Miguel Cabrera speaks: Detroit Tigers 'really close' to contending again
Miguel Cabrera will be 40 years old when his lucrative contract with the Detroit Tigers expires following the 2023 season. He doesn't know what's going to happen then, but in the meantime, his objective is clear: return to the playoffs.
"That's our goal," Cabrera said Friday. "Be a contender team, get in the playoffs."
His career in Motown includes two MVP awards, a Triple Crown and four batting titles. He carried the Tigers to the 2012 World Series but fell short of securing the organization's first title since 1984.
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Now in the twilight of his career, the 37-year-old is inching toward 500 career home runs and 1,800 RBIs. Those would be historic milestones to cap off an already likely Hall of Fame career, but what he wants is to deliver Detroit a championship.
Cabrera has declined numerous requests to speak to reporters since spring training, but he allowed bilingual media coordinator Carlos Guillen to record a nine-minute, 43-second video Friday so he could answer questions.
"I think we're in a good place to do that," Cabrera said about contending. "We have to have a lot of patience because we have a lot of young talents. They're learning how to play in the big leagues. But I believe they can get better. Hopefully, next year, we can compete to be in the playoffs."
Despite 114 losses in 2019 and falling short of the postseason in this year's 60-game sprint, Cabrera thinks the Tigers are nearing a turning point in the rebuild.
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They haven't made the postseason since 2014, but esteemed prospects from recent drafts and trades are now getting their first taste of the big leagues. Regardless of early outcomes, their arrivals have given Cabrera optimism for making the playoffs.
"Really close, to my expectations," Cabrera said. "I think we're really, really close to going to the next step, trying to go out there and win games. I think it's time to go out there and start to win games."
After Cabrera's last three seasons have been tainted by injuries, he has managed to play in every game this season, entering Saturday. But for the first time in his career, he is serving as a full-time designated hitter.
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His last game playing first base was June 26, 2019.
Cabrera thinks his new role has impacted his numbers: a .245 batting average, 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. He started slow but picked up the pace with an 8-for-19 streak, including four homers and 12 RBIs, across four games before a 0-for-4 performance Friday.
Based on this year's underwhelming results, he wants to return to first base.
"I hope they can give me more time to play first," Cabrera said. "I need to be in the field. I'm learning how to be a DH right now, but it's hard for me to go hit and then go sit and think about what I'm going to do in my next at-bat. In the past, I'd forget about hitting and play defense. ... I want to spend a little more time at first base next year."
Sure, he always feels pain in his knees. And his back remains sore. He has several other issues related to past injuries. But overall, he feels healthy.
"I try to block that out and forget about my injury to my knee and go out there and play baseball," he said. "I only hit right now."
Even though Cabrera's results in a small sample aren't paying dividends, the analytics behind his production show he's better than when he was first said to have a chronic right knee issue in 2019.
He is in the 97th percentile for exit velocity (93.2 mph) this season, 91st for hard-hit percentage (50.0%), 85th for expected slugging percentage (.540) and 84th for expected batting average (.294). His strikeout rate increased from 19.7% in 2019 to 22.0% this year, but so did his walk rate — from 8.7% to 10.6%.
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And his recent surge as the 2020 season concludes is hope for an opportunity to make the most of the hefty eight-year, $244 million contract extension he signed in 2014.
"I feel more comfortable at the plate," Cabrera said. "I'm learning how to be a DH. I'm learning how I can stay in the game. ... I'm thinking of what I can do to be focused and relaxed at home plate."
How much longer will he play?
"I've got three years on my contract. I'm trying to play that. I don't know what's going to happen once my contract's over. I'm focused on my contract for three more years. We'll see what happens."
Ron Gardenhire's retirement
"I mean, it was sad when we found out he was retired. I didn't expect that he was going to retire. I expected he was going to be our manager for years to come. But it was his decision. It was a family decision. It was a hard decision. Nobody's going to replace Gardy. He's a great man."
Expectations for the next manager
"I want to see a manager who gives confidence to us to go and play baseball. I want to see a manager push us to be our best. Bring a lot of confidence, and that's it."
COVID-19 protocols
"We try to make it fun. We try to enjoy this game because it's really different right now with no fans. It's really difficult because we go home, stadium, home, stadium, and we aren't able to do anything. But at the same time, we have to say thank you because we are able to do this right now in the middle of this pandemic. I say every day thank God because he gave me the opportunity to play baseball right now. Hopefully, we can do the same next year with fans in the stands. Hopefully, next year can be totally different."
On being nominated for Roberto Clemente Award
"It's something I want to do every year, help people. Nobody has to tell me, 'Hey, you have to do this to have that award.' It's something I want to do. Even if I wasn't nominated to the Roberto Clemente Award, I want to do everything (I can) to help people and trying to be connected to people."
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here's how you can gain access to our most exclusive Detroit Tigers content.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Miguel Cabrera: Detroit Tigers 'really close' to contending again
