Miguel Cabrera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Image:Miguel Cabrera.jpg |
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|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers — No. 24 | |
| Third baseman | Born: April 18 1983 |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| June 20, 2003 for the Florida Marlins | Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
| Batting average | .313 |
| Hits | 842 |
| Home runs | 138 |
| RBI | 523 |
| On base percentage | .388 |
| OPS | .930 |
| Teams | |
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José Miguel Torres Cabrera (born April 18 1983 in Maracay, Aragua State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Detroit Tigers. When he made his Major League debut in 2003, Cabrera was 6'2" and weighed 210 lbs., but he is currently 6'4" and 240 lbs. He bats and throws right-handed. He is a four-time All-Star, having been selected to the National League All-Star Team in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. He has been praised by his former manager Joe Girardi who said "He really understands the game of baseball. I was impressed at how mature he was as a hitter at such a young age, and his approach on a daily basis. He worked hard for me." [1] The one-time shortstop has played an uncommonly large number of positions — he has at least 100 starts at each of third base, left field and right field.[2] He progressed through the Marlins minor-league system and was called up from the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in 2003.
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[edit] Major League career
[edit] 2003: Rookie year
Cabrera made his Major League debut on June 20, 2003, at 20 years and 63 days old; Edgar Renteria, at 19 years, 211 days, was the only Marlins player to make his debut at a younger age. Cabrera hit a walk-off home run in his first major-league game, following Billy Parker in 1971 and Josh Bard in 2003 as the third player since 1900 to hit a game-winning home run in his big-league debut.
Quietly, Cabrera put together one of the best seasons by a National League rookie, immediately becoming the Marlins cleanup batter. Cabrera's postseason play helped propel Florida to a World Series championship over the Yankees and also landed him on the cover of ESPN magazine during the offseason.
In the NLDS against the Giants, Cabrera hit .286 with three RBI. After changing positions in the heat of the NLCS against the Cubs, he hit .333 with three homers and six RBI. In the World Series, Cabrera had the at-bat that defined his postseason in Game Four. Facing Roger Clemens for the first time, Cabrera, who was only 20 years old at the time, got knocked down by a Roger Clemens inside fastball. Two pitches later, he belted the Clemens offering into the right field seats.
In his first season Cabrera batted .268 (84-for-314), with 12 Home Runs, 62 RBI, 39 runs, 21 doubles, and three triples in 87 games played.
[edit] 2004
In 2004, he proved that his rookie season was no fluke, batting .294 with 33 homers, 112 RBI, 101 runs, 177 hits, a .366 on base percentage,a .512 slugging percentage from the third and fourth spots in the order, while playing in 160 and earning his first All-Star berth.
Cabrera spent the whole 2004 season playing in the outfield, with no games at third base; he showed his arm strength as a former third baseman with his 13 outfield assists. In 284 total fielding chances, he committed nine errors and made 262 putouts.
[edit] 2005
In 2005 he came in second in the National League in hits with 198, and batted .323 with 33 homers, 43 doubles, 2 triples, and 116 RBI's. He was chosen to his second consecutive All-Star Game along with teammates Paul LoDuca and Dontrelle Willis, and won his first Silver Slugger award. His 33 home runs made him the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to hit back-to-back 30 homer seasons, at 22 years, 143 days. Albert Pujols of the Cardinals did it at 22 years, 223 days. Cabrera also became the first Florida Marlin in history to hit at least 30 home runs and bat in at least 100 runs in back-to-back seasons.
During the 2005 season, Carlos Delgado protected Cabrera in the lineup, which allowed Cabrera to see more hittable pitches rather than having more pitchers pitch around him in the order (usually by intentionally walking him). The Marlins traded Delgado to the New York Mets after the season as part of their organizationally-termed "market correction", obtaining first baseman Mike Jacobs, pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, and infielder Grant Psomas from the Mets.
[edit] 2006
Cabrera entered the 2006 season as a leader and key run producer. With great help from teammates Josh Willingham and Dan Uggla hitting behind and ahead of him respectively, Cabrera finished the year with a career-high .339 batting average, 26 home runs and 114 RBI's. He was selected to his third consecutive All-Star Game and won his second Silver Slugger.
Cabrera battled the Pirates shortstop Freddy Sanchez for the National League batting crown until the last day of the regular season. Manager Joe Girardi batted him first in the last game of the season to give him more chances to get a hit for the crown, but Cabrera finished second to Sanchez. Cabrera also finished the 2006 campaign with a career-high .568 slugging percentage and a career-high .430 on base percentage.
Another change that Cabrera endured during the 2006 season, besides the loss of many veteran teammates, was his shift back to third base. This was mainly because the Marlins' previous third baseman, Mike Lowell, was traded with Josh Beckett to the Boston Red Sox in the offseason.
On June 22, 2006, Cabrera singled on the first pitch of an attempted intentional walk during the 10th inning against pitcher Todd Williams. This oddity put the Florida Marlins ahead for good in an 8-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.[3]
Mets third baseman David Wright edged Cabrera in the fan voting for the National League's starting third baseman for the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Cabrera's defense was one of the reasons given for the National League's loss to the American League in the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. With 2 outs in the 9th inning, and the National League leading 2-1, Paul Konerko singled off of Trevor Hoffman to start a 9th inning rally that eventually led to the American League's victory and the AL securing home-field advantage in the 2006 World Series.
After the game, many writers and commentators[citation needed] noted that Cabrera was not playing in the best possible position to stop Konerko's single. Manager Phil Garner was criticized for not bringing in the veteran Scott Rolen in the 9th inning for defensive reasons.
During a July 9, 2006, 7-6 road loss to the Mets, there was an incident involving Cabrera and his teammate Scott Olsen. Olsen had matched Mets starter Tom Glavine until the Mets took a 2-0 lead on Xavier Nady's two-run home run. An agitated Olsen was able to retire the next two batters before Jose Valentin doubled to left. The next batter, Paul Lo Duca, hit a hard grounder that glanced off Cabrera's glove and rolled into left field. Valentin scored and Lo Duca raced to second with a double.
While the ball glanced off of Cabrera's glove, Olsen seemed to believe that Cabrera did not give his full effort to get to the ball, and spoke to him about it. As they came off the field, Olsen could be seen shouting something at Cabrera. A moment later, television cameras showed Cabrera in the crowded dugout reaching past teammates to poke his finger at Olsen as the pitcher walked past him. Olsen tried to jab back at Cabrera, who charged Olsen and tried to kick the pitcher before both players were quickly separated by teammates.[4]
[edit] 2007
On February 17, 2007, Cabrera became the first player of the 2007 offseason to win his arbitration hearing, obtaining a one-year contract worth $7.4 million.[5]
In 2007, Cabrera won the NL Player of the Week twice (April 1 - April 8 and June 4 - June 10). Cabrera also made his way through the Marlins record book, passing former Marlins Gary Sheffield and Derrek Lee for second on the Marlin home run list. He also moved into third in all-time Marlin RBI and first in batting average.
Cabrera also made his 4th consecutive All-Star game. Most thought he should have started since he had better numbers at that position over Mets 3B David Wright, but didn't because Wright, in the New York market, garnered more popularity from fans.[citation needed] Cabrera was initially supposed to participate in the Home Run Derby during the All-Star weekend, but an injured left shoulder, suffered a few days before the All-Star break, forced him out of the Derby and limited him in the All-Star game to a pinch hit at-bat against Dan Haren in which he struck out.
On September 4, 2007, Cabrera batted in his 500th run as a major leaguer, making him the third-youngest player to accumulate 500 RBI. Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Ted Williams were the only players to precede him in this feat.[6]
On September 15, 2007, at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, Cabrera added two more achievements to his already impressive career. For the fourth consecutive season (2004-2007) Cabrera managed to drive in at least 100 runs. His 100th RBI came in the first inning against Ubaldo Jimenez when he followed a Jeremy Hermida triple with a single to drive him in. Five innings later, in the 6th, Cabrera added four more RBI when he hit a ball 438 feet into the center-field trees for his first career grand slam (baseball).[7] He joins Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Vladimir Guerrero as the only players to reach the 100-RBI plateau in each of the last four seasons.[8]
Cabrera ended the season with career highs in both home runs and runs batted in. He finished off the year with 34 home runs, 119 RBI, a .320 batting average, and a .401 on-base percentage in 588 at bats.
On December 5, 2007, the Marlins traded Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers for P Andrew Miller, OF Cameron Maybin, C Mike Rabelo, P Dallas Trahern, P Eulogio De La Cruz and P Burke Badenhop.[9]
[edit] Weight issues
Lately some are questioning Cabrera's weight due to the errors that Cabrera has committed at third base. Most had noticed his weight gain in the 2006 Spring Training. Teams and members of the media have cited Cabrera's weight as a reason why he might not have the endurance to sign a long-term contract in the 2009 offseason, when he is currently scheduled to become a free agent.[10]
When Cabrera joined the Marlins in 2003, he was listed at 185 pounds. He weighed 260 pounds for most of the 2006 season, although the Marlins continued to list him at 6'2" and 210; they now list him at 6'4" and 240. Entering the 2007 season, he weighed around 255 pounds to 260 pounds, causing some to question if he should move to first base for defensive purposes. Midway through the 2007 season, Cabrera weighed about 250 pounds, with a goal to attain his ideal weight of 222.[10]
When the Marlins went to Chicago to face the White Sox, Cabrera and countryman Ozzie Guillen had dinner; and Guillen questioned Cabrera's weight, saying:
"I'm a little upset with him," said Guillen, the former Marlins third-base coach now in his fourth season managing the White Sox. "I said, 'You're still young. You're going to keep getting bigger.' He knows he's got a problem. We talked about it." ...
"When you're young and you're good, you can get away with a lot of stuff," Guillen said. "When you're getting older and you go down, they say you're fat. Right now it's, 'Oh, he's a little chubby. He likes to eat.' When you're not hitting .340 with 40 home runs, they're going to call you a fat boy from Venezuela. You'd better lose some weight."
In response, Cabrera said, "If he says I have to lose weight, then maybe I do." [10]
Cabrera has seemed committed to addressing the weight issue in the 2007-8 offseason. According to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who saw Cabrera in Miami during the MLB winter meetings, Miguel "has lost about 15 pounds, maybe a little bit more." He added "If you see Miguel Cabrera now, you will be surprised."[11]
[edit] Personal life
Cabrera is a practitioner of Santería and became a babalao (a high priest) in the 2006 offseason.[12] His wife is named Rosangel, and they have a daughter with the same name.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/ 11/07/sports/baseball/07yanks.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin
- ^ Fielding stats at baseball-reference.com
- ^ "Marlins' Cabrera spoils intentional walk in win", espn.com, 2006-06-22. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
- ^ Tom D'Angelo. "Learning to Lead", Cox News, 2006-07-14. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
- ^ "Cabrera's arbitration case settled", espn.com, 2007-02-17. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
- ^ Cabrera's 500th RBI for naught in loss. Retrieved on September 4, 2007.
- ^ Cabrera's Cabrera powers Marlins over Rockies. Retrieved on September 15, 2007.
- ^ Cabrera's grand slam propels Marlins to 10-2 win over slumping Rockies. Retrieved on September 15, 2007.
- ^ Passan, Jeff (December 4 2007). Cabrera, Willis dealt to Tigers. Yahoo!Sports. Retrieved on 2007-12-14.
- ^ a b c "Is Cabrera living too large?". Retrieved on September 4, 2007.
- ^ "Report: Cabrera shaping up as teams consider deal". Retrieved on December 4, 2007.
- ^ Baxter, Kevin. "Religion under wraps", the Los Angeles Times, published June 26, 2007, accessed June 28, 2007.
[edit] External links
- ESPN - profile and daily updates
- Baseball Reference - career statistics and analysis
- Miguel Cabrera: Profile on the Fish@Bat Florida Marlins Wiki
- [1] - uniform number updates
Florida Marlins 2003 World Series roster |
|---|
| 1 Luis Castillo | 7 Iván Rodríguez | 9 Juan Pierre | 11 Alex González | 14 Todd Hollandsworth | 18 Jeff Conine | 19 Mike Lowell | 20 Miguel Cabrera | 21 Josh Beckett (World Series MVP) | 25 Derrek Lee | 31 Brad Penny | 35 Dontrelle Willis | 38 Rick Helling | 41 Braden Looper | 43 Juan Encarnación | 45 Carl Pavano | 49 Chad Fox | 52 Mike Redmond | 55 Mark Redman | 74 Ugueth Urbina Manager 15 Jack McKeon |
ja:ミゲル・カブレラ
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since September 2007 | National League All-Stars | Detroit Tigers players | Florida Marlins players | Major league outfielders | 2006 World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela | All-Star Futures Game players | Venezuelan baseball players | 1983 births | Living people
