Detroit Tigers: What To Expect From Miguel Cabrera In 2020

The Detroit Tigers are still on the hook for the remainder of Miguel Cabrera’s eight-year contract, which will keep him wearing the Old English D through the 2023 season. After injuries have hampered Cabrera from being the hitter he once was, what can fans expect from the slugger in 2020?

It has been seven years since Detroit Tigers’ slugger Miguel Cabrera made history by taking home the Triple Crown. Even stranger, Cabrera’s last all-star appearance was in 2016. Injuries have slowed him down and shortened his seasons, but facing facts, he has become a shell of the hitter he once was.

With two years to go, it seems like Cabrera is rotting away in the already horrible Tigers lineup as it is. The 2020 season is going to be brutal to watch as is, but it may get even worse as Cabrera continues to fade and lack offensive ability.

In 2019, Cabrera played in 136 games for the Tigers, predominantly as the designated hitter, with the occasional start at first base.  He would accrue a total of 493 at-bats with a .282/.398/.346 with twelve home runs and fifty-nine RBI for the Tigers.

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At thirty-six-years-old, Cabrera will finish his career as one of the games greatest hitters of all time. However, he is just a shell of his former self. Cabrera’s last two seasons for the Tigers are going to be rough while he continues to deteriorate s like Victor Martinez did.

In 2020, do not expect Cabrera to be more than a designated hitter who should be mentoring the younger players in the Tigers clubhouse. Even being a veteran player, playing for a horrifically lousy team like the Tigers will cause a lack of offense, but Cabrera has regressed exponentially.  The way it stands, Cabrera is going to be the latest and greatest version of Martinez. Cabrera will be a designated hitter who struggles to be the hitter he once was.

Now, the off-field part of Cabrera’s tenure here should be one of teaching and development for the younger crowd. The issue with this is, Cabrera is supposed to be helping these young guys, making bonds with them. Last season, Cabrera came out criticizing how bad the current Tigers are while he is supposed to be helping these young guys develop.

Personally, it does not seem like a “clubhouse leader” is going to come out and start blaming the talent around him for his struggles. The Tigers are going to be bad, Cabrera is going to struggle on a bad team, but his regression is simple to see just looking at the numbers.