AL MVP: Tigers 3B Miguel Cabrera wins award over rookie Mike Trout

In a surprisingly lopsided vote, Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera edged Mike Trout of Los Angeles for the 2012 American League MVP Award on Thursday, according to the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Cabrera, the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years, led all of baseball with 44 home runs and 139 RBIs to pick up a whopping 22 of the 28 first-place votes from the BBWAA. Cabrera also landed six votes for second place behind Trout, but he finished with 362 total points, compared to Trout's 281 in the poll's scoring system.

While the 21-year-old Trout also put forth a dominant season that included 30 home runs, 49 stolen bases and 129 runs scored, voters ultimately opted for Cabrera and his significant value to a playoff-bound Tigers squad. Trout's magnificent rookie campaign swayed six voters to select him as their MVP winner, while one of the 28 voters opted to place him in third.

Adrian Beltre of the Rangers placed third with one second-place vote, while Robinson Cano and Josh Hamilton finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Although they were not considered true candidates for the award, Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander finished in eighth place, while first baseman Prince Fielder came in ninth.