The Tigers pulled out an 8-4 victory today over the equally troubled Orioles, but the win didn’t come without a fair share of bummer news. Baseball legend Miguel Cabrera was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, and the club announced after the game that the former Triple Crown winner is dealing with right knee soreness; as veteran reporter Chris McCosky of the Detroit News was quick to note, Cabrera has been dealing with chronic pain in that knee all season (link).
Across 1200 plate appearances since the beginning of the 2017 season, Cabrera owns a .273/.347/.405 batting line; his wRC+ of an even 100 indicates that he has been the perfect exemplar of a league-average hitter over that time frame. Of course, it is without the slightest bit of schadenfreude that one would point out how far those marks have fallen since Cabrera’s heyday. Miggy garnered MVP votes in every season ranging from 2003-2016; in that same span, he made ten All-Star games, won two MVP awards, and took home seven Silver Slugger trophies. Jason Beck of MLB.com indicates that Cabrera is considered “day-to-day” for the time being (link).
More notes from around the American League…
- Bob Hohler of The Boston Globe had the privilege of interfacing this week with retired Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who made his first public comments to an English-language publication since being shot in a near-fatal June 9 incident in the Dominican Republic. “People need to understand, this isn’t a movie where you get shot in the street and you’re back two minutes later,’’ Ortiz said in the wide-ranging piece, which covers the events of that fateful night and his ensuing recovery process. “I got shot and almost died. I only have one life to live. I can’t just go to the pharmacy and buy another one.’’ As Hohler’s piece goes on to delineate, justice has still been hard to come by for the future Hall of Famer, as detectives in the DR are still yet to pinpoint a motive behind the attack that seems coherent to Ortiz; the former Boston great has since hired former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis to investigate the case.
- The Mariners have set something of an ignoble record in 2019, as Cut4’s Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman point out that Seattle has given playing time to an all-time-high 67 players this season (link). While many around baseball are giving attention to the litany of home run records being broken this year, manager Scott Servais and GM Jerry Dipoto have arguably accomplished a much more impressive feat in managing such a revolving door of a clubhouse.
I pray they find out what xactly happened to Papi, it’s a shame the Dominican is so limited in resources, n good thing Ortiz is not.
They already know what happened, Big Papi was messing with the wrong chica.
Man miggy was always one of my favorite players even playing against my team. It’s a shame that we have to age and go in such a sharp decline . He’s a hall of famer in my mind
191 more hits Miggy is in the HOF for sure. If he never played another game he’d probably still get in eventually.
He’s in the HOF regardless. Him, Pujols and Trout are the best hitters of the last 2 decades.
Edgar Martinez waves hi.
If Harold Baines makes it, Victor Martinez should get in.
If some other idiotic veteran’s committee wants to vote for Vmart 30 years from now they can go ahead. But he sure doesn’t deserve it.
He would fit right in with what has been getting in lately.
He’s a hall of famer. For almost 10 years he was unstoppable. He’s a pure hitter with great power and never a doubt about steroids. Pujols is the same. Both hall of famers for sure.
Definitely. Speaking of HOF: The biggest “what if” I’ll never stop mulling in my head: What if Ichiro played his entire career in America? Would he have went down as the greatest player of all time?
I wonder that too. I bet Ichiro would have had the most hits of all-time.
Somebody never saw Pete rose Play.
No, he had no power.
He had a lot of hits for not playing his entire career in the States, it’s certainly a fair question to ponder regardless if you are old enough to have seen Pete Rose play.
I’m old enough to have watched both Rose and Ichiro, and Ichiro was the better overall player. If he had played his entire career in the US, he would have gone down as the all-time hits leader and a great player, but nowhere close to the greatest player of all time.
Watched Rose’s entire career. Ichiro was better. Rose had about 5,000 more at-bats, so the all-time hit lead is a tad farcical, unless you count Japan stats. If you do, Ichiro is the all-time hit king anyway. Rose had 2 Gold Gloves in 24 seasons. Ichiro had 10 in 19. Hit over .350 4 times. Rose never made that mark once. If you care about power, Rose only hit 160 HR. Ichiro hit 117 (in 5,000 less AB’s, again). Ichiro was much better on the basepaths (500 SB/119 CS to Rose’s pedestrian 198/149). Had arguably the best OF arm ever. Higher career batting average (much higher if you include Japan). Rose leads in WAR and OPS. I understand if you’re biased to the Big Red Machine era, but Ichiro was the better overall player and it’s not really close.
Ichiro had far more talent than Rose. Rose was a mediocre player that busted his butt to be what he became.
Best arm of all time was Roberto Clemente.
You beat me to it. Ichiro had a great arm, but Clemente was better.
The game has changed, making it hard to compare players of different generations but Ichiro’s lack of power cripples any argument about being the greatest hitter ever. Ted Williams hands down.
Cabrera should make the HOF for sure, he certainly was one of the best hitters of this generation of ball players…..if he’s in pain, give him the rest of the season off…
If harold baines makes it in…
Baines is the HOF’s biggest joke, taking the pressure off Bruce Sutter.
And the word of the day is “schadenfreude”
Why is Ortiz a future HOF when guys like Bonds and Clemens aren’t in?
Really, Ortiz shouldn’t be unanimous even if there was some sketchy stuff going on with his PED failed test.
Agreed. I’m as big a Sox fan as there is and while he should be enshrined in the City of Boston’s HOF, he in my view cheated like so many others and should not be in Cooperstown before so many players of prior generations. I’ve said it before. My list starts with Dwight Evans, Thurman Munson and Luis Tiant. Sad that LaRussa was able to get his boy Baines in last year. LaRussa should have pleaded his case but recused himself from voting since he was far from impartial. The HOF means so little to so many today. Sad.
Agree with all of that.
So Baines is a joke, but Dwight Evans would be your first choice? Kind of strange since they were pretty comparable players who played around the same time. Most people forget before he hurt his knees that Baines was an excellent defender. Many just remember him as a DH late in his career. But he was one of the best pure hitters of his generation and a great all around player before injuries and an even better person. Also I wish people would stop with Thurmond Munson. Should Darryl Kile be in too? If Munson had played for the Padres nobody would ever mention him.
Kile was a three-time All-Star with 20.2 career rWAR.
Munson was a seven-time All-Star with 46.1 career rWAR.
Are you really making a comparison?
Dewey, you should be ashamed to consider yourself a Red Sox fan…and also if Edgar Martinez is in……Ortiz is clearly a lock
Baines was never the best anything during his career. He didnt lead the league in anything.
Actually he did lead the league in slugging % in 1984 :) Also my bad to clarify I wasn’t trying to say Kile is equally or more deserving than Munson. The comparison obviously is that they both tragically passed away in the middle of their careers. Is Munson really a hall of famer? People rag on Baines and act like he is a no brainer and that is pretty ridiculous on both ends. If he had played for someone other than the Yankees would there be such an outcry? I highly doubt it.
Ashamed. Yes if the game itself and what players, teams and MLB did to the game for money. Greed. Look at how expensive prime seats are today. Coincides with the aftermath from the strike and PED usage. As for Evans and Baines being comparable? LOL. Evans was the best right fielder of his generation when there were great ones including Parker, Winfield and Reggie Smith to name a few. Reggie Smith is also HOF worthy. There are so many. Others include Belle, Murphy and Garvey. As to Papu, I just believe he used and should not be rewarded. I wouldn’t have voted for Bagwell or Piazza either. Shame on you McMillan for supporting frauds. I give Papi his due for 2013 when after the bombing he was a leader. That however doesn’t absolve the PED issue. His final year no one talks about. He had the greatest season ever for a 40 year old. Do you really think he did it cleanly? I try to be objective even when it hurts.
Compare Munson to Kirby Puckett. Both middle of the field leaders and key contributors on two WS winning teams. Gold glove winners also. Munson was also rookie of the year and league MVP. Negative was his knees were shot and he was likely at the end of his productive career. Munson also was the only Yankee to show up for the 76 WS. The rules were changed for Puckett to get him in immediately after his passing. When Munson died, they wanted to do the same for him but Diana Munson refused saying Thurman himself would not have wanted to be treated different than others. Not sure how old you are SN33 but as a Sox fan, the Yankees of the mid to late 70s had many clutch hitters (Jackson, Pineilla, Chambliss, Nettles) but Munson was the one I feared the most in a big situation.
Edgar Martinez could come out of retirement next year, play every day at age 58, strike out in half of his at-bats, and hit a weak grounder back to the pitcher in each of the other half, and he would still have a higher OBP, higher batting average, higher WAR, and fewer strikeouts than David Ortiz. Ortiz lead Edgar in HR, hits 225 more) and playoff appearances; Ortiz also has 700+ ABs more than Martinez.
Edgar even played the field more in his career and was above average as opposed to Ortiz who was a defensive liability even early in his career. Do both deserve in, yes, absolutely. But enough of this “if Edgar, then Ortiz” nonsense. Edgar was one of the best all around hitters,possibly the best right handed hitter, of his era. Edgar’s stats line up with and exceed those that are in the hall (Musial, Molitor, Mantle) to name a few. All of which was accomplished with an eye disorder that disallowed him to track the ball the last 30 feet….To say Ortiz is more deserving it to say that Home runs are the only important offensive statistic and that y’all of gamers should only come from WS winning teams.
Evans has something that Baines couldn’t get during any part of his career to his resume.. 8 Gold gloves and was known as having the best right arm in the game for throwing runners out during his career.
Combine that, his bat together and it’s why some think he belongs.
now is that all that belong morso than Baines? No, there is Jimmy Kaat and his nearly 300 wins. Lee Smith and his nearly 500 career saves, many covering multiple innings during a time when closers were expected to do that.
Try looking deeper into stats. Papi beat him in HRs and post season. Edgar beat him in so many other stats it is crazy. Edgar never cheated and played a position for 300 or do more games if I remember right. Papi was good but a deeper dive shows overall Edgar was better.
Nice post KGT I was interested to see if some of these guys would look into some of the stats. I am not sure why they haven’t in that last few years this conversation had been going on. I guess not looking means they don’t have to acknowledge it.
KJT sorry
“As for Baines and Evans being comparable LOL”
Hits- Baines 2866 Evans 2446
2b- Baines 488 Evans 483
HR- Baines 384 Evans 385
RBI- Baines 1628 Evans 1384
Runs Baines 1299 Evans 1470
BA- Baines .289 Evans .272
Ops- Baines .820 Evans .840
Look I think Evans should be in also. But to rip Baines and promote Evans is off base. And to say “LOL” to them being comparable makes you look a little ridiculous as these numbers back up.
SN33. You must be using a two headed Baines coin. Evans was the best right fielder of his generation. Where in your stats line is that? Half the game is played in the field unless you’re a DH or pitcher. No one not even Evans himself talks about what he went through his first years in the big leagues. Two children with inoperable medical conditions. His career only got on track when a Boston reporter wrote a story. It was like the world was lifted from him, not keeping things inside. Look it up. Even this year. One of his two boys died in April. I only read about it last week when I googled Evans checking on stats. If there were stories then, I missed them.
While sad, his kids have absolutely nothing to do with this conversation. You said they weren’t comparable. You said LOL like it was so ridiculous. And yet those numbers ARE very comparable and the only thing laughable would be someone disagreeing with that. Baines was a very good outfielder till he hurt his knees. But you choose to ignore that but bring up Evans kids? You are obviously grasping at straws after what you said was well off base.
I guess we’ll agree to disagree. Being a very good outfielder is not the same as being the best at your position. Moreover Evans was a hot prospect who was considered a disappointment until he was able to concentrate on hitting and took up the Charlie Lau theory of hitting. He was probably Walt Hreniak’s best pupil. My disrespect for Baines has more to do with the process. Someone brought up Rizzuto. The HOF was primarily built on getting 75% of a high number of votes. While I love the Second chance voting, 75% of 16 or 12 votes is a disservice to those that got in originally. I say change the process and allow those who fell short another chance but allow reporters to only vote on who they saw play and save the committees only for those players where the voting is under say 100 eligible voters (as well as for non players or those who’s vote is based on a combination of playing and non-playing worthiness. I just know that far fewer people watch the ceremonies in recent years. I can’t remember the last one I watched live.
Ivan Rodriguez is in and he cheated. Ortiz was never proven guilty of anything. And if Edgar Martinez made it, Ortiz deserves it.
Getting caught or not should not be the issue. When one votes in any election, suspicions always plays a part in who we vote for. While sometimes we vote for the lesser of two evils, herein we can also vote none in. Again, from what I see, Papi is an amazing ambassador for the City of Boston. I just believe he cheated along with so many others for greed and glory. He was released by the Twins and found his swing in Boston playing with Manny who at the time was his best friend on the team. Did Manny whip out his iPad and show him video on how to improve his swing? I think not. Ok so if there wasn’t an iPad then, his video camera. Somehow Papi playing with Manny became BIG PAPI.
Because Ortiz is the greatest DH to ever play the game. If the only thing detractors can point to is an anonymous test that has no actual results that can be reviewed or investigated. And has been disregarded as faulty by both MLB & MLBPA then it’s a forgone conciliation as to why he belongs in the HoF.
There are current & recent HoF inductees with actual checked PED pasts. So let’s leave the imaginary ones for the barroom.
*checkered PED pasts
Agreed ortiz gets in only after bonds and clemens. In my opinion that was the steroid era and people want asterisk with surtain players but this is the juiced ball era so anyone who sets records from this point on should also be questioned and have an asterik by their name. When you have all of mlb setting home run records is so hypocritical of mlb to punish those guys when they produced this steroid ball basicaly.
That Mariners’ stat gave me a good chuckle. There were countless time this season I would look at the box score and think “Who the hell is that?” Makes sense they would set that type of record considering they were constantly shuffling relief pitchers and seemed to have a new outfielder every 2-3 weeks.
The top end of the farm system (before this past offseason’s trades) was trash- we probably broke another record this year for total number of players released. Light at the end of the tunnel tho- Our better prospects are getting close to promotion. Kyle Lewis! Oof!
Schadenfreude?
Not quite the right use of schadenfreude.
But I do appreciate the effort.
One might say that you are a Frood who chooses not to throw shade.
He used the word correctly. Relax, sports writers are going to use purple prose from time to time.
Biggest HOF joke?!!? Phil Rizzuto!!!! Got in because he was a very likeable guy and many friends who voted.
Damn. Tigers STILL on the hook for $124 Million, GUARANTEED, with $60 Million extra if there i mutual interest.
As much as Miggy has brought to the game, 2023 will probably be his final year. I’m not sure anyone can see how a team can bring back a declining slugger who has difficulty staying healthy. Hot damn, though. $124 Million to go.
For all the chatter about Pujols’ contract, there are worse in MLB. Cabrera’s final few seasons figure to be more misbegotten than Pujols’. Pujols will probably finish 2019 with 25 HR and 100 RBI at age 39; Cabrera is 3 years younger and much less productive on an equally bad team. The last season for Pujols will be 2021, and Cabrera will be under contract two years longer.
Then there’s Chris Davis in Baltimore…