After becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, Miguel Cabrera was awarded the American League MVP Award on Thursday.
In a debate that has carried on since the emergence of Angels superstar Mike Trout, the argument will continue to rage on even though Cabrera became the second consecutive Tiger to win the award — Justin Verlander won the Cy Young and MVP in 2011.
Cabrera finished a historic season hitting .330, belting 44 home runs and knocking in 139 runs. Trout won the Rookie of the Year award in a unanimous vote and capped off an impressive debut season by hitting .326 with 30 home runs and 86 runs batted in while also leading the league with 49 stolen bases.
Statisticians were quick to point out that Trout was a more well-rounded player than Cabrera, but Cabrera lead the AL in the three most popular statistical categories, something that hadn’t been done in 45 years.
Most were sure that the voting by the BBWAA would be close, with some even contemplating a split MVP prior to the announcement Thursday evening. But the writers said rather clearly that Cabrera was their choice, accumulating 22 out of a possible 28 first-place votes. In the end, it was a 91-point difference between the winner and second place.
History seemed to be on the side of Trout, however, as no rookie had ever finished second in the voting. In 1975, Red Sox outfielder Fred Lynn won the Rookie of the Year and AL MVP, and in 2001 Ichiro Suzuki swept the awards as well.
Regardless of the debate, Twitter exploded with various posts from people in support of Cabrera or Trout. While the wondering is finally over, the debate rages on. Check out a selection of some of the best tweets below.
