Johnny Damon has been awed before by teammates. He marveled at David Ortiz’s clutch hitting, at Manny Ramirez’s uncanny two-strike ability, at Alex Rodriguez’s swing, at Mark Teixeira’s two-way talent. But Tigers teammate Miguel Cabrera tops them all.

“He’s the best. The best I’ve played with,” Damon raved last night. “Obviously, Ortiz brings the clutch-hitting capability in big games. A-Rod brings a perfect swing. Teixeira is the best all-around ballplayer. Manny, two outs runners in scoring position. But this guy is the total package. The best. That ball he hit out of the ball park [Monday]? It was a good pitch by Joba [Chamberlain] and he does that with it.”

Cabrera, headed for a seventh straight 100-RBI season, also gets a strong endorsement from Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

“Cabrera is one of those exceptional talents,” Leyland said, “one of those few guys who’s an MVP candidate every year.”