Miguel Cabrera has been the best hitter on the Detroit Tigers in 2022. He reached the 3,000 hits milestone, and the 600 doubles milestone, all after hitting his 500th home run in 2021. With the Tigers having such a down year, and players underperforming all over, many discussed whether Miggy would be the sole selection to represent the Tigers in Los Angles at the Mid-Summer Classic. On Friday, news broke that commissioner, Rob Manfred, had added Miguel and St. Louis Cardinals slugger, Albert Pujols to their respective squads:
3,000 hits, 600 doubles, 500 home runs and now his 12th All Star appearance.
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 8, 2022
Miguel Cabrera has been selected to the American League All-Star team by Commissioner Rob Manfred for his accomplishments as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. pic.twitter.com/RFSwt7eFBz
Miguel Cabrera deserved this honor – Selected for 12th All-Star Appearance
Miggy hasn’t been an All-Star since 2016 and frankly hasn’t really been deserving of one. However, when we look at what he’s done over his career, and what he’s specifically doing this season, it is easy to see why this decision was made. With his 500 HR, 3,000 hits, and 6oo doubles he is in a class of VERY elite talent from baseball days gone by. Names like Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are among the select group of players to hold such stat lines throughout their careers. This is elite company.
It is more than that though. Miguel has been a fixture in the 2022 Detroit Tigers lineup and has been carrying the load, specifically with runners in scoring position. He is currently hitting .308/.347/.714 with 3 home runs and 31 RBI. But even better than that, as our designated hitter, he’s hitting .386 with runners in scoring postion, and has over a .400 batting average on balls in play. He is a leader, a silent one, but for a young team, he’s exactly the type of bat they need.
It will be exciting to see Miggy wearing that Old English D in Los Angeles for the All-Star game, an honor that may feel like charity for an aging superstar, but is one that should be well honored and well-received.
