Miguel Cabrera is definitely going to the Hall of Fame in a few years. There's no doubt. Miggy has always been one of the most elite ballplayers, has been in MVP conversations for the majority of his career, and his only seen his productivity wane since 2017, but...he's 44 home runs away from 500, 282 hits from 3000, and has 1400 career runs. He's an all-time talent, and there's no doubt.
But...what happens when an all-time talent like Cabrera can't really help a so-so Tigers team? This is a guy who used to be the centerpiece of a burgeoning, consistent roster, and now...that honor sort of has gone to Nicholas Castellanos. Miggy, once a strong first baseman, is now the everyday DH, which...is fine, as he can still hit (.282 with 15 RBIs so far this year). But...the team no longer completely revolves around him. We've gotten to the point where Miggy missed a game, and might miss one or two more, but...the team will go on. John Hicks will play DH.
But that also chalks itself up to the...blandness of this current incarnation of the Detroit Tigers. Miggy and Castellanos are the only remnants of the playoff squads, and the remainder of the team is stacked with a youth movement without a real leadership figure. Lots of solid young players like Spencer Turnbull, Ronny Rodriguez, Christin Stewart and Niko Goodrum, but...none of them really stand out other than for practical reasons. We're a few years away from getting to Casey Mize and some of the prospects from the tanking years, but you'd think that some of these guys would be able to lift the team just a bit.
I'm not saying the Tigers are wasting the rest of Cabrera's contract, as he's definitely been worth the money, but...I just wish he was on a better team to round out his career.
Coming Tonight: Another guy who's been around forever, and another potential Hall of Famer. This one's a catcher.
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