Miguel Cabrera

Nelson Cruz is so hot right now, the difference between him and the best hitter in the American League is thinner than Derek Holland's mustache. But if the game is on the line and there's a hitter in this series I most dread facing, his name is Miguel Cabrera.

Miggy might not be much for tagging up from third base and scoring on a fly ball, but he's been a force in the American League Championship Series, even though Texas manager Ron Washington has done everything in his power to marginalize him. Cabrera is hitting .375 (6-for-16) with a 1.378 OPS and seven walks in the series. Throw in his totals from the ALDS against the Yankees, and Cabrera has drawn 12 bases on balls, including five intentional passes, this postseason.

When Detroit was pulling away from its AL Central competitors to win the division by 15 games, Cabrera was front and center. He hit .390 in August and .429 in September to win his first career batting title. During a press conference Thursday, Washington called Cabrera "the best baseball player as far as a threat that I've seen since Barry Bonds," and said he's surprised that opponents didn't walk Cabrera 200 times this year. Granted, Washington doesn't have a lot of personal encounters with a guy named Albert Pujols, but personal tributes don't come much more glowing than that.

Yes, Cruz can turn around a 100 mph fastball and drive it into the seats, but Cabrera is special because he gets the job done in so many ways. He'll produce big hits against breaking balls and changeups, or shorten up with two strikes and dump a single to center field to get a run home. His resourcefulness is every bit as impressive as his bat speed and his hand-eye coordination. And when the third-base bag comes into play and gives him an assist … well … he's just about impossible to beat.

Baseball Reference has a tool that compares players across generations, and it lists Cabrera's most similar batters through age 28 as Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr., Pujols and Mel Ott. This dude isn't just good -- he's historically good. And when he steps in the batter's box in a big spot this weekend, nobody knows that better than Ron Washington and the Rangers. Rest assured, they will pitch him accordingly.