Seven years ago, Miguel Cabrera came into the big leagues and showed everyone that he was born to hit. Now, he leads the majors in RBIs (60), is second in homers (19) and ranks ninth in batting average (.327). To some, these results may seem surprising, especially after his tumultuous personal battles helped derail the Detroit Tigers in the final week of the 2009 regular season.

But it's clear that Cabrera spent his offseason addressing any issues he may have had so he could come into spring training ready to lead his team and frustrate pitchers everywhere. The numbers speak for themselves, but they also represent just how badly he wants to take this Detroit team to a title.

I had a chance to play with Cabrera when we were both with the Florida Marlins in 2007, and what really blew me away about him was how smart he was at the plate. We would talk over the course of a game and you could just tell that he had a great understanding of how a pitcher was going to attack a certain hitter. He knew what they were going to throw, how to make contact, and where to hit it. He also gave me a lot of advice on my own approach at the plate, often predicting where a particular pitcher would throw to me.

I started calling him "Albert Einstein" because that genius light went on when he was in the batter's box. The first time I used his nickname he had no idea who Einstein was. But after friend and teammate Alfredo Amezaga explained the moniker, Cabrera thought it was pretty funny.

Besides his superior batting knowledge, Miggy benefits from being part of a powerful offensive lineup. Sandwiched between Magglio Ordonez (.333) and rookie sensation Brennan Boesch (.337), pitchers don't have much choice when it comes to throwing to him. He has just seven intentional walks on the year, and he is making every at-bat count.

His Triple Crown chances may stop at the batting title, with guys such as Robinson Cano and Ichiro Suzuki around, but he's only 27 years old and should continue to put up big numbers, especially if he can stay healthy and sharp. With Cabrera firing on all cylinders, it should be a fun race in the AL Central -- a race that Cabrera wants to leave a positive mark on this time around.

When people question the character of some players, the players shrink into a corner and let their careers crumble. But great players will respond with even more focus. They'll find ways to get back on track and will be better players because of it. In Miguel Cabrera's case, I think he's done just that.

Aaron Boone is an analyst for "Baseball Tonight."

"Baseball Tonight" analysts, ESPN.com writers and SweetSpot Network bloggers chatted and gave their in-game opinions throughout the day's games -- all in Baseball Tonight Live.

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page. For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

Royals at Nationals, 4:35 p.m. ET

The next chapter of the Stephen Strasburg experience. Some of the mind-boggling numbers after his first three starts -- 2-0, 1.86 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, .149 opponent's batting average, 32 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. He has issued five walks, but all of those came in one outing at Cleveland.

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Tigers at Mets, 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN

Opponents are having trouble with R.A. Dickey and his knuckler this year. Dickey is 5-0 with a 2.82 ERA in six starts. After a no-decision in his first outing of the year, Dickey has rattled off five straight. He's even racked up a few strikeouts in his two most recent starts, getting 15 in 13 innings against the Orioles and Indians.

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Red Sox at Rockies, 8:40 p.m.

The Red Sox get their crack at Ubaldo Jimenez, who enters 13-1 with a 1.15 ERA. Jimenez did leave the park Tuesday because of dizziness, but he is expected to make his start against Boston. He faces John Lackey, who is 4-0 over his past five starts. It hasn't hurt that the Red Sox have scored eight or more runs in the four games Lackey has won during the current streak.