pitchandnotswinginguntilhegetsit.Often
hegets itand,often,hedestroys it.
ButCabrera’s smarts andknowledgeof
the game can easily get overlookedby the
media and fans because, again, he’s not
exactlycutout tohostdrive-timeradio.He
haswhat are known as baseball instincts.
They’re tough to teach and, like a singing
voice,youeitherhavethemoryoudon’t.Ca-
brera,mostcertainly,does.“Youcantellhow
smartabaseballplayer isbytheirapproach
andhow theygoabout theirbusiness,”says
SeanCasey, an analyst forMLBNetwork
and a former Tigers first baseman. “He’s
mentally focusedon everypitch.He’s not
goingtogiveintoapitcherallyearlong.He’s
notgivingawayat-bats.”
Heisn’ttryingtodotoomucheither.And
as a result, heoftendoes somuch.Where
oftenyou’llseePrinceFielderfalloverfrom
taking suchamightyhack, you’llneverwit-
nessCabreraoverswinging.He’ll takewhat
thepitchergiveshimandmakethebestof it,
whether it’saseeing-eyesingletorightfield
togivehis teama late leador amoon-shot
homer towinagame, ashedid in the 10th
inningof akeygameagainst theCleveland
Indians lastAugust.
It’swith this approach thatCabrera, in
2012,batted .330withacareer-best44hom-
ersand139RBIs—muchofthatatspacious
ComericaPark inDetroit,widely regarded
as apitchers’ heaven. But, asCaseypoints
out, “nofield’s toobig forhim.”Amazingly,
all thosegaudystatistics—manycoming in
clutch time,whenhis teamneededhim the
most—mightnothaveevenbeenCabrera’s
greatest contribution to theTigers’ season,
whichendedwitha four-gamesweepat the
hands of the SanFranciscoGiants in last
fall’sWorldSeries.(Cabrera, inararecaseof
lookinghuman, tookstrike three toend it.)
InJanuary2012,afterdesignatedhitterVic-
torMartinezsueredakneeinjurythatcost
him theentireseason, theTigershadanop-
portunity to signFielder. ButFielderplays
firstbase,whichwasCabrera’sposition. So
Cabreravolunteered tomove to thirdbase
—where he hadn’t played since a 14-game
cameo in2008— tomakeroom foranother
superstar. “Idon’t think there’smany that
woulddo something like that,” saysDave
Dombrowski, theTigers’ generalmanager,
president andCEOwhomasterminded the
blockbustertradeforCabrera inaNashville,
Tenn.,hotel inDecember2007,“anddo it in
suchawilling fashion.”
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
APRIL 01, 2013
51
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