Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera appears on Discovery Channel show

Detroit Tigers fans who cannot get enough of Miguel Cabrera can watch him on the Discovery Channel show Diesel Brothers.

The Detroit Tigers first baseman will be joining a few other MLB players as they show off their modified trucks during the week of June 19. The shows air at 9:00 PM EST.

The Diesel Brothers are going to do their magic on a 2016 Chevy Silverado for Cabrera.

According to an article from CBS Local in Detroit, Cabrera said about the special show:

"“I was excited to have the Diesel Brothers build a truck for me because my grandfather was a mechanic in Venezuela and my dad likes to watch the show.”"

Cabrera also said that the truck will be auctioned off for his Miguel Cabrera Foundation that provides grants to school baseball programs and community ballparks and scholarships to deserving athletes. Learn more about Cabrera’s foundation here.

Cabrera’s big personality will be on display on this show. But, he will not be the only MLB player featured on the Diesel Brothers. Pedro Martinez and Carlos Peña will help with the tricking-out process. Peña is an on-air personality with the MLB Network and Martinez is just a personality. Expect a few antics from this trio.

Big ratings opportunities for Discovery and MLB

The Diesel Brothers are certain to get some pretty good ratings from these episodes, but they won’t be the only benefactors from this pairing of baseball and trucks. As the MLB works to grab a younger audience, this is a good way to do it. When MLB players can show their off-field personalities, fans can develop a connection. While Detroit Tigers fans might already know that Cabrera has an affinity for cars, fans outside of Detroit might not. Cabrera will earn a few new fans after he shows off his love of big tricked-out cars and trucks.

If this pairing of MLB and diesel trucks proves to be successful, then we fans should start expecting to see other players venture on to the small screen on networks other than ESPN, MLB Network, and their local sports stations. We fans do get to see our favorite players on MLB advertisements and other ads for sports-related products, but the latest crop of players are starting to show up in non-sports commercials. Bryce Harper wore his pajamas for T-Mobile and Kris Bryant dressed up for Express.

Drawing younger fans with off-field appearances

According to Nielsen ratings in 2015, baseball has the oldest fan base with the average audience being 55 or older. The Washington Post reported that the average age actually increased from 10 years ago. Instead of changing the rules to speed up baseball games, the MLB should get their popular players out in front of the fans and not just on the field. When players can show their dynamic personalities, fans will come to watch those players.

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Think of how the NFL and the NBA market their players. Michael Jordan appeared in a Michael Jackson music video and he had his own feature film with Bugs Bunny. The movie debuted in 1996, the year that Jordan decided to play baseball. He did return to basketball the following year. Several NFL players have made cameo appearances in movies and television shows like Entourage, Pitch Perfect 2, and Draft Day.

If these cameos and starring roles are good enough for NFL and NBA players, then MLB players should be featured in more of these roles. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Even in the recent movie Moneyball, only two former MLB players appeared, but they were not players that younger fans would recognize.

Next: Why did Detroit rank 9th in the list of best baseball cities?

To draw younger fans to the MLB, the League needs to showcase its most charismatic and real players. Putting Miguel Cabrera on Diesel Brothers is a good start.