Will Cabrera pass Pujols as the best hitter of the era?

Topnotchsy · Jun 1, 2015

Over the last 10-15 years, Albert Pujols has pretty much been the undisputed best hitter in baseball. With the biggest hitters of the 90's wrapping up their careers (and on the decline), Pujols seemed to be in his own class of hitters in the 21st century.

But while his career totals are extremely gaudy, he's definitely been in decline over the last few seasons. Meanwhile, having already been one of the best hitters in baseball for years, Miguel Cabrera has taken his career to a different level over the past 5+ seasons, winning 2 MVP's, a Triple Crown, 3 batting titles etc.

Looking at their career numbers, Cabrera has definitely bridged the gap quite a bit:

Traditional "slash" stats (Pujols has 1300 more at bats)
Pujols: .315/531/1626
Cabrera: .320/401/1403

Pujols: .315/.401/.585
Cabrera: .320/.398/.564

Career totals:

Pujols:
Hits: 2564
Doubles: 568
Runs: 1539

Cabrera:
Hits: 2247
Doubles: 474
Runs: 1193

The comparison is not completely fair because Pujols's averages have all dropped due to a few years of decline (he used to have a career batting average over .330.) That said, Miggy still seems to be in his prime (at an age when Pujols was already pretty far from his peak).

There's still a lot of baseball left to be played, and their career totals could one day rank right near the top of some significant offensive categories.

When it is all said and done, who do you think will be the greatest hitter of the generation?

Brewer Andy · Jun 1, 2015

It's an excellent topic and anything other than a guess at this point is just that. And it may end up being a Coke or Pepsi argument. I will say this, while Pujols has declined I think Miggy's decline will be even faster whenever that comes. I just feel like his body is gonna age at a much faster clip

mlbsalltimegreats · Jun 1, 2015

I remember when Miggy was a poor mans Pujols for many years. He has changed that since. I say yes but only if he keeps this up into his later years. It will be fun to watch. Even with Pujols decline, I still think he will have a year where he will burst out and have a pujolsesque type of season.

u2me57 · Jun 2, 2015

Really good post. I'd have to say it is pretty close. Like the above poster was saying, I think if Miggy can stay healthy and not break down and have 5 or 6 more good years he will edge out Pujols. We are lucky to be able to see 2 great hitters like this perform at such a high level in this era and do it the right way.

Austin · Jun 2, 2015

I think at his peak, Pujols was a better hitter (top 5 all-time for awhile) compared to Cabrera.
Pujols put up such incredible numbers during the 2000s and could have won multiple Triple Crowns if PED users like Bonds weren't competing with him. Pujols also could have won almost every MVP of the decade.

Cabrera is the best now, and he may surpass some of Pujols' numbers, especially hits. But at their peak, I think Pujols was slightly better overall.
And Cabrera hasn't been totally healthy lately either, so his body may begin to break down soon and he'll decline like Pujols has.

Pujols just had that wow factor, like I'm watching a modern Lou Gehrig or Ted Williams or Stan Musial. Just pure awesomeness.

Cabrera is almost his equal, but for some reason, has never had that level of awe, even when he won the Triple Crown.

miguelcabrera · Jun 2, 2015

Brewer Andy said:
It's an excellent topic and anything other than a guess at this point is just that. And it may end up being a Coke or Pepsi argument. I will say this, while Pujols has declined I think Miggy's decline will be even faster whenever that comes. I just feel like his body is gonna age at a much faster clip

Miggy being my favorite player since 2003 and started collecting him in 2008, i always heard this for years, that he will never hit 400 career HRs he will never win an MVP he will not be in the league much longer because of his body he's gonna break down and be out of the league in 2 years (said by tons of ppl every year from like 2006 to 2010), then he goes onto win the triple crow, 2 MVPs, and become the best hitter in todays game. now as the best hitter in the game, you still hear some people say he's gonna break down in a year or 2, its just kind of funny. he's always been one of the best hitters in the game but nobody gave him any credit until the triple crown

JoshHamilton · Jun 2, 2015

[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]348 runs[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]320 hits[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]94 doubles[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]132 homers[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]226 RBI[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
If Cabrera can reach these in the next 3.5-ish years, while keeping his BA around .310 and his OPS around .975 (Pujols' is .987 currently), then sure.

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]

(at an age when Pujols was already pretty far from his peak).

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]...huh?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]PUJOLS age 32 (162 game avg)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Runs 85 (115)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Hits 173 (192)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]2B 50 (40)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]HR 30 (40)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]RBI 105 (122)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]BA .285 (.316)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]CABRERA age 31 (162 game avg)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Runs 101 (103)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Hits 191 (195)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]2B 52 (41)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]HR 25 (35)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]RBI 105 (135)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]BA .313 (.320)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]I don't think Pujols was any further from his peak than Cabrera is (I had to use last season because he's 32 this year). If anything, it's because Pujols has had a higher peak than Cabrera. His best individual season stats are mostly better than Cabrera's. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]It'll be interesting to see if Miggy can equal Pujols stat-wise by the time he reaches Albert's age. He's obviously on pace, but there are countless examples of players who have fallen off - some sharply - after their 33rd birthday. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]
[/COLOR]
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]I'll always wonder what would have happened had Pujols stayed in STL. He dropped off a bit when he went to LAA. No way to know if that's due to aging, different parks, or whatever. [/COLOR]

JoshHamilton · Jun 2, 2015

Seriously, the coding on this site is GARBAGE. Any time I write more than two sentences I have to type it in my notepad, because FCB is horrible on mobile. And every goddamned time it does that color bull****.

homerun28aa · Jun 2, 2015

In my opinion this is a really great question. I would argue that Cabrera's dominant years are more impressive than Pujols' dominant years. For any hitter with Cabrera's hitting style a decline is going to come at some point, if it's a steeper decline than Pujols' I don't know that you can give it to him. For me it's all about how long Miggy can sustain the same production but without a doubt it's a question worthy of debate and a couple years ago Cabrera was certainly impressive and someone to look out for but I never thought he and Pujols would be compared when their careers were said and done.

joey12508 · Jun 2, 2015

I think as he ages and his skills decline he will be very comparable to pujols.

Waxov · Jun 2, 2015

Miggys best WAR season is 7.5, Pujols has done a 7.5+ WAR 8 times.
Although he is closing the gap there is a long way to go.

mlbsalltimegreats · Jun 2, 2015

Waxov said:
Miggys best WAR season is 7.5, Pujols has done a 7.5+ WAR 8 times.
Although he is closing the gap there is a long way to go.

There is not doubt that even with the Triple crown Miggy won and the great years he is currently having that Pujols Peak was way better. Other than matching or surpassing Pujols career stats I think its safe to say that Pujols was the better hitter in their primes. Now if we are talking best Player then its definitely Pujols as he was/is a gold glove first baseman and Cabrera at his position, not so much.

Topnotchsy · Jun 2, 2015

mlbsalltimegreats said:
I remember when Miggy was a poor mans Pujols for many years. He has changed that since. I say yes but only if he keeps this up into his later years. It will be fun to watch. Even with Pujols decline, I still think he will have a year where he will burst out and have a pujolsesque type of season.

I keep waiting, expecting it to happen as well. Each passing year makes it seem less likely though...

Waxov said:
Miggys best WAR season is 7.5, Pujols has done a 7.5+ WAR 8 times.
Although he is closing the gap there is a long way to go.

I'm focusing exclusively on the offensive side of the ball in the question. Pujols only had an offensive WAR of 8 or higher (it was 8.5) once (as per baseball_reference.com) while Cabrera's one season with an offensive WAR over 8 was 9.1 (in his second MVP season.)

I definitely feel Pujols has been a better career hitter to this point, but Miggy looks like he may still be in his prime, and depending on how long that lasts, may even things out a bit.

Welcome to our community

Be apart of something great, join today!

Will Cabrera pass Pujols as the best hitter of the era?

Topnotchsy

Featured Contributor, The best players in history?

Brewer Andy

Active member

mlbsalltimegreats

New member

u2me57

Well-known member

Austin

Well-known member

miguelcabrera

New member

JoshHamilton

Well-known member

JoshHamilton

Well-known member

homerun28aa

Active member

joey12508

Well-known member

Waxov

New member

mlbsalltimegreats

New member

Topnotchsy

Featured Contributor, The best players in history?

Similar threads

Members online

Latest posts