For Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, he appeared destined for stardom from his first day in Major League Baseball. Cabrera was signed by the Florida Marlins in 1999 as a 16-year old out of his native Venezuela. By 2003, Cabrera was ready for his MLB debut and in 87 games with the Marlins that year, Cabrera batted .268 with 12 home runs and 62 runs batted in as he finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
But it was that October where Cabrera would become a household name. In Game 4 of the World Series, the Marlins found themselves trailing the New York Yankees in the series 2-1. Cabrera stepped to the plate in the first inning having to deal with starting pitcher Roger Clemens who was one the most intimidating pitchers in baseball. Clemens threw a “brush back” pitch to Cabrera in the attempt to intimidate the youngster. But Cabrera would immediately respond by launching a two-run homer to give the underdog Marlins an early 2-0 lead in Game 4. The Marlins would go on to win that game and knock off the Yankees in six games for their second World Series Championship in franchise history.
In 2004, Cabrera would become a regular in the Marlins lineup as he batted .294 with 33 home runs and 112 runs batted in to earn his first All-Star Game appearance. Cabrera would go on to be a steadying influence in the Marlins lineup as he was putting up MVP numbers on a team that was contending. By 2007, Cabrera would be traded to a contender in the Tigers and since then his career has gone to the next level.
In Cabrera’s first year in Detroit, he batted .292 with 37 home runs and 127 runs batted in as he proved that he could do it in both leagues. By 2011, Cabrera was able to help the Tigers win the American League Central for the first the first time in franchise history as he led the American League in hitting at .344 while slugging 30 homers and driving in 105 runs. But nobody could have expected Cabrera to do what he did in 2012 when he became the first player in either league to hit for the Triple Crown since Carl Yaztrzemski in 1967 as he led the A.L. in batting average (.330), home runs (44), and runs batted in (139). It was a no-brainer that Cabrera would win his first A.L. MVP Award as he helped the Tigers reach the World Series that October. Cabrera would once again be named as the MVP in 2013 as he put up similar numbers by hitting .348 with 44 homers and 137 runs batted in and in the process established himself as one of the best hitters in the history of Major League Baseball.
Even as injuries are beginning to catch up with Cabrera, he is still one of the most feared hitters in baseball as he is one of the toughest guys to strike out. Since joining the Tigers, Cabrera has only had one season in which he struck out at more than 100 times and he is also no stranger to being intentionally walked as he has received 213 free passes for his career.
This year Cabrera finds himself in the middle of a very deep Tigers lineup and he is still batting .297 with 19 homers and 567 runs batted in as Detroit is the midst of the wild card race in the American League. Cabrera made history last week when he became the fastest player in Major League Baseball history to have 400 career home runs and 1,500 runs batted in. To date Cabrera has hit 427 career homers and his 289 home runs with the Tigers are fourth in franchise history.
At the age of 33, lower body injuries are beginning to take away from some of Cabrera’s mobility, but he is still one of the best hitters in baseball. Cabrera signed an extension with the Tigers in 2014 that will more than likely keep him in Detroit for the remainder of his career as he pursues some individual milestones. Cabrera is sitting on 2,440 career hits, 427 home runs, and 1,502 runs batted in as he could join Hank Aaron and Alex Rodriguez as the only players in Major League Baseball history with 3,000 career hits, 500 home runs, and 2,000 runs batted in before it is all said and done. Cabrera has never been linked to any performance-enhancing drugs which means that he is line to one day join Luis Aparicio as the only Venezuelan born players to make the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Typically when you watch a person play a respective sport, you know whether or not that they are Hall of Fame worthy. And although that Cabrera doesn’t appear ready to hang them up anytime soon, we are witnessing one of the best hitters that the game of baseball has ever seen who will one day take his rightful place in Cooperstown.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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