Judging by his blog entry from last night, the Detroit News's Tom Gage may have already filled out his MVP ballot. Or at least it appears he knows how he'll vote.
The Tigers are 16-2 when Cabrera gets more three hits or more in a game this season. When he gets fewer than three, however, they are 52-57.
He is the difference between being marginally mediocre and sometimes a notch higher.
Gage has shown his bias for the hometown guy before, of course. Back in 2007, he and the Oakland Press's Jim Hawkins were the only two writers that voted for Magglio Ordonez over Alex Rodriguez. Gage's justification back then was "I went with what I saw." Would he veer from that philosophy this time around?
It certainly wouldn't be a crime to vote for Miguel Cabrera as American League Most Valuable Player. And perhaps Gage is trying to influence some of his fellow voters. The train appears to be picking up steam, and by the end of September, he might look like the best candidate. (Though he'll have to put up some serious numbers to surpass the case Joe Mauer has already made.)
Will the Detroit voting bloc go with what they saw, or what the numbers tell them?