This moment explains why Miguel Cabrera is special, will impact Detroit Tigers for years
Miguel Cabrera sauntered into the Detroit Tigers’ clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon, starting the final week of his amazing 21-year career; he was wearing shorts and sneakers.
He playfully bumped into a reporter and broke into a smile.
Not only does he act like a kid ... he still dresses like one.
Welcome to Miggy's Last Week. A six-day celebration of this future Hall of Famer. There will be speeches and videos and giveaways and last at-bats and standing ovations and a series of goodbyes.
Just hold up your phone and record every second of it.
“These are just moments that we should treasure,” Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said.
There are several ways to measure Cabrera's legacy.
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You could start with the stats — he ranks among the best players in baseball history.
But there is another legacy. One that will affect the Tigers organization for years. It is the impact he has had on countless young players.
For some, it's observational — they have learned just by watching how he goes about his business. How he prepares. How he approaches every at bat.
But for others, Cabrera has had a direct, profound impact.
So, let’s start with Spencer Torkelson, who succeeded Cabrera at first base.
When Torkelson was called up to the big leagues in 2022, Cabrera was in the room and gave him advice: “Just be yourself.”
But Torkelson had a well-documented rookie flameout, hitting .203 with eight homers.
“I felt lost,” Torkelson said.
Cabrera saw something special in Torkelson, though. Once a week, Cabrera went up to Torkelson and told him: “Hey, I’ve seen this. You belong here.”
At first, Torkelson didn’t quite hear him. Thought he was just being nice and polite. A good teammate.
But Cabrera kept doing it. Kept taking time to reassure Torkelson: “You are going to be OK. Trust me.”
It was always random. On a plane or in the clubhouse: “You’re gonna be fine.”
At some point, Torkelson came to a realization: If Cabrera believes in me, I should believe in me.
“That meant a lot to me,” Torkelson said on Tuesday afternoon. “I'm gonna carry that with me whenever I'm not feeling so great. Like, Miggy thinks I'm good.”
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Just your regular, everyday superstar
What has made Cabrera such a great hitter?
You might be tempted to think it’s his hand-eye-coordination, but it starts with his baseball IQ.
“He's a baseball savant,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He's not a star by accident.”
It starts with how he sees the game. How he feels it.
On Sept. 2, the Tigers were playing the Chicago White Sox and Cabrera went up to Zack Short.
“Miggy says to me, ‘Shorty, I’m gonna get a first-pitch slider and I’m gonna homer,’” Short said.
Actually, it came on the second pitch and he hit a line drive to deep left field.
“It’s crazy,” Short said. “After all these years, he still has recognition. He's still playing mind games with the guys who still knows and it's just so impressive after 21 years to still be so locked in.”
His other legacy?
He has taught these players to focus and work hard, to compete like crazy, but not take themselves too seriously.
“He is a big superstar, but he is down to earth and regular,” Matt Vierling said. “He just really fits in well with everybody.”
More than anything, Cabrera has taught these youngsters to play with joy.
“Sometimes you can psych yourself out,” pitcher Tyler Holton said. “In baseball, things can get very serious and overly intense sometimes. But then you watch him and he's smiling all the time. He's having fun. Obviously, he's the biggest competitor there is, but at the same time, he has fun doing it. Sometimes that gets lost these days.”
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His true legacy
On Tuesday afternoon, I approached Cabrera in his corner of the clubhouse.
“I have one question,” I said. “What do you see in Torkelson?”
That was always my approach with Cabrera. He has always hated talking about himself. It was always better to ask him about others.
“He’s got a great swing,” Cabrera said. “He’s got a great approach at home plate. I think he’s going to be a dangerous hitter in the big leagues.”
“What could he become?” I asked.
“I think he’s got a chance to be good," Cabrera said. "I think he’s got a chance to be great.”
One question turned into several, and Cabrera started talking about how happy he is. He seemed content.
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“I'm in a good position because not too many players get a chance to say goodbye, so I'm going to enjoy this moment,” he said.
He wants to stick around this organization.
Maybe become a special assistant to the team president.
“Like Trammell?” I asked.
“Yes!” he said. “Yes. Write that down!”
“But you don’t want to go around the minor leagues, though?”
“Why not,” he said with a grin.
Because what else would he do? He doesn’t golf.
“Maybe fish with (Casey) Mize,” he said.
“What have you tried to teach these young kids?" I asked.
“Winning,” he said. “Just win games.”
Then, it dawned on him.
“You said one question,” he said. “You asked five. Why are you lying?”
He kept saying it: “Why lie?”
He broke into a smile. Playful to the end.
He is a superstar coming to an end on his terms, and the Tigers are doing him right.
He is leaving behind records and Hall of Fame stats, to be sure.
But that’s only part of it.
The other part, that’s what I’ll remember.
Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: His impact is much more than stats
