Despite Mike Trout’s mind-blowing rookie season, it feels like the spotlight has been yanked from him and thrust onto Miguel Cabrera. And that’s exactly what has happened.

Cabrera is fighting to win the Triple Crown, and he has a legitimate shot at doing so. He leads the AL in batting average and RBI, and he is right in the thick of things in the home run race. His stats are mind-boggling, but what about his production and value to the Detroit Tigers?

WAR is an advanced stat used to measure the value of one player to a certain team. Cabrera is dominating in a lot of basic stats, but when it comes to WAR, he definitely doesn’t have the edge.

Cabrera is fighting to win the Triple Crown, and he has a legitimate shot at doing so. He leads the AL in batting average and RBI, and he is right in the thick of things in the home run race. His stats are mind-boggling, but what about his production and value to the Detroit Tigers?

Trout has an astonishing 10.6 WAR, while Cabrera’s is 6.6. Cabrera ranks third in WAR, behind Robinson Cano and Trout. Trout leads all competitors by 3.9 games, which is a huge difference. Four games mean a ton, especially when the Angels are in a heated playoff race.

Cabrera is more of an run producer, as you can see by his 133 RBI. Trout has only 78, because he hits leadoff and he hasn’t received as many at-bats as Cabrera. Cabrera leads the AL in batting average, although there’s a very small difference when you compare his .326 line to Trout’s .320 clip.

Josh Hamilton leads the AL (and the league) in home runs, but Cabrera trails him by just one big fly. Despite Trout’s limited power, he has sent 29 baseballs over the fence this year. And, his defense has been outstanding.

Trout has been featured time and time again on “Web Gems,” where you always see him robbing home runs or laying out to steal a hit. Trout’s defense has been incredible, and his offense has been, too. There simply aren’t any holes in his swing, and as time goes on, he will only get better.

Cabrera isn’t great at defense, because that’s not his strength. He is known for getting on base a lot, hitting home runs and posting incredible offensive stats. And, he has done that. If Cabrera manages to surpass Hamilton in the home runs race, and he wins the Triple Crown, it’s very likely that he will win the MVP award.

However, that can’t be used as a measuring stick. The MVP award is about value to one’s team, and Trout has been invaluable to the team. Despite missing three weeks (he started the year in the minor leagues) and having less opportunities to contribute, he has posted an amazing WAR and done everything possible to help his team.

The Angels may not be in a great playoff position right now, but that doesn’t negate the fact that Trout has been invaluable to them. He’s saved the Angels this year, and he deserves to be rewarded, even if the Angels don’t make the playoffs.

Yes, even if Cabrera wins the Triple Crown.

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