Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera has had an amazing career.
He has slashed .310/.387/.532 with a .919 OPS, rates that any hitter in baseball would love to have over a single season.
He has 1,508 runs scored, 599 doubles, 502 home runs, and 1,807 RBI.
He is also on the verge of reaching one of the toughest milestones there is for a hitter, especially in this era of platoons and rest days: 3,000 hits.
“Miggy is at 2,995 career hits and has a chance to get to 3K while the Yankees are in town this week,” The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler tweeted.
Miggy is at 2,995 career hits and has a chance to get to 3K while the Yankees are in town this week. https://t.co/bIGl9ZJpSX
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) April 19, 2022
The New York Yankees will be visiting Comerica Park to take on the Tigers and, of course, Cabrera.
The right-handed hitter has been one of the best offensive players since the start of the 2000s.
He has won two MVP awards, a Triple Crown in 2012, the 2003 World Series, seven Silver Slugger awards, and has gone to 11 All-Star Games.
The Declining Cabrera Is About To Make History
At this point in his career, he is a shell of his former self, having slashed .256/.316/.386 with a .701 OPS in 2021.
In 2022, he is off to a similarly slow start, at .276/.333/.345 and a .678 OPS.
Time is undefeated, and 2022 is Cabrera’s age-39 season.
But the Tigers (and his prohibitive contract) are giving him an opportunity not only to reach 3,000 hits, but also serve as a mentor for a really young and promising core of hitters.
For the Akil Baddoos, Riley Greenes, and Spencer Torkelsons of the world, having Cabrera giving them pointers and instructions about hitting is priceless.
That is invaluable for the Tigers as an organization that prepares to contend as soon as this season.
Cabrera, while looking for 3,000 hits and his 600th double, will keep contributing as much as he can.
NEXT: Miguel Cabrera On The Precipice Of Baseball Immortality