Over the next several weeks RealGMBaseball will be holding our 2014 Major League Baseball ‘Be The GM’ Contest to determine which player would be the best selection to build a franchise around.

The contest, which is being brought to you by the Original Retro Brand, is described and previewed here: RealGM’s 2014 ‘Be The GM’ Contest. You’ll want to check out the link for rules on how to enter to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card and to see the full contest schedule.

We have advanced into the Elite Eight and will determine our Final Four over the next two weeks.

Masahiro Tanaka of the New York Yankees and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers are featured in Monday’s matchup. Voting will extend through July 11.

Tanaka has a very brief Major League resume, but through 16 starts he has been as good as advertised -- if not better. Eyebrows were raised when the Yankees offered him $22 million annually to essentially be a No. 3 starter, but he has been the ace of the staff without question. He has a 2.10 ERA, 0.951 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 115.2 innings. He has gone at least six innings in each appearance.

Through June 30, Tanaka ranked first among American League pitchers in WAR (4.4) and third among all players. Opposing hitters have a .217/.252/.358 line against the right-hander. After allowing seven home runs through his first six starts, Tanaka has surrendered just six more in his last 10 appearances.

Over 12 seasons, Cabrera is a .320/.397/.566 hitter. He has won the last two AL MVP awards and has been named to eight All-Star teams. At just 31, Cabrera has 378 home runs and 1,324 RBIs during his time with the Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers.

Never considered a strong defender, Cabrera has been negative in dWAR in each of his full seasons. He's at -0.1 early on in 2014, but is still about as valuable a player as you'll find in Major League Baseball. He has ranked among the top 10 players (AL) in WAR in each of the last four seasons and sits twelfth among all active players (57.2). He's also remarkably durable. He has played in at least 148 games in each of his full seasons.

Vote In This Matchup: Tanaka or Cabrera?

Next Matchup: July 2 – Mike Trout vs. Felix Hernandez

Don’t forget to Tweet your pick along with #BeTheGM to be entered to win a $50 Retro Brand gift card.