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DETROIT – After a few tough seasons for Miguel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers slugger has the opportunity to remind fans of all he has accomplished in his career.
Specifically, Cabrera has the opportunity to hit two major milestones in 2021. He has 13 under 500 homers and 134 3,000 hits. And yes, he is aware of those numbers.
“I hope. We can do both,” Cabrera said on Friday, laughing. “I hope I can reach the 500, 3000 this year. That’s one of my goals this year. Mentally, I feel good. I feel strong mentally. I try to go day after day and I try to play hard. ”
It has been a while since Cabrera looked like the player who was the American League’s MVP in 2012 and 2013. The last time he was really impressive with the bat was in 2016, when he hit .316 with it. 38 circuits. From 2017 to 2019, he only played 304 games, as an assortment of injuries limited his availability.
In the meantime, the Tigers have entered a major rebuild, trading many of their best players. Cabrera, who turns 38 in April, is still part of the team, which says a lot about his declining production and huge contract.
Only a half-dozen players have made it to 500 homers and 3,000 hits: Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro and Eddie Murray.
Cabrera certainly has a chance of achieving both this year. He managed to play in 57 of his team’s 58 games in the shortened 2020 season, and he made 10 home runs. In 2019, he had 139 hits in 136 games.
“I want to be healthy, and I want to do my best, and I want to do whatever I can to help the team win games,” Cabrera said on Friday.
Cabrera didn’t play on the pitch last year, but new manager AJ Hinch has said he’s ready to play him on first base.
“He wants to play first. I didn’t realize he expressed it as much as I learned after even saying it,” Hinch said. “My plan for him is to give him the opportunity to be a bit more of a complete player, and not just to fall into the DH category.”
Cabrera said he spoke to Nelson Cruz about some of his work habits – Cruz, 40, is still one of the best home hitters in the game.
“I love to play baseball,” Cabrera said. “I love having fun on the pitch. I love going there every night. ”
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