The Detroit Tigers may have missed the playoffs for the first time in four years, but first baseman Miguel Cabrera was still playing at an all-time level in 2015. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer won his fourth American League batting title in five years, hitting .338.
Cabrera played in 119 games and had 429 at-bats, which included 18 home runs and 76 RBI. Cabrera also showed incredible discipline at the plate, walking 77 times while striking out on only 82 occasions.
Assuming Cabrera is clean, he is one of the greatest hitters of our generation, or any generation for that matter. The 32-year-old won the American League triple crown in 2012, hitting .330 with 44 home runs and 139 RBI. The following year, Cabrera won his third straight batting title with a .348 average, leading Detroit to another American League Central title.
Cabrera is piling up one of the best resumes of all-time. The Venezuelan has 408 home runs throughout his career with the Tigers and Florida Marlins, including nine years of more than 30 home runs.
This year was especially tough for Cabrera with most of the lineup falling apart around him. Yoenis Cespedes was traded at the deadline to the New York Mets, while Victor Martinez was either hurt of ineffective most of the campaign. The only protection Cabrera had for most of the year was J.D. Martinez, who turned into a legitimate star over the last few seasons after coming over from the Houston Astros.