Of course, the important take away from all of this is that which just became official: Miguel Cabrera will be starting the All Star game. Tigers have been major factors in recent All Star games. Last year Curtis Granderson hit a late-game Triple that led to the winning run. The year before Carlos Guillen hit an extra-inning double that just missed being a home run, although he was ultimately stranded and didn't score. My guess is that Miguel Cabrera is going to have an impact as well. He has been a force all season and deserves the starting nod which, by the way, is the first start that he's had in an All Star game, and his first appearance as a Tiger.
With 76 RBIs before the break, he has the most RBI's by a Tiger at this point in the season since Cecil Fielder had 77 in 1993. Oh, and he still had today to break that. He leads the major leagues in Batting Average (.346) and RBIs (76) and is 2nd in Home Runs (22). An AL Lineup that has some sort of Cabrera, Hamilton, Vlad combination in the order seems pretty near unstoppable, Ubaldo be damned. And add Cano into that mix? Forget about it.
As always, I'm excited for the All Star game, but with this little bit of good news today, I feel it all the more so. Cabrera deserves the recognition that has escaped him as the Tigers' best player for the last three years. Now, with the starting nod, he'll have the chance to do the team proud, and there's little doubt in my mind that he will.
In other news
- Brennan Boesch missed the cut by 1 Plate Appearance yesterday. If he plays today (no reason to think he won't) then he'll be among the league leaders by day's end. He's currently hitting .343.
- Cabrera is still in the Home Run Derby, which is always a good time.
- With Mariano Rivera sitting out, don't be surprised if the dominant Jose Valverde is the game's closer. I love the prospect of two Tigers having major roles in the All Star game. I grew up with being forced to suffer Robert Fick and Damian Easley and the like as token ASG representatives. It's so nice to have players that actually belong.
- Is anyone else a little bummed that the break is coming just as the Tigers are on an absolute tear?
Here's hoping for a sweep of the Twins today and then enjoy the festivities this week!
