines times and won three MVP awards. For his unbelievable hitting abilities, he is also known as the Machine.
For the first time in his career, Pujols failed to bat in 100 runs and he posted the worst OPS and WAR of his career. Although these stats will look reasonable to anyone familiar with baseball, Pujols was certainly not satisfied with what he managed to achieve
in 2011. However, it will not be wrong to say that the signature performance of his career so far came in game three of the World Series.
Continued in part 3
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