It’s no secret that future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is retiring this offseason. When the Detroit Tigers play their last game this season, it will be the final time Cabrera is in uniform (barring an unforeseen trade or an unexpected injury). Cabrera has been a semi-regular in the lineup.
The Tigers have not been good, although Cabrera has been solid lately. The right-hander, over his past 19 games, is slashing .276/.377/.414. While that’s not special, it would add to the Tigers lineup every day. One fan on Reddit posed this question.
•
The AL Central, where the Tigers reside, has been the worst division in baseball thus far. Even after a brutal stretch of baseball, the Tigers are just seven games back of the Minnesota Twins. For reference, there’s a bigger gap between the second wild card New York Yankees and AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
This has divided the fanbase. On one hand, some fans believe Cabrera’s recent production deserves a spot in the lineup to see if they can make some sort of run. Others believe his production will wane and is not worth an everyday spot right now.
This debate is not likely to end, especially if the Tigers stay around the pack in the Central and if Miguel Cabrera keeps playing better.
Miguel Cabrera’s final season isn’t going as planned
Even with the recent uptick in production, Miguel Cabrera’s farewell season has not been good. Unlike Albert Pujols, who in 2022 chased a historic finish to his career and made the postseason, Cabrera’s age is showing.
Thus far, he’s hitting at a 77 wRC+ clip. That’s 23% worse than the league average. He’s also been a bad baserunner and overall negative player, posting -0.4 fWAR so far.
He’s never been a good defender and he’s far too old to play the field now, which limits his ability to do much if he isn’t hitting. Thus, the poor overall metrics. Cabrera will likely make the Hall of Fame, but this season won’t live long in the memory of fans.
