Fantasy Baseball's No. 1 overall pick is as highly coveted as it is debated.
Though Mike Trout's flash-fried jump to elite status has further clouded the debate for the first pick, for all intents and purposes, it's a three-man race between Trout, Ryan Braun and Miguel Cabrera.
While there's really no wrong choice, the question of the right choice still remains.
For my money, I'm taking Miguel Cabrera, fresh off an American League MVP.
Miggy merits discussion as the top pick for obvious reasons.
Besides the fact that he put together baseball's first offensive Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, he is the best of a shallow third base pool by a rather wide margin.
Cabrera led all third basemen in runs (109), homers (44), RBIs (139) and average (.330) in 2012. In fact, not only was he the lone third baseman to score 100 runs, hit 40 homers and drive in 120 runs, he was the only third baseman to do any of those things.
Neither Trout nor Braun can boast that type of positional dominance due to the cavernous depth of fantasy baseball's outfield.
Adding to Cabrera's case, the "Blue Label Bomber" has proven to be a model of durability and consistency throughout his career, never playing fewer than 150 games in any season while averaging 34 home runs, 117 RBIs and batting .321.
Trout, on the other hand, has much to prove in terms of consistency, as he hasn't even played a full season at the major league level. Furthermore, questions of durability are certainly warranted considering the tenacious outfielder's reckless abandon when making plays.
While there's no reason to doubt Braun's consistency or durability, his availability, or lack thereof, due to suspension could definitely derail a fantasy season. Braun is mired in the midst of a PED scandal—the second time his name has been brought up with performance-enhancing drugs.
Despite questions marks surrounding Trout and Braun, there's no question of Cabrera's ability to produce in a lineup featuring Austin Jackson, Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.
There may not be a better lineup in baseball than Detroit's and there's definitely not a better choice for fantasy baseball's No. 1 overall pick than Miguel Cabrera.
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