Miguel Cabrera

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton was named the American League MVP Tuesday, receiving 22 first-place votes.

He beat out Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista for the award.

Hamilton, 29, batted .359/.411/.633 in 571 plate appearances in 2010, belting 32 home runs along the way. His 1.044 OPS led the American League.

Every year, managers, coaches and writers from around Major League Baseball award honors and trophies to the players. And every year, they screw up.

Jacoby Ellsbury had an injury-shortened season for the Boston Red Sox after he collided with the freight train otherwise known as third basemen Adrian Beltre and fractured four ribs on April 11. He appeared in only 18 games, hitting .192 and stealing seven bases after leading the AL with 70 steals in 2009.

Sometimes, heck, most of the time it's hard to believe that the same Miguel Cabrera, the eight-year veteran who has 247 home runs, nearly 900 RBI, and a career batting average of .313 is only 27 years old!

By all accounts, however, Cabrera had one of the finest seasons of his career in 2010, and definitely one more than worthy of Bleacher Report Featured Columnist's Silver Slugger Award at first base.

Every single season, it all comes down to this: October (well, sometimes November, you get the point).

It is the biggest thrill for every major leaguer to win a World Series Championship, and be on the spotlight of Major League Baseball. 

But who said a big chunk of metal with honors hurt? 

Certainly not for these players, as they are all possible winners of 2010 awards.

These awards include Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, and the MVP Award, for each league.

While the Cy Young debate in the American League is getting a lot of attention, the Most Valuable Player award is not. Although it is discussed occasionally, people are not giving it the attention that it deserves.

The front-runner(s) at this point are Robinson Cano, Miguel Cabrera, and Josh Hamilton. All have had incredible seasons, but can also be easily argued against. If you ask me, this debate will come down to the wire, because no one is running away with it.

Probably not, but I figured someone owed Paul Konerko some publicity since ESPN often either forgets to do actual reporting and research or simply forgets to be logical.

As of Wednesday, Miguel Cabrera is out for the season due to a sprained ankle, so his numbers are concrete at .328 BA, .420 OBP, .622 SLG, and a 1.042 OPS to go along with 38 home runs, 126 RBI, 111 runs, and three stolen bases in 150 games played.

Being great baseball players aren't all that Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera have in common. Both have had dark incidents in the past, but one's rehabilitation success has gotten more attention than the other's.

After all these years we still don’t know what makes an MVP in Major League Baseball. Is it the player with the best stats, the player that does the best on a playoff team or the player that is most indispensable to his team.

Well Cabrera has options one and three sewn up.

Some will still make the case for a Josh Hamilton, Robinson Cano, Jose Bautista, or even Paul Konerko, but none have Cabrera’s stats or are more important to their respective teams.

About a month ago, I wrote a prediction for next year's Detroit Tigers starting lineup. But my how things change. 

The Tigers are still out of the playoff picture, but are currently playing with no distractions and no worries about choking down the stretch.