"I feel like I can do my job this year"

"I have not been in the field for a long time," he said. "I was excited, back in the field, I feel good, I'm happy to be in good health this year, I think I can do my job this year."

Cabrera carries a certain air around him and, for many young Tigers players – especially those young Venzeuelans who grew up idolizing – there is a feeling of admiration never felt when playing so close to him.

But his well-known credentials – face of the franchise and presumably future first member of the Hall of Fame – are only part of his appearance Monday. Now, as the Tigers are built from scratch, Cabrera is the undisputed veteran who will be given the most important leadership role for the first time in his career.

He went to the applause of the tiger town's first base crowd, while the infielders practiced Twins director Tom Kelly's legendary "Good Morning America" ​​routine and quickly began showing the subtle impacts he had on the camp.

After Jeimer Candelario had a nice game on a slow simulated roll, a scream and a thumbs up.

After Sergio Alcantara did the same thing at short stop, a smile.

Miguel Cabrera stretches Monday at the first full workout session. (Photo11: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

During the throwing practice, Cabrera knew who Casey Mize was when he covered the first goal. Mize laughed and returned to the mound later. Subsequently, he seemed stunned by the stars and watched Cabrera on the bench to prepare for stick batting.

On one knee by opening a new pair of batting gloves, he smiles at three photographers. There was no question about the focus.

When he entered the batter's hitting surface against Matthew Boyd to face a live pitcher for the first time since he fractured his left biceps, there was more to spectators than the other three players who were watching the pitch.

More tigers:

The batters do not like live stick practice. This is the first time throwers have faced a batter and it is in a cage, the first shots they have seen all season. Traditionally, Cabrera has taken many of these lands to rehabilitate his eyes.

But staying here, after sitting on the couch, holding a baseball bat for so long, it was too much. Soon he was swaying, defiling some balls and dragging another into the grass. He reaffirmed the effectiveness of Boyd's field with nods, then found himself stuck in a Buck Farmer knife, waving his right hand as he stared at a journalist.

Rookie Grayson Greiner was asked to prepare her catcher equipment if she could grow old one day, sharing the same terrain as Cabrera: "I hit him after him. I will be able to talk to my children about this. "

Finally, Cabrera was back on a baseball field, marching in these great gregarious marches, laughing at random, chatting often, the biggest element of the Tigers' personality finally in place.

He began to play pop music, played the aerial guitar on a baseball bat and gave Ronny Rodriguez a great kick after some fun exercises, bringing a pleasure that only he himself was allowed to bring.

After that, he could not keep a smile when asked how much he liked to be back.

"I mean," he said. "A lot, I missed the game a lot last year.

He said other things, like feeling healthy, playing first base and being a leader, things that he will say again and again. He asked, "Interview?" Acting surprised that the reporters wanted to talk with him afterwards.

"It's calm here," said one of them. "Too quiet."

That day – with a fan on the outside saying that the Miggy Lottery had been won after receiving a signature – nothing spoke louder than Miguel Cabrera's scene pertaining to the spring training.

TO CLOSE

The Detroit Tigers held their first full team training in Lakeland, Florida. We filmed the scene in Tiger Town on Monday, February 18, 2019.
Kirthmon Dozier, Detroit Free Press