Back injuries and natural decline have hit Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera really hard.
He hasn’t surpassed 20 home runs in a season since 2016, when he hit 38.
The last time he hit more than 10 was in 2021, when he finished with 15.
However, he was so good since his debut in 2003 until 2016 that he achieved all kinds of things in MLB.
In late 2021 (on this day), he became a member of one of the coolest and most exclusive clubs for power hitters in the league: 500 career home runs.
Curtain call on the road?@MiguelCabrera launched his 500th career home run two years ago today. pic.twitter.com/F6kAdonkkn
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) August 22, 2023
He did it in Rogers Centre against the Toronto Blue Jays, and fans made sure to honor the achievements of one of the all-time greats.
Hitting 500 home runs is something that all aspiring baseball players dream about when they are young.
Cabrera always had considerable power, but it was his natural hitting ability that earned him multiple batting titles, MVP awards, and even a Triple Crown.
He has, as of Tuesday afternoon, a .307/.383/.519 career line with a .902 OPS, 503 home runs, 622 doubles, and 1,868 RBI.
Today, at 40 years old and with a bad back, he is evidently a shell of his former self.
However, he has still managed to post a relatively decent batting average even though his triple slash line is nothing to write home about: .251/.321/.337, with a .658 OPS.
With Cabrera, however, it’s more about what he did for the game than what he is doing right now.
The only right-handed hitters that measure up to him when it comes to performance in the new millennium are Albert Pujols and Mike Trout when we consider peak and overall body of work.
NEXT: Miguel Cabrera Owns An Elite Mark In Cleveland
