This summer debate that has carried over to the post season and since about the American League MVP has been great for the game, but it’s also been frustrating because for some reason in our society these days we can’t have a healthy debate without diminishing what the opposition has accomplished or acknowledge reasonable points made by the other side.  I would not have had a problem if the Baseball Writers of America voted the Angels Mike Trout the league’s most valuable player.  I would have disagreed with it, but I do understand why so many are enthralled with his skill and difference-making ability.  Trout’s offensive stats were awesome: .326, 30-homers; 83-rbi’s; a league best 129 runs scored; .399 on base percentage, and a league high 49 stolen bases in 54 attempts…one of the highest percentages for a player to have that many attempts.  I can’t ignore his impact defensively either…the number of runs he saved.  No player in history has ever put together his line of 30-homers; 45-steals and at least 125 runs scored.  Our issue was and continues to be those who support Trout use Cabrera as an unfair punching bag while making their argument.  Like this line from Dave Schoenfield of ESPN.com, “There have been a fair share of one-dimensional sluggers to win the MVP,” or from Nate Silver, “Cabrera is a clumsy defender.” There is a reason Cabrera was named the tenth Tiger to win the award.  It wasn’t just that he was the first triple crown winner since 1967 and that he led ALL of baseball in homers, rbi’s and ops, it’s as much because he was out there for 161 games and the last month on a gimpy ankle that would have kept most out of the lineup. He made a massive push and carried his team in September that gave the Tigers the edge they needed to reach the post season.  His most rbi’s and homers in a month came in the final month of the regular season and he batted .308 during that stretch. He did that while Mike Trout was batting .257 and striking out 32-times…the most of any month.  I know the Angels won 58-percent of their games with Trout and were 8-15 without him.  I don’t know what the Tigers record would be without Cabrera because he missed just one game and that’s part of my point.  Congrats to Cabrera and Trout for great seasons…it’s just too b ad there was only one winner.  At least the writers got it right.