Detroit Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera isn’t the player he used to be, and that’s no secret.
At the age of 38, his best MLB years are behind him.
But that’s perfectly fine, as age catches up with virtually every player eventually.
No matter how the remaining years of Cabrera’s career unfold, he’ll always be regarded as one of the best players of his generation.
This guy was a menace during his prime.
Newer MLB fans might not remember some of his best seasons, so today, we’re going to rank the three best campaigns from Cabrera’s prime years.
3. Cabrera’s 2012 Season
Cabrera has two MVP awards under his belt, and one of them came in 2012.
He captured it with a bang, as he earned the 12th Triple Crown in MLB history in 2012.
What a season it was for him.
He posted league-bests in batting average (.330), slugging (.606), OPS (.999), total bases (377), home runs (44), and runs batted in (139).
Of course, the only categories that matter as it pertains to the Triple Crown are batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.
He also registered a monster OPS+ of 164 and bWAR of 7.1.
Impressively, he stayed on the field for almost all of Detroit’s games, as he appeared in 161 contests.
2012 Miguel Cabrera: It wasn’t a matter of him hitting the ball hard or not, but whether anyone could catch it. ☄️pic.twitter.com/OHQ96x9Wdl
— Miguel Cabrera’s B(enson)at (@Miggysbat) May 19, 2020
In addition to winning the 2012 AL MVP and capturing the Triple Crown, he took home Silver Slugger honors and was named an All-Star.
Tigers fans will certainly never forget this year of his.
2. Cabrera’s 2011 Season
Cabrera didn’t win an MVP award in 2011, but the season comes in at No. 2 on our list due to the ridiculous nature of the numbers he posted.
For starters, he racked up a bWAR of 7.6, which was a career-best at the time and remains a career-best today.
He earned that mark by slashing .344/.448/.586 (1.033 OPS and 179 OPS+) with 30 home runs and 48 doubles.
He also totaled 105 runs batted in.
Of those impressive numbers, his .344 batting average, .448 on-base percentage, and 48 doubles were league-bests.
He was named an All-Star, but he somehow finished just fifth in the AL MVP race.
Justin Verlander came away with the award, and three other players (all position players) finished ahead of Cabrera.
Verlander was a deserving winner, but it definitely seems like Cabrera should have finished higher.
1. Cabrera’s 2013 Season
Cabrera’s 2013 tops our list.
In 2013, the future Hall of Famer claimed his second MVP award, and it’s safe to say that he earned it.
It was an incredible year for him.
Miguel Cabrera won The Triple Crown in 2012, but he was better in 2013. Every at-bat felt special, and every week he did something amazing. It was the summer of Miggy. pic.twitter.com/ZtwSrpnYDo
— Chris Castellani (@Castellani2014) March 4, 2018
He led the league in batting average (.348), on-base percentage (.442), slugging (.636), OPS (1.078), and OPS+ (190).
Most of those marks stand as career-bests for him today.
He also blasted 44 home runs, 26 doubles, one triple, and totaled 137 runs batted in.
He finished the year with a bWAR of 7.5, which certainly helped him out in the MVP race.
The superstar also added another All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger award to his resume in the 2013 season.
As it stands today, he’s an 11-time All-Star, two-time MVP, seven-time Silver Slugger, four-time batting champ, and one-time World Series champ.
There’s no question that he’ll be headed to Cooperstown after his playing days come to an end.
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