Oct 2, 20235 min read

Miggy

One of baseball's most prestigious hitters to ever bless the diamond has officially hung the cleats to rest in Cooperstown forever. 24 gets more diamonds as Miguel Cabrera will join the likes of Willie Mays; Rickey Henderson; and The Kid in baseball's immortality. Joining as arguably one of the greatest and purest hitters of all-time and the best of his generation. Like Mario Impemba said: "We are not worthy." Let me allow J.K. Simmons to warm this thing up:

I can listen to someone's gripe that Pujols was better in this generation. Listen, I say. I sure as hell will never agree with those gripes. Miggy is the best hitter these two eyes have ever seen. The swing; the IQ; the statistics. Pujols had some more pop, but he couldn't do what that cat Miggy was doing- overall in their primes. Cabrera could drop a hit in any area of the field. I call him the Oppo God. Rather opposite field; over the fence; in the gap to loop Comerica's deep warning-track, it did NOT matter. Miggy is the purest of pure in the realm of hittin' a baseball on the grandest stage, as well as in the grandest of moments. One of my favorite oppo-bombs:

The ease! Just a flick and he punctures that ball out of the ballpark, opposite field, in three-some seconds. The ease he had at the plate was unlike anything I've seen, and the swing, I mean talk about poetry in motion. Like JK said: "a swing so sweet that it can be imitated, but never duplicated". Your mind doesn't need sound to be amazed by the motion:

The swing was amazin', and the stats were too. Baseball's record books are wild and date back along time. It's extremely difficult to have your name high on the all-time leaderboard lists. Miguel's final numbers are staggering and places him on many of them. Cabrera is 25th all-time in homeruns with 511 and is 13th all-time in doubles (627). Miggy is also 11th all-time in runs batted in (1,881) and 16th in hits (3,174). Many of the players he looks up to, earned their numbers with longer service and more games played. Cabrera has legendary numbers.

Miggy was one of six players to win back-to-back MVP awards since 1980. Only three: Bonds, Miggy, and Pujols have won since 2000 with Miggy being the only player to do so in the 2010s. MVP wasn't great enough for Cabrera. He needed to go higher. In 2012, he gave us the greatest batting season since 1967 when he won the illustrious Triple Crown. A feat that remains the highest of prestige, especially in the opinions of those born after the 70's. With expansions and the deep list of talent that has made up the big leagues in the 90's; '00s; '10s; and even now in the '20s, the chances of winnin' the crown seem to be near impossible. Cabrera accomplishing the feat is arguably one of the greatest moments for baseball in the 21st-century.

Miggy truly was "him". Only seven players have hit 3,000 hits as well as 500 homeruns: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Eddie Murray, and Miguel Cabrera. Guess who has the best career batting average of the seven? Miguel. Not one person can try to degrade what Cabrera has done. It's all in stone- the glorious time when stats simply don't lie. Miggy joins Willie Mays and Hank Aaron as the only players in AL/NL history to finish their career with a .300+ batting average, 500+ home runs and 3,000+ hits.

The blockbuster trade the Tigers made with the Marlins for Miguel Cabrera was iconic to the landscape of Detroit sports. Altering and simply iconic. I sometimes wonder if they could have pulled the trade off in 2006. Imagine inserting Cabrera at third over Brandon Inge for that World Series runnin' up Tigers. Pujols vs Cabrera. I feel that series wouldn't have ended 1-4 for the Tiges. Sorry Tigers' fans, I'll change the beat.

Cabrera's prime numbers may be some of the best ever- in any era:

Throughout that prime, we have seen legendary ABs from 24. Clutch fueled walk-offs all the way to immensely competitive duels with flame throwin' aces. I can remember several off the tip of the brain. Miggy delivered time and time again. Against anyone; anywhere; and at any time of the game. My three favorites came against three of the greatest pitchers ever, in vastly different moments:

The accolades; stats; and skill are three things that define an unprecedented legacy that Miguel Cabrera leaves behind as we bid farewell to him as an active player. We don't just bid farewell to the remarkable player and hitter that Miggy was, we also bid farewell to the character he was. To his immense joy; bright smile; and welcoming humor rather on the field or in the dugout- we bid farewell.

Miggy brought a joy to the game that was one of a kind. A pure goofball in every tone. You couldn't be a base runner on first and not get messed with by Miguel. Sparkled in with some friendly fire as he delivered the same antics as a base runner to his fellow first basemen. It was just part of it. Part of his aura. Part of his greatness. The camera cuts of his facial expressions or fun-raunchy play in the dugouts during innings... top notch stuff. Baseball will miss his joy and character I'll yell ya. Don't be tricked- Cabrera was a fierce-fierce competitor. When it was time to be serious, he flipped the switch. But he was never hesitant to entertain the fans in the stands; watching at home; his teammates; and those that work and help at the stadiums. Miggy always gave back to the community, the Detroit and MLB communities. He will be deeply missed:

It has been a honor to grace his presence on the diamond. For many, he becomes that final strike to reality that you are getting old. As we are seeing in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers, the retirement of Miguel Cabrera; Adam Wainwright; Zach Greinke; and Brandon Crawford officially flips the page to the new era. Cabrera was the last remaining player in the big leagues that had played against the Montreal Expos. Let that sink in, yo.

I just wrote this whole piece and still sit here in awe as I come to the full understanding that Miggy's retirement really is the end of an era. Pujols before the season and now Miggy. The sport and it's new figures sure have a bright future, but it's hard to sit here and not be sad over the end of the '00s-'10s era. Legacies sure hold weight, though.

I won't ever forget the greatness that was Miguel Cabrera. The city of Detroit will never forget 24. Players will look to imitate and use styles, but will never be able to duplicate. The baseball world will miss Miggy, and thanks him for leaving his mark on the game. An unquestioned first ballot hall of famer, which marks his next designation. One he will remain in for eternity. Welcome to Cooperstown Mr. Jose Miguel Cabrera.

Miggy

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