NLBM to honor Cabrera, Granderson for 2008

11/11/08 3:25 PM EST
NLBM to honor Cabrera, Granderson
Duo receives awards for on-field and off-field contributions

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera and leadoff man Curtis Granderson will be honored in January by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum as part of its 2008 Legacy Awards.

The awards are presented each winter to top players in the Major Leagues based on their accomplishments from the past season. The Oscar Charleston Legacy Awards recognize the best player in each league, as decided by the museum, while other awards recognize both statistical leaders and top contributors off the field.

Cabrera lost out to Twins first baseman Justin Morneau for the American League's Oscar Charleston Award. However, as the American League's home run leader, Cabrera will receive the Josh Gibson Award along with Philadelphia's Ryan Howard.

Cabrera's 37 home runs this season beat out White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin atop the AL leaderboard in the season's final week. He became the first Tigers player to win a home run crown since Cecil Fielder in 1991. It marks the first league title of any kind for Cabrera, who was a near-unanimous choice for Tiger of the Year as the team's most valuable player earlier this month.

Granderson, meanwhile, will be recognized for his baseball and community leadership with the John Henry "Pop" Lloyd Award. A visitor to the museum during the Tigers' travels to Kansas City, Granderson has become a central figure in the Tigers' community and charitable efforts over the last three seasons while contributing on his own through his Grand Kids Foundation to help fund educational initiatives in Detroit as well as his hometown of Chicago. He recently continued his role as an MLB international ambassador with a trip to China to visit clinics and talk with amateur and professional players there.

Award winners will be recognized in a ceremony on Jan. 10, 2009, at Kansas City's Gem Theater, across the street from the museum. Proceeds from the ceremony will benefit the institution, which keeps alive the legacy of the Negro Leagues and those who played, coached or owned teams.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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