By Jordan Long
The Detroit Tigers will start the 2023 season on Thursday, March 30th when they travel to Tampa Bay. Once the first pitch is thrown in that game, it will mark the last year for slugger Miguel Cabrera in Major League Baseball.
Cabrera started his career in 2003 with the then Florida Marlins. He hit .268 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI’s. Florida earned a playoff spot that year and went on to beat the New York Yankees in 6 games in the World Series, his one and only World Series ring. He stayed in Florida until 2007.
Since 2008 Cabrera has been with Detroit. His top batting average occurred in 2013 when it ended at .348. The most home runs were in 2012 and 2013 with 44. In 2012, Cabrera drove in 139 batters.
Cabrera took his time and decided 2023 will be his final year. It helps that he is in the last year of his deal with the Tigers which will pay him $31 million. According to Yahoosports.com, Cabrera said, “I think it’s going to be my last year. It feels a little weird to say that. I thought, ‘I’m not going to say never,’ but I think it’s time to say goodbye to baseball.”
No matter what happens this year, Cabrera should be inducted into Cooperst Town once his career is officially over. Going into this season, Cabrera is 27th All-Time in home runs at 507. He will climb on that list. Cabrera is also 25th in career hits at which total of 3,088. Of course, that number is going to increase this season. Cabrera has also appeared in 55 postseason games with 205 at-bats. His postseason batting average stands at .278 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI’s.
Besides his regular season and postseason stats, Cabrera has been voted into 12 All-Star Games. He also was the American League MVP for his regular season play in 2012 and 2013. For his hitting, Cabrera won 7 Silver Slugger awards and of course, won a World Series ring. There is not much left for Cabrera to do in the game of baseball. He is making the right choice to retire once the season is over.
The Tigers hope they can make Cabrera’s last season memorable. They haven’t earned a playoff spot since 2014 when they were swept in the American League Division Series by the Baltimore Orioles. Even if they don’t go to the postseason, Cabrera had one great MLB career.
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