2011's Tigers Full of MVP'S

Rob Sanford

When I sat down and started to think about the Tiger's MVP it occurred to me that at one time or the other almost every player could fit that category. Jhonny Peralta had a career year playing nearly flawless shortstop and getting one key hit after the other. Alex Avila who came into his own at catcher, improving his defensive skills, while becomng a real asset at the plate. Brennan Boesch went from a wild swinger with no knowledge of the strike zone to a reliable hitter with power and played a decent outfield. Ramon Santiago while not a starter showed he was more than capable at second or shortstop and in the final month or so proved to be a clutch performer with the bat. While you can complain about not having Curtis Granderson, Austin Jackson ran circles around Granderson as a centerfielder. I always thought Curtis was the best I ever saw at the position, but Jackson has changed my mind. Time after time he got to balls that looked for sure would be in the gap or over his head only to make it look like an easy catch. Last but not least is Jose Valverde. PaPa Grande has acheived something we may never see again....his nearly impossible consecutive save streak, his superstition and of course his primal scream after a win.

I could go go on....but there are two players that stand out above the rest. Justin Verlander has done more than win 24 games....he refined his menu of pitches to almost an artform. But what was just as important or maybe more was the fact that Verlander was able to stop the team from an endless tailspin, winning after the club looked like it was headed for big trouble. He approaches his job with the single focus, reminding me much of a pitching version of Kirk Gibson.

Now we come to Miguel Cabrera. His season started with him being arrested for drunk driving and it appeared over before it began. The end of that story has yet to be written. There is no way to know what sort of demons he's had to fight or the struggle to remain sober when temptation faces him at every turn. Despite all of the unseen battles..he has been nothing short of sensational on the field, staying out of long slumps driving in essential runs. He has made impressive progress at first base, able to scoop up throws in the dirt with ease and fielding the position like he's played there his whole life.

So now it's come down to choosing between the two, but to measure one against the other isn't fair. I've decided that Verlander and Cabrera should be co-MVP's for their season long contributions to the cause. This does have some precedence....in the NFL one year Barry Sanders and Brett Favre shared the award, and at least in my world the pair of Justin and Miguel deserve it equally.