Even though he was forced to deal with a nagging ankle injury, Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was still named the American League's Player of the Month for August on Tuesday.
Cabrera hit .357 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in the month, posting a mind-blowing .429 on-base percentage along the way. The All-Star third baseman beat out a stacked group of AL hitters for the award, including teammate Prince Fielder (.370, 7 HR, 21 RBI), and is now ranked second in the league in both RBI (111) and batting average (.331).
On the verge of his best statistical campaign in a Tigers uniform, the 29-year-old Cabrera is currently atop an extremely short list of MVP candidates at the moment. The ankle injury that he suffered in late August still appears to be bothering him a bit, but the good news for Detroit is that he doesn't appear affected by the injury at the plate.
The fact that Cabrera has been producing at such a high level at less than 100% health is quite impressive, and it's more clear than ever that only a handful of players in the sport are capable of doing what Cabrera can offensively. And with an eye-popping .444 average already through three September games, the Tigers' slugger may just be well on his way towards another AL Player of the Month award before the season wraps up.
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