BY
TONY PAUL
HemaybeaTripleCrownwinner and last year’sAmericanLeague
MVP, but theDetroitTigers’
MIGUELCABRERA
isn’t
all that interested in talkingabouthimself or aboutbeingarguably
oneof thebestplayers inMajor LeagueBaseball.
Rather, he’d like to talkabouthis team—and that’s just finewithus.
did it,oh, justa fewyearsback(1909).
Cabrera’s performance was impres-
sively carriedout not only as hewas play-
ing (complaint free) through abum ankle
muchoftheyearbutalsoastheTigerswere
tackling onepressure game after another
in September beforewinning the Ameri-
canLeagueCentralDivision titleover the
ChicagoWhiteSox. It alsoearnedCabrera
ALMostValuablePlayerhonors.Heedged
out rookieMikeTrout, the21-year-oldLos
AngelesAngels outfielderwho turned in a
historicseasonofhisown towin theaward.
(
Editor’sNote:
Formore onTrout, turn to
page30.)
“That’sbaseballhistoryrightthere,”says
Verlander, theTigersacewhowontheMVP
award the year beforeCabrera. Verlander
was such anoutspoken spokesman forCa-
brera’sMVP candidacy—heevenordered
“Keep theMVP in theD” shirts— that it’sa
wonderhedidn’thavetofilepaperswiththe
FederalElectionCommission. “I’mgetting
chillsthinkingabout it,”hesays.
Of course, theonly chillsCabrera is get-
ting today, when asked to rehash those ac-
complishments, are a direct result of the
weather.Tryinghishardesttoavoidanytalk
of himself on this frigidday indowntown
Detroit, Cabrera is bundled up in a thick
feared thatopposingpitcherswould rather
face a four-time All-Star infielder— and
freshoff accomplishingoneof the sport’s
mosthistoricfeats,well, likeitornot,you’re
the story. Just ask around.When you do,
you’ll notice two things: Eyes light upand
voices get excitedwhen the question per-
tainstoCabrera.
“He’llbethebestplayerIgettoplaywith,”
saysTigerscatcherAlexAvila,who,because
hecomes fromabaseball family,was just a
kidwhenhewasfirst introducedtoCabrera.
“He’soneof thoseguyswhereyou retirehis
numberon thewall andyoumakea statue.
Peoplealways talkabouthow theywatched
Al Kaline and [Mickey] Lolich and all the
Tigersgreats.…He’ll beoneof ourguys for
ourgeneration.”
That’sbecausealready,at29,Cabrerahas
accomplishedsomuch.
SincebeingtradedfromtheFlorida(now
Miami)Marlins to the Tigers before the
2008season,Cabrerahas led theAmerican
League in eachof the threeTripleCrown
categories (battingaverage,homerunsand
RBIs)at leastonce,and in2012,hewastops
in all three, making him baseball’s first
TripleCrownwinnersinceCarlYastrzemski
oftheBostonRedSoxin1967.Italsowasthe
firstTripleCrownbyaTigersinceTyCobb
W
HEN ITCOMES TO
superstarathletes,MiguelCabrera
fitsthebillinname—andstats—only.Ifyou’relooking
for a self-promoteror a spotlightfiend, thenyoubest
keeponwalking.Cabrera—he’snotbiting.
“We’reateam.We’reherebecausewe’reateam,”Cabrerasays,when
asked, insomanywords,whyhecaresnot todiscusshimself. “Youwin
gameswith25guys.Youdon’twingamesbyyourself. SoI think that’s
unfairwhenpeopleaskyouaboutyou, you, youandnotaskaboutyour
teammates.”
It’sa refreshinglyhumble statement, really, foraneasy-on-the-eyes
professionalathletebanking$21millionayearandheaded, inall likeli-
hood, forbaseball’sHall ofFame.And thoseare fairwords, too,when
youconsider theDetroitTigershave their shareof dynamicpersonali-
ties—hello, JustinVerlander, PrinceFielder andToriiHunter—and
more-than-realistic2013WorldSeriesaspirations.
Butwhenyou’renot-so-arguablythebesthitterinthegame—sodarn
OPPOSITEPAGE:
Cabrera (right) and teammate
PrinceFielder inaTigers victory last September as
theTigersmarched toward theWorldSeries
THISPAGE:
Fansof all ages appreciateCabrera’s
talents,which last year helped theTigers toa
3-games-to-2DivisionSerieswinover theOakland
Athletics anda four-game sweepof theNewYork
Yankees in theAmericanLeagueChampionship
Series tomake theDetroit Tigers the2012American
League champions.
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
APRIL 01, 2013
49
