Domination Station

Chase for the Triple Crown

Miguel Cabrera vs. Chris Davis

By Ryan Frisco

Last year, Miguel Cabrera became the first MLB player since 1967 to win the Triple Crown.  Usually, we don't see anyone really in the running for this award, as it involves leading the league in three somewhat diverse categories, Homeruns, RBIs and Batting Average.  If you lead the league in Homeruns, you probably lead in RBIs as well, but it's tough to keep a high batting average when you're more of a power hitter.  On the other hand, when you lead the league in Batting Average, you usually aren't hitting for a lot of power, more spreading out singles and doubles.

This year, we've got two guys who are in a legitimate battle for the Crown.  The Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera again, and a newcomer, Baltimore Orioles First Basemen Chris Davis.  To give you a picture of how dominant these two are, I'm going to show you where these two rank in all of the MLB offensive statistics.

Photo Cred www.usatoday.com

Batting Average:

1. Cabrera, DET .364

4. Davis, BAL .326

Homeruns:

1. Davis, Bal 32

2. Cabrera, DET 26

RBIs:

1. Cabrera, DET 85

2. Davis, BAL 83

OPS:

1. Cabrera, DET 1.124

2. Davis, BAL 1.121

Photo Cred www.zimbio.com

OBP: 

1. Cabrera, DET .454

6. Davis, BAL .402

SLG:

1. Davis, BAL .719

2. Cabrera, DET .670

Runs: 

1. Cabrera, DET 65

4. Davis, BAL 62

So there you have it.  Between the two of them, neither one is further down the list than 6th.  Cabrera clearly has a bit of an edge overall, being in the Top 2 in every category.  But still, Davis isn't the superstar that people have known Miguel Cabrera to be.  This is his breakout season, the first time he's ever had numbers like this even in a full season!  If Chris Davis doesn't have these kinds of numbers, the Baltimore Orioles aren't in the running in the AL East.  Similarly, if Miguel Cabrera doesn't dominate the way he does, the Tigers most likely aren't winning their division.  It's rare for one guy to threaten for the Triple Crown.  It's unheard of for two guys to be in the running together.  This is going to be exciting down the stretch, as each of these guys leads their team most likely into the playoffs, and beyond!

Ryan Frisco is a co-founder and MLB Analyst for Sports Eye View. He can be reached at ryanafrisco@gmail.com.