Posey and Cabrera Win MVP Awards, So What the Hell Am I Supposed to Argue About Now?

Awards season reached its pinnacle last night with Miguel Cabrera and Buster Posey collecting their MVP Awards. While Major League Baseball tried to goose some ratings out of this, announcing “finalists” and airing awards shows nightly, it was pretty clear who was going to win.

Not that I want to sound jaded or unhappy, mind you. The MVP award, for all of the arguing over who it should be and whether some BBWAA voter is really making the best use of their ballot, is done to celebrate the phenomenal play exhibited during the season. And while you or I may have thought that Mike Trout was deserving of the title, Miguel Cabrera had a pretty amazing season: .330/.393/.606, 44 HR, 139 RBI, 377 total bases and the first triple crown in 45 years. My parents were in elementary school the last time there was a triple crown winner. So yes, the triple crown doesn’t factor in defense or baserunning and it’s just a nice name for a collection of counting stats (Cabrera would have nearly as good had he come in second with home runs), but it’s the same argument people have been making for the last month and a half, ever since the crown was within reach. I’m now more excited that the award has been given out, so we can focus on the important things: where Don Kelly is going to end up.

Things were much simpler in the National League. While Andrew McCutchen and Yadier Molina had great seasons and Ryan Braun would have had an outside shot were it not for the Great FedEx Mishap of 2011, Buster Posey was the clear choice. Not only was his narrative fantastic, returning from injury last season to only up his performance once Melky Cabrera got injured, in turn leading his team to a World Series victory. Add in the fact that he’s a plus defensive catcher with a ~~butt~~ ~~abs~~ heart of gold, and the selection is easy. A .336/.408/.549 line with 24 HR from a catcher is a really beautiful thing to see.

With the MVP award behind us, we’re finished at looking at 2012. We basked in that glow for a few weeks, but now it’s time to pick up the pieces, buy some preview guides and start looking towards 2013. My guess? The Montreal Expos win it all. In six games.