In the last installment of Milestones to be Proud Of, Albert Pujols was the featured all-time great. Now we will dive into another great career put together by Miguel “Miggy” Cabrera. Although his numbers aren’t quite as impressive as Mr. Pujols, they are still Hall Of Fame worthy. Let’s talk about it.
Miguel “Miggy” Cabrera has one of the most established careers among active players today. However, age has been creeping up on him the past few seasons. After an injury riddled 2018 campaign he came back and put up sub par numbers for 2019. At the age of 37, it seems like he may not have much left in the tank. Therefore, let’s take a look at where he stands among the league leaders in career stats along with the milestones to be proud of.
Being Second Best Isn’t so Bad
First of all, Miggy is in the top five of every major hitting category among active players. With an impressive .315 career batting average, Miggy holds the top spot. While this is the only stat in which he ranks number one currently, he has a number two rank in just about all other hitting categories. The stats he ranks second in are:
- Home runs – .477
- Doubles – .577
- Hits – 2,815
- Runs – 1,429
- Runs Batted In – 1,694
If you read my first installment of Milestones to be Proud of by Some All-Time Greats then you already know who Miggy trails in those categories. If you didn’t then spoiler alert, it is Albert Pujols. Check the link below to read about Alberts’s storied career.
Milestones to be proud of continued…
Certainly, the numbers produced so far across Miggy’s career are nothing short of spectacular. In addition to the impressive numbers, he has also accumulated 11 All-Star appearances, 2 MVP awards, and one World Series ring. Most noteworthy, during one of his MVP award-winning seasons he also won the Triple Crown. Miggy mashed his way to the crown with 44 HR, 139 RBI, and a .330 BA. Now that is vintage Miggy going back to his younger years with the then Florida Marlins (now Miami Marlins) where he made a name for himself. His last year in Miami he managed 34 HR, 119 RBI and a .320 BA. The following year he left for Detroit and didn’t miss a beat compiling 37 HR, 127 RBI and a .292 BA. Although he has regressed the past few years, there are multiple major milestones to be proud of within his grasp.
Can He Get There? Father Time Will Tell
We have all heard the phrase “so close yet so far” and that is the perfect one to describe where Miguel Cabrera sits. When it comes to the most prestigious milestones for hitters there are definitely obvious ones. 3,000 hits is a dream for most athletes in the game. Another would be becoming a member of the 500 HR club. However close he may be to obtaining these two milestones, he must be able to stay healthy and produce. Miggy is 185 hits away from the infamous 3,000 mark and only 23 home runs from the 500 club. Only 27 players have reached the 500 club and only 32 garnered 3000 hits. (Some food for thought, Babe Ruth had 2,873.) The numbers speak for themselves and are certainly HOF worthy but reaching these two milestones will definitely sweeten the deal when those ballots roll out.
Upcoming Milestones to be Proud of
There are many players in the midst of putting together great careers. Now I will throw out some honorable mentions for some guys approaching a Milestone to be Proud Of. First of all, there’s Nick Markakis who is approaching more than one. Nick is sitting on 2,355 hits and 499 doubles for his career. Next up we have Ryan Braun who is 6 HR’s shy of 350 for his career and at age 36 he just might reach 400. Certainly, there’s plenty of Milestones to be Proud Of but how about a Milestone to be Ashamed Of? Say hello to Mark Reynolds. He is approaching 300 HRs for his career which he should be proud of but is also coming up on 2,000 strikeouts for his career. Ouch! Currently sitting at 1,927 strikeouts and counting (ninth all-time), Mark is on his way to the wrong side of the history books.
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