Detroit Tigers: Why Fans Should Stop Worrying about Miguel Cabrera

In 2015 the Detroit Tigers signed their two-time MVP and eleven-time All-Star to an eight-year, $280 million contract extension, locking him up through the 2023 season.

The Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera is a 33-year-old first baseman/third basemen/designated hitter who is considered a hybrid fielder. He is also arguably one of the best hitters the MLB has ever been blessed to add to its

Did Miggy start the season 0-12 with 50 percent of his at-bats ending in strikeouts? Yes.

Is Miggy a seven-time Silver Slugger, Triple-Crown winner and a four-time batting champion with a career batting average of .320 and 120 RBIs? Also, yes.

I’m not saying we can quit worrying about Cabrera’s slow start because of his past performances. I am saying we can quit worrying about Cabrera, because he is still Miguel Cabrera. The numbers have been consistent and they will remain consistent.

For the 2017 season, Rotochamp projected that Miggy will finish the season with a .311 batting average, 29 home runs, and 93 RBIs, which would not be as big a decline as people might expect from the best hitter on the planet.

In 2016 Cabrera ended the season with .316 batting average, 38 home runs and 108 RBIs. If he is to live up to his projection, Miggy would decline in all three key batting statistics. But realistically, what baseball player wouldn’t want those statistics?

If Cabrera hit 29 home runs last season, he would have been in the 39th spot for home runs in the MLB. If he reaches 93 RBIs, he would have also put him in the high forties. A .311 batting average would have put him in the top 15 in the MLB. Considering there are 750 MLB players on active rosters through the season, those spots aren’t anything to laugh at.

For this argument’s sake, Miggy is right where Detroit needs him to be.

After his 0-12 start, Cabrera’s average has risen to .220. He’s gone yard twice, added five RBIs, and four of his own runs to the Tigers’ stats.

To put that in perspective, Cabrera is third in home runs, second in RBIs and eighth in batting average on the Tigers’ roster. However, out of the seven players above him with a higher batting average, only one has more at bats than the Triple Crown king.

As of now, Detroit is first in the AL Central after coming off a series win over the defending division champions, the Cleveland Indians.

Worrying about Cabrera right now is similar to thinking the first pitcher to two wins is a guaranteed Cy Young Award winner.

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Miguel Cabrera needs two or three more good seasons offensively to basically cement himself as one of the best – if not THE best – hitter of all time. I’m not holding on to this four-year-old image of a man who I believe will hit .400/40/150 this season.

I’m holding on to the belief that Miggy is doing just fine. He’s producing enough for Detroit to be good early on while also still having time to improve and work on getting his numbers up to where he needs to be.

Next: Miggy Finds His Power

For now, we, the fans, can quit worrying and just enjoy watching the legend do his thing.