Miguel Cabrera Needs His Own Thread

sir, i have bad news. it's about your lungs. they...they're changing. chronically.

“Okay, now, the symptoms you describe point to ‘bonus eruptus’, it’s a terrible disorder where the skeleton tries to leap out the mouth and escape the body.”

a bizarre way to say "old" or "arthritis"

I think I have this affliction

There was a four-year stretch when, after final game each season, would ask Cabrera what injuries he was dealing with down stretch. And only then would he answer. The guy just played, especially when they were playing in October. https://t.co/YHtuMpTtvj

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) June 4, 2019

“The only advice I can say to young kids is take care of their body when they have to," Miguel Cabrera said. "When they have something, stop playing for a week and come back. Don’t play through pain, because you’re going to pay the price later.”

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) June 4, 2019

also do your homework and stay in school

Speaking of Cabrera, his 2019 is one of the oddest superstar decline years that I can remember. If you told me back when Cabrera signed his contract extension that he’d be a terrible major leaguer in 2019, I would have believed you (as did the projections). But I wasn’t quite prepared for the shape of the decline; I did not see Cabrera’s decline phase being “really, really slow Vince Coleman.” I expected Cabrera to look more like Albert Pujols does now, maintaining his power but eventually losing everything else. Instead, Miggy has retained his ability to hit singles but has only hit 10 homers in a run environment where records are being shattered left and right. Just for a quick comp list for 2019, I looked up every season within five points of Cabrera’s in BA, OBP, and wRC+, within 10 points of OBP, and with at least 80 strikeouts.

https://i.imgur.com/UVyEfnq.png

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-detroit-tigers-discovered-their-nadir-in-2019/

Kind of gruesome...He's signed for three more seasons; he might need that to reach 500 HR.

nothing more fun for fans than watching aging vince coleman try to reach a round HR number!

signed for 4 more seasons iirc

Kinda puzzled why Fangraphs is so surprised by his "decline" (3 seasons of fairly level shitty/replacement level)? Or is it "odd" to be that shitty for 3 seasons?

i feel like your question is answered in the quote.

I worded my post poorly:

Miggy's 2019 did not forge much of a different vector from his 2018 (injury) nor his 2017 (terrible) seasons. Expecting an outlier on the tailend of 3 seasons of lackluster performance is a bit reckless imho... tho I'm not a baseball blogger.

As was noted in this Chris McCosky pievce last October, Miguel Cabrera's right knee is not going to get better. It's the core reason why he's not hitting. He's in shape, he has the fire -- but not the right knee. It needs, probably, replacing. No go there. https://t.co/dXTIH507P2

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) August 26, 2020

A ballplayer getting his knee replaced isn't a ballplayer returning to big-league duties. Thus, it seems, the script is nearly written: Tigers will get him to 3,000 hits, try to get him to 500 HRs. And then there will be a parting. All because the knee can't adequately function.

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) August 26, 2020

Needs 165 hits for 3000 and 19 HRs for 500.

At .198/.297/.327 this year, and has looked as overmatched as those numbers indicate.

Hasn't appeared desperate, at least -- no major deviation in his swing percentages. Making less contact outside the zone.

I dunno.

talking out of my ass here, but i find it hard to believe that a knee replacement would make things worse than they already are

You don't need great knees to hit a HR from the DH spot (Joey/Albert Belle, Bo Jackson, Kirk Gibson, Mo Vaughan, Don Mattingly, David Ortiz, etc.). But getting those 165 hits might be the bigger challenge if he can't run at 80% or less of his peak speed.

.198/.297/.327 is going to be even worse when pitchers start challenging him more often (he has a walk rate of 11.9%, somehow)

xp you can be slow as hell and still be a good contact/non-slugger:

here's the bottom 10 in sprint speed:

https://i.imgur.com/ggu5FsT.png

well, maybe not a good contact hitter, but still able to get "hits"

Yes, exactly! That's his current "speed". After a knee replacement, you can best believe he will be slower than Pujols & Yadi (he's marginally faster than them now).

Also, just say Miggy collects a hit, he immediately becomes a baserunning liability: much easier to get a double play off of the slowest runner in baseball, he will not be able to slide in to 2B to break up the double play, in fact he will be a huge injury risk every time he has to slide, he will not be taking an extra base on a gapper (1st - 3rd, 2nd - Home). Baserunning liability = more out chances for the defense = less run production for DET.

yeah, i guess i agree it's liable to get pretty ugly. what your'e describing is pretty much albert pujols for the last several years

talking out of my ass here, but i find it hard to believe that a knee replacement would make things worse than they already are

― mookieproof, Wednesday, August 26, 2020 11:32 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

recovery is tough and you need to be on blood thinners for a few months. it’s not impossible but for someone his age it’s asking a lot

i'm on blood thinners right now and am totally fine to DH until my cat bites me and i bleed to death

lol

Heating up.

The late-Pujols phase of his career into its fifth year...Hit a HR first time up today, so 12 more for 500. Getting to 3,000 hits will be difficult--full season, no injury. If he duplicates his 2019, he'd just make it. And then, yikes, two more seasons.

on pace for 500 or so HR this season as of today

Miguel Cabrera has departed the field of play via the BIG FLY.#DetroitRoots pic.twitter.com/aQebyTB7eJ

— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) April 1, 2021

The MLB site had a lead story last night about Cabrera on the verge of passing Ruth in career hits. He went 0-3 in each game and is now hitting .146.

New obsession: .125.

I’m going to assume he’s the hands down worst of the big contracts right now? (Votto and Pujols I think are just regular bad)

miggy was a league-average hitter last year and votto is so far this year. pujols hasn't been since 2016

I thought Votto was doing much worse than he actually is.

he had a huge game yesterday but otherwise has been awful

mookie's right tho – according to his OPS+ he's right on league average. obviously tho, in terms of his contract it's p bad.

0-4, .115 (OPS = .443).

Votto was great in 2017, Cabrera was great in 2016, Pujols' last great year was ... 2010 or 2011? He wins hands down.

This must be the abyss looking back: 0-5, 7 left on base, .105 (OPS = .406, tribute to Ted Williams).

Miguel Cabrera is hitless in his last 24 at-bats after a second-inning groundout against Martin Perez. It's the longest hitless stretch of his career.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) May 6, 2021

stumbled on Miguel Cabrera's stat line like it was a jump scare in a low-budget horror movie

— Patrick Dubuque (@euqubud) May 5, 2021

Damn, that's almost as bad as Francisco Lindor's stats.

0-2; two more hitless AB will drop him under .100.

That Tigers lineup tonight is something to behold. Candelario is batting third and hitting .281. The other eight spots: .216, .175, .102, .210, .192, .159, .158, .200. It's the Detroit Maxvills.

Miguel Cabrera's second consecutive two-hit game moves him to 2876 hits for his career, tying him with Mel Ott for 44th on MLB's all-time list.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) May 8, 2021

the kid is on fire

In honor of @MiguelCabrera becoming the All-Time Venezuelan-Born Hits leader tonight, I have created an interactive timeline detailing the Venezuelan-Born hit leaders since the debut of Ãlex Carrasquel in 1939.

Check out and see all of the Venezuelan greats in MLB history 🇻🇪🔥 pic.twitter.com/HPZR9JEu8Z

— Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) May 13, 2021

watching aparicio and concepcion show up made me so happy

i love a good interactive timeline

that guy recently did one of those for all-time bWAR

i like how it's quiet for a while in the 80s-90s and then suddenly here comes bonds