Cabrera, Miguel

Miguel Cabrera, in full José Miguel Torres Cabrera, byname Miggy, (born April 18, 1983, Maracay, Venezuela), Venezuelan professional baseball player who was one of the premier hitters of his era.

As a teenager Cabrera was one of the most sought-after baseball prospects in South America. He was pursued by multiple major league franchises and ultimately signed with the Florida Marlins of the National League (NL) for $1.8 million at age 16. Cabrera made his major-league debut in June 2003 and was immediately inserted into the team’s starting lineup, playing a key role in Florida’s World Series championship later that season.

In 2004 Cabrera showed that he was one of the best power hitters in baseball by leading the Marlins in home runs (33) and runs batted in (RBIs; 112) while earning his first selection to the All-Star Game. He posted a batting average of .323 in 2005, which was the third best average in the NL that season and established Cabrera as an all-around elite hitter on the major league level. He earned an All-Star selection in 2005 as well as in the following two seasons, but his increased prominence and the salary that went with it led the cost-conscious Marlins to trade the budding superstar to the Detroit Tigers of the American League (AL) in December 2007.

Shortly before the start of the 2008 season, the Tigers signed Cabrera to an eight-year $152.3 million contract, one of the richest in baseball history at that time. He hit 37 home runs to lead the AL during the following campaign, but the Tigers—who had the second highest payroll in baseball that year—were a disappointment, finishing in last place in the AL Central division. The Tigers rebounded in 2009, but Cabrera became a centre of controversy late in the season when police were called to a domestic disturbance between him and his wife. His subsequent on-field performance, during the team’s final two games, was flat as he went hitless in seven at-bats. No charges were filed as a result of the incident, but his maturity and leadership were questioned, and Cabrera later entered into alcohol treatment.

Despite his off-field struggles, Cabrera continued to blossom into one of baseball’s best players while on the diamond. He led the AL in RBIs in 2010 (126) and in batting average in 2011 (.344). In 2012 Cabrera became the first major-league player in 45 years to win the batting Triple Crown by leading the league in batting average (.330), home runs (44), and RBIs (139). His outstanding season helped propel the Tigers to a berth in the 2012 World Series, which the team lost to the San Francisco Giants, and earned him the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Even though he failed to capture another Triple Crown, Cabrera had an even better season in 2013, as he led the AL with a .348 batting average and a .636 slugging percentage (both career highs), while hitting 44 home runs and driving in 137 runs. For his stellar performance, Cabrera was again named the AL’s MVP, and the Tigers advanced to the AL Championship Series during the following postseason.

Cabrera’s play fell off slightly in 2014, but he still posted a .313 batting average and led the AL with 52 doubles. He led the AL with a .338 average in 2015 and had a solid 2016 campaign with 38 home runs and 108 RBIs, but the Tigers missed the playoffs in both seasons. Cabrera had a disastrous 2017 season, batting a career-low .249 average and hitting just 16 home runs as the Tigers posted the worst record in the AL (64–98). A ruptured biceps tendon limited him to appearing in just 38 games during the 2018 season. Detroit had the worst record in the league in 2019 (47–114), and Cabrera’s pedestrian play continued that year, resulting in his posting a .282 batting average while hitting just 12 home runs over 136 games. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Tigers finished with the league’s third worst record (23–35), and Cabrera had a batting average of just .250. Despite his declining production, Cabrera remained a key player for the Tigers, and in 2021 he hit his 500th career home run. The following year he recorded his 3,000th career hit.