Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants has been ruled ineligible to win the National League batting title. Here is part of the Major League Baseball press statement on the situation.
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association jointly announced today that for purposes of determining the individual batting, slugging or on-base percentage champion, the last sentence of Official Baseball Rule 10.22(a) shall not be applicable for the 2012 season for any player who failed to obtain 502 plate appearances if such player served a drug suspension for violating the Joint Drug Program. This agreement was reached at the request of San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was suspended for 50 games without pay on August 15, 2012 after testing positive for testosterone, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
"After giving this matter the consideration it deserves, I have decided that Major League Baseball will comply with Mr. Cabrera’s request," said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. "I respect his gesture as a sign of his regret and his desire to move forward, and I believe that, under these circumstances, the outcome is appropriate, particularly for Mr. Cabrera’s peers who are contending for the batting crown."
"Melky Cabrera, through a written request to me, asked the for the Union’s assistance in removing him from consideration for the 2012 National League batting title," said MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner. "We complied with Melky’s wish and brought the matter to the Commissioner's Office, which agreed to suspend the rule. We commend Melky's decision under these circumstances."
Cabrera might be trying to save face in the public eye. He was suspended 50 games for his positive test and his absurd cover-up attempt when he created a fake website to try and exonerate him of any wrong-doing. Cabrera's statement indicated that he did not want to win a tainted award and that there were far more deserving candidates who deserved the nod for the batting crown.
Cabrera still held the lead for the overall batting average at .346 before his August 15th suspension. It looks as if it'll be Cabrera's teammate Buster Posey (.335) and Andrew McClutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates (.339) who will be the ones with the best shot of winning the overall batting average crown.
Find out more about the rule that Cabrera wrote by clicking on this previous story at SB Nation Bay Area. Talk about Cabrera with Giants fans by heading on over to McCovey Chronicles.