http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/buster-olney/post/_/id/9554
Miguel Cabrera ready to resume greatness.
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LAKELAND, Fla. -- After sitting down with Karl Ravech and John Kruk on Tuesday, Miguel Cabrera downplayed the notion that his physical condition has changed, making fun of himself, joking how he looks without any clothes. He is a large person, and he will never stop being a large person.
But others in the Tigers' organization do see a change in him, after what was probably the greatest conditioning challenge of his career. Cabrera had complicated surgery on his right ankle after the 2014 season, which meant that he basically had to stay off his feet and was limited in his aerobic activity. Other athletes in similar situations have had difficulty keeping weight off, because they can't run or walk and they struggle to adjust entrenched eating habits.
Cabrera didn't get pudgy through a winter of activity; in fact, he looks stronger, as manager Brad Ausmus noted, having spent the winter working on his upper body because he couldn't do other types of exercise, and he is more defined in the middle part of his body, in his waist. He looks more fit than he has since his days with the Marlins.
There is a perception within the Tigers' camp that for Cabrera, the change in his conditioning was more than just killing time until he can get back on the field again. Cabrera is thinking more and more about the arc of his entire career in the choices he makes.
Cabrera turns 32 in April and is devoting himself to being a great player for years to come, at least while he can still control that. Some other players don't start thinking this way until they've reached their mid-30s, and for some, that shift in thought comes too late.
As Cabrera begins to turn the corner of his career, he could retire today and know that he would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He became the first hitter in almost a half-century to achieve a Triple Crown in 2013, he has two MVP awards, and he has finished in the top 10 in voting in nine seasons.
But depending on how long Cabrera plays, he appears to have a chance to be an all-time great player, and be in the same conversation with Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ted Williams.
Cabrera is not really a prolific home run hitter; like Aaron, who never hit more than 47 in a season, Cabrera's home run production is more about consistency, and he will start the 2015 season with 390. Rival pitchers talk about his extraordinary ability to use his hands and anticipate pitches, which should enable him to age well as a hitter. If you estimate conservatively that Cabrera might hit about 30 homers a year over the next six seasons -- he has failed to reach 30 only twice since becoming a full-time player -- it's clear that he has a real shot at 600 homers.
Cabrera played his first major league game at age 19, and already has 2,186 hits in his career. He never has had fewer than 177 in any full season, so for the sake of argument, imagine that he averages 180 hits a year for the next six seasons -- again, a conservative number. This would put him in the range of 3,200 hits by the time he is 38 or 39 years old.
[+] EnlargeHank Aaron
Mark Rucker/Getty ImagesAs his numbers accumulate, Miguel Cabrera is putting himself in pretty good company, including the great Hank Aaron.
He has had at least 103 RBIs in each of the past 11 seasons, and has 1,369 in his career. If he drives in 100 runs this season, he will pass Joe Medwick, Juan Gonzalez, Robin Yount and Todd Helton by the end of the year. If he were to average 100 RBIs per season over the next six seasons -- a very reasonable estimate if he stays healthy and in good shape -- then he will be closing in on 2,000 RBIs. The only players in the modern era who have reached that number: Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.
Cabrera has many, many reasons to stay on the field and stay productive, and is apparently doing what he can now, in his early 30s, to make that happen.
J.D. Martinez, the Tigers' No. 5 hitter, smiled as he talked about Cabrera's participation in the Tigers' scouting meetings. Before games, Victor Martinez likes to watch videotape of himself having success, J.D. Martinez noted, to reaffirm that mental image of himself doing well, and he will watch the opposing pitchers as well. Cabrera will sit in meetings and listen respectfully, but will only glance at the video presentation of opposing pitchers; he really doesn't want to overcomplicate his thought process.
Cabrera once explained that the crucial information he needs can be gleaned as the first and second batters of the game are hitting. From the on-deck circle, Cabrera will see how hard the opposing pitcher is throwing, and then after he gets in the batter's box, Cabrera said, he will learn what he needs to know from the first pitch thrown to him. If it's a breaking ball or something hard low and away, then Cabrera knows the pitcher is probably going to be more passive. If the first pitch is a fastball inside, then Cabrera knows the pitcher is probably going to be aggressive.
His acumen has been constructed over 12 years, 1,819 games and 7,811 plate appearances, not including 55 games and 235 plate appearances in the postseason. His physical skills -- his eye-hand coordination, his strength, and ability to control the bat -- are extraordinary.
The only question about Cabrera has been how long he can last as an elite player, and he seems to be doing all he can to be as great as he can for as long as possible.
Speaking of the Tigers, they have more depth in terms of speed and defense, writes Jeff Seidel. The Tigers like their catching options, writes Lynn Henning.
Victor Martinez talked about how concerned he was when he hurt his knee.
At ESPN ?
? On Tuesday's podcast, James Wagner of the Washington Post discussed the Nationals, and it turns out that Jayson Stark and I are thinking the exact same way with our picks in the NL, which is really scary.
? Interviews from the "SportsCenter" buses in Florida and Arizona:
1. David Price discussed his contract situation with Karl Ravech.
2. Justin Verlander is ready to go.
3. Rangers manager Jeff Banister is ready to help the Rangers.
4. Prince Fielder talked about his health.
Around the league
? Jung Ho Kang, the Korean infielder who was signed by the Pirates over the winter, has serious power, unusual power for a middle infielder; the ball jumps off his bat from pitch to pitch. During batting practice in Bradenton the other day, Kang, a right-handed hitter, drove pitch after pitch well over the fence in left field and left-center field -- before mashing pitches deep to right-center, with the ball skipping off the fence.
[+] EnlargeJung Ho Kang
Rick Madonik/Toronto Star/Getty ImagesJung Ho Kang is already impressing at Pirates camp.
He has a significant leg kick, lifting and dropping his left foot at the outset of his swing, and a hitter who does that can sometimes struggle to adapt to breaking balls and pitches low and away, as pitchers aim to disrupt the timing of hitter with that kind of mechanism. What the Pirates have seen is that Kang will vary the timing of his leg kick so that he will be less predictable to opposing pitchers and catchers, and they believe he'll be able to hit different types of pitches.
The best hitter who does that sort of thing, varying the timing of his leg kick, is the aforementioned Miguel Cabrera, who will sometimes use a bigger leg kick or sometimes go with a quicker kick and use mostly his hands in his swing, depending on whether he thinks the opposing pitcher is going to throw a fastball or a breaking ball. (And no, this is not to suggest that Kang is anything close to Cabrera as a hitter, only to note the thought process.)
Kang clubbed a homer in the Pirates' exhibition game Tuesday.
? Jimmy Rollins will hit leadoff for the Dodgers.
? A scout from the Phillies is hovering over the Red Sox. On paper, the Phillies and Red Sox are the most logical partners in any Cole Hamels trade, but what the industry has signaled to Philadelphia through its lack of deals is that the Phils must get more realistic about how much money they should eat in any deal involving Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon and Cliff Lee.
? David Wright confronted a young teammate who was eating a sandwich during an intrasquad drill, as Marc Carig writes.
? Madison Bumgarner was roughed up in his spring debut, and Billy Butler noted the irony. He took it in stride, says Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
? Oakland's switch-pitcher got the job done from both sides.
? A-Rod is nervous about his return, writes Wallace Matthews. Forget the PED stuff for a minute and focus only on the baseball: What Rodriguez is trying to do, returning to the game after 526 days since his last at-bat in a major league game -- at age 39, no less -- is basically unprecedented, unless you count the examples of Minnie Minoso and others who came out of retirement for brief comebacks.
Ken Davidoff writes that it's time to embrace A-Rod. Rodriguez has handled the first steps of his comeback well, writes Ian O'Connor.
? The Braves are getting to know each other, writes Jayson Stark.
? Adam Jones believes he deserves a little respect from the front office.
Dings and dents
1. Joey Votto's absence from the Cincinnati lineup should be brief, says Reds manager Bryan Price. Votto is behind in his baseball work, writes Hal McCoy.
2. Ryan Braun hopes to move on from his thumb injury, writes Tom Haudricourt.
3. For the Rangers, there is mostly good news on the injury front.
4. Josh Johnson is ready to progress in his rehab.
5. Danny Hultzen is all business in his return.
Moves, deals and decisions
1. The Cardinals are getting a day off before kicking off their exhibition schedule.
2. Shane Victorino must do a selling (of himself) this spring, writes Nick Cafardo.
3. The Pirates did all they could to sign Russell Martin, says the catcher.
4. The Angels made a strong pitch to get a reliever, writes Jeff Fletcher.
The fight for jobs
1. Paul Molitor intends to carry 12 pitchers.
Tuesday's games
1. Ubaldo Jimenez was awful in his first outing. From Roch Kubatko's piece:
Jimenez was charged with five earned runs, six total, and recorded only four outs. He walked two batters, hit two and threw a wild pitch, but he felt as though he had good command of the fastball and a repeatable delivery.
"I don't want to say I lost control because I had pretty good command of the fastball," he said. "I let a couple slip, two-seam fastballs to hitters, and then I made a mistake with a slider, probably the only one that I threw. I felt good.
"What I was looking for was to command the fastball. I know I walked two guys, but all of the pitches were really close, all of them were close. The only thing I can tell you is I did what I wanted to do and that was commanding the fastball. I threw a lot of fastballs. I only threw three or four breaking balls, mostly fastballs. I wanted to command the fastball and I feel good."
Asked what he would want to change beyond the score, Jimenez replied, "I don't have to change anything. I feel like I felt really good with the fastball, I had good command. Things just got out of control. There was a play I was supposed to make, made an error. A couple hits with two strikes, but I felt really good."
2. Ryan Howard had a productive spring debut.
3. Wilin Rosario turned in a solid effort defensively.
AL East
? Chili Davis has a lot to work with as Boston's new hitting coach.
? Yankees prospect Aaron Judge made an impression.
? Another Yankees prospect, Luis Severino, wowed some scouts, writes Erik Boland.
? John Jaso is working on his defense.
? Rocco Baldelli is back on a ballfield, as Roger Mooney writes.
? Ernesto Frieri seeks a revival, writes Marc Topkin.
? R.A. Dickey is not tipping pitches anymore.
? Jose Reyes is excited about the talent around him.
? Dalton Pompey is getting a helping hand from Vernon Wells.
AL Central
? Luke Hochevar stepped on the gas.
? So that 10-0 Indians loss is not a big deal.
? This season will go as Jason Kipnis goes, writes Bud Shaw. It's not quite that simple, but I tend to agree.
? Jeff Samardzija got his first taste of game action.
? Minnie Minoso meant a lot to Jose Abreu.
AL West
? Mike Zunino has changed his approach.
? Erick Aybar is breaking in some new second basemen.
? Evan Drellich writes about the Astros' bullpen options.
? Houston pitchers are aiming to cut down on the steals allowed.
? A lot of decisions will go into picking the Rangers' roster, writes Evan Grant.
? Russell Wilson is going to be in Rangers camp March 28.
? Andrew Heaney insists he's not as funny as we think.
? Mike Trout will have to adjust to pace-of-play rules.
NL East
? The Nationals seek better habits at the plate.
? The Marlins aren't going to rush some minor league prospects, writes Manny Navarro.
? The Marlins' new double-play combo is turning heads, writes Dave George.
? The rebuilt Braves will play their first game today, as David O'Brien notes.
NL Central
? Trevor Rosenthal wants to avoid getting into jams, writes Derrick Goold.
? Gerardo Parra has a golden attitude about his situation, writes Todd Rosiak.
NL West
? Tim Lincecum was encouraged by his first outing, writes Henry Schulman.
? The Diamondbacks have a big opportunity in the draft.
? One D-backs player wants to prove last year was not a fluke.
? Julio Urias is getting advice from Clayton Kershaw.
Lastly
? Brian Butterfield, one of the smartest guys in uniform, bristles at the idea of banning shifts.
? Daniel Murphy was honest about his belief about sexuality, after Billy Bean spoke to the Mets.
? The Cubs have struck out twice in trying to extend construction hours, as we begin to near the end of what has been a brutally cold winter.
And today will be better than yesterday.
