The numbers strongly suggest Miguel Cabrera should win the American League Most Valuable Player Award. A .331 batting average. Thirty-eight home runs. One-hundred-twenty-six RBI. An OPS of 1.042. No other A.L. player has had close to the consistency of Cabrera throughout the major categories. Only Josh Hamilton is close - and his batting average of .361 is considerably better. Also, Hamilton's OPS is slightly better (1.049). But he has been hurt for an extended period of time, his team kept winning anyway and he doesn't have 100 RBI (although he may get there upon return for a tuneup for the postseason).
Working against Cabrera is that the Tigers aren't coming close to a sniff of the postseason, but it's hardly his fault. He did perform well when the Tigers slumped in July and August. Unlike his first two years with the Tigers, when his numbers were hallow because of a lack of clutch RBI, this season was the complete opposite. Cabrera delivered time after time in the clutch.
Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford might get some support because he has the added element of speed, and it is combined with solid overall numbers, but his his OPS is below that of Cabrera, who had a great season - and should be rewarded with his first MVP Award for it.