The Venezuelan started the 2017 campaign with 2,519 hits and 446 home runs. Since then, he has added another 296 hits and 31 homers in 304 games. Lacking 185 hits and 23 homers to reach the aforementioned numbers, Cabrera would have needed a full season and healthy to hit both rounds. The countdown would have been interesting, since in spring training Cabrera went 29-10 with three homers.
Then came the coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of Major League activity. Now we wonder: How many home runs can Cabrera hit in 60 games? How many hits would he get if he hit .300 on the season? How many games will he be able to play after abbreviated training sessions?
What we do know is that Cabrera has remained focused on physical conditioning as he was in the preseason.
“Honestly, just so you know, he hasn’t lost a beat in that time without activity,” Tigres general manager Al Avila said that week.
Cabrera told MLB.com a month ago that he has been training daily at his home in South Florida.
“I have a gym in my house, so I come training every day,” Cabrera said at the time. “I hit almost daily.”
Will that be enough to start 2020 on fire? Judging from recent history, maybe yes.
Unbelievably, Cabrera’s stats are pretty consistent when it comes to timing. For life, the Maracay native has a .315 average and a .937 OPS in the first half of the season, compared to .314 and .932 in the second.
But in recent seasons, Cabrera has given up earlier in the year rather than later, which could be a sign of attrition as the season progresses. Last year, for example, Cabrera hit .303 with an OPS of .765 before the All-Star break, compared to .254 and .715 after. The veteran was hitting .299 with an .843 OPS when a tear to his left bicep in June ended his season in 2018. And down the stretch in 2017, Cabrera hit just .230, with more strikeouts (46 ) than unstoppable (45).
Another factor that could explain the difficulties Cabrera has had in the second half could be motivation. The slugger has generally done well when the Tigers have been in contention for qualification. In 2016, Cabrera hit .346 with 20 home runs and a 1,057 OPS after the All-Star break, with Detroit in contention until the final day of the season. Of all the challenges he has faced during the rebuilding of the Tigres, Cabrera acknowledges that not playing for October has been as difficult as the health problems.
The 2020 season probably won’t change that. In fact, it could be even more difficult to play in empty stadiums without an intense crowd.
“It’s going to be boring, because the fans are a big part of this game,” Cabrera said last month, “We have to adapt to that and hopefully get ahead.”
However, if the Tigers start strong and at least make it into the fight down the stretch of the shortened schedule, an empty stadium might not matter. At 37, Cabrera may gain momentum. It won’t be enough to get you anywhere near any round numbers this year, but it could put you in good stead for 2021. (GG) (Taken MLB.COM)