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| Miguel Cabrera has been reborn this season and a Triple Crown is his reward. |
When Miguel Cabrera first stepped into the Major Leagues, during the Marlins 2003 World Series run, he was instantly seen as an immense offensive talent. As a monster power hitter with ability to hit the ball anywhere, he also surprised people with his contact prowess as a .300/30/100 season seemed like it was going to be a common occurrence for him. And it did.
Aside from the 29-year-old slugger's rookie campaign, he has yet to drive in less 100 RBIs in a season. He's only batted under .300 twice and only hit less than 30 home runs once. Miguel Cabrera is a once in a lifetime offensive talent and his stats completely back up that observation. There is a calm swagger about Cabrera that makes him a menace when he steps up to the plate. Much like Robinson Cano, Cabrera benefits almost solely on natural talent. While being born to hit a baseball is certainly a gift it can also be a burden, and a burden it certainly has been for Cabrera.
To set the record straight, it seems that not many people (including myself) were fond of Miguel Cabrera before this historic Triple Crown run. Cabrera is blessed with so much natural talent that most of the time it looks like he hasn't tried a day in his baseball life. Though his absurdly consistent stats say otherwise. The first of Cabrera's issues began in 2007 when the Marlins decided to trade him despite another amazing season in which he batted .320/34/119. In the deal (which also included the struggling but still talented Dontrelle Willis) the Marlins only received two solid prospects, Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin. I don't know what sort of clubhouse issues Cabrera created, but I can assume there has to be something there when you trade one of the best hitters in baseball for two prospects (and only one really turned out). Then in 2009, on the heels of one of his worst seasons (comparatively .324/34/103), he got into an altercation with his wife after a night of drinking. While no charges were filed, Cabrera ended up checking himself into an alcohol rehab center in January of 2010. Cabrera continued on a shady path off-the-field, but his eye-popping numbers remained. Finally in February of 2011, Cabrera was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and resisting arrest. Though he batted .344 that year he only slugged 30 home runs and 105 RBIs (numbers that most players would kill for).
As we entered the 2012 season, no one doubted Cabrera's talent or that he was going to put up his usual outstanding numbers. Yet, in the same breadth, no one could have expected the Triple Crown out of a guy who never seemed to fully put it together. That's exactly what Cabrera finally did. He put everything together, his talents, his effort and some damn good luck. Even if you're as talented as Cabrera, you don't waltz your way into a Triple Crown season. He carried his squad, and even though Mike Trout wowed us as a rookie, there is no way he doesn't get the MVP. A Triple Crown in a division winning season means you were the best player in the primetime, on the biggest stage in the most fantastic way. Especially when you consider that this was a guy who has been on the precipice of greatness all his career without ever really achieving it. Cabrera is here now.
We've found a reborn man, a man who's transformed from a overweight, lazy, waste of talent into a full blown leader and MVP. Long gone are the days of making fun of Cabrera because he looks like he honestly has never put forth an effort in his entire life. It's exciting to have seen a Triple Crown in my lifetime, it's even more awe-inspiring when it's a guy who was once a pariah on every team he's played on.
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