What Are the Chances?

[barrysloate]

If the baseball season ended today, the batting champions in both the AL and NL would be M. Cabrera? What are the infinitesimal chances of that happening?

[Runscott]

If the baseball season ended today, the batting champions in both the AL and NL would be M. Cabrera? What are the infinitesimal chances of that happening?

Just the NL would be enough to set off about 20 pages of debate here :)

[barrysloate]

Yes, that's of course another story altogether. But to have two players named M. Cabrera, unrelated, each leading their league in hitting, is unprecedented.

[D. Bergin]

Yes, that's of course another story altogether. But to have two players named M. Cabrera, unrelated, each leading their league in hitting, is unprecedented.


............and he might have won that title to............if it wasn't for those meddling kids.



:D

[CMIZ5290]

I still think it's an absolute travesty for melky cabrera to win the batting title......what a joke!

[D. Bergin]

I thought Melky was several plate appearance from being eligible for the batting title, but I read today that he's so close, all that would need to happen would be for the statisticians to find one more hitless at bat for him during the season, or for the Giants finish the season with less then 162 games played (ie. an unnecessary rain-out date is not made up), if I understand it correctly.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8399074/san-francisco-giants-melky-cabrera-likely-barred-national-league-batting-title

[pariah1107]

Everth Cabrera is also having a good year in San Diego with 33 stolen bases in 99 games (caught twice). Needs 6 to tie for the NL lead.

[HRBAKER]

i still think it's an absolute travesty for melky cabrera to win the batting title......what a joke!

+100

[familytoad]

Guys
One of those M. Cabreras is only one HR from leading the AL triple crown race!

(Presumably this is the clean Cabrera:D)

He's a fantastic hitter and may have surpassed Trout as the favorite for AL MVP...which I do agree with.
It's been 45 years since the last Triple Crown and its one of the greatest accomplishments a hitter can claim.
I'd kinda like to see it happen since I was 5 years old when Yaz won and cannot remember it as well :)

[barrysloate]

Hamilton hasn't been having a great second half, while Cabrera has been pretty hot. Looks like the triple crown is well within his reach. If he gets it he has to be the MVP, even though the Tigers may miss the post season. And since the Angels may miss it too, Trout isn't a shoo-in.

[bmarlowe1]

If the baseball season ended today, the batting champions in both the AL and NL would be M. Cabrera? What are the infinitesimal chances of that happening?

To try to answer your question directly, the chances of batting champions of both leagues being named M. Cabrera is of course extremely small. But I think you are looking at this the wrong way.

The chances of both batting champions sharing the same hispanic surname is clearly not so small since there are more than a few hispanic players with the same surname. Adding in the same first initial does make it less likely - but not that much. I would not be surprised if this happens again.

There are 8 Cabrera's on MLB rosters this year.

[barrysloate]

I had no idea there were eight Cabreras on major league rosters. But I do believe that one of the eight will win the Triple Crown this year. Very exciting for baseball!

[novakjr]

Well, with the new, temporary rule change, Melky will be disqualified from eligibility for the batting title.

The real spin here, is that it will kinda make him, the 2nd player to lead all of the majors in batting average, without winning the batting title in his respective league..

Eddie Murray was the other in 1990...He led the majors with .330. McGee won the NL batting title with .335, but was traded to the AL later in the year, and his season average ultimately dropped to .324. Stats doesn't cross leagues. and George Brett led the AL with .329...