Fansided

Each MLB team’s current Hall of Famer

By Benjamin Chase

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 27: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols (5) and center fielder Mike Trout (27) head for the dugout after both scored on an Angels hit in the seventh inning of a game against the New York Yankees played on April 27, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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MLB Hall of Fame
DETROIT, MI – APRIL 20: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers bats during game one of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park on April 20, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Royals 3-2. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera

This week saw Albert Pujols get his 3,000th hit of his career. It is a worthwhile debate who between Pujols and Miggy had the best right-handed swing of the last decade. If you go back 20-30 years, the only guy who really even enters their level with a pure swing like they both had/have is Manny Ramirez, which says just how incredible Cabrera has been in his career.

We were first introduced to Cabrera as a 20-year-old with the Marlins, where he hit solid enough over the final stretch of the season to start for the young club that could go on to win the World Series. He was young, but he hit .265/.311/.471 during that postseason, certainly showing that he belonged.

Miggy hit 30 home runs in 2004 while hitting .294, and his career was off. By the time the Marlins traded him after his age-24 season, he had already been a 4-time All-Star and had a career line of .313/.388/.542 with 138 home runs.

Cabrera would blossom into a superstar with the Tigers. He led the American League in home runs in his first season with Detroit. In 2012, he won the traditional Triple Crown, leading the league in average, home runs, and RBI with .330, 44, and 139 respectively. The following season, he won the “SABR Triple Crown” as it’s jokingly been called, leading the league in batting average, on base, and slugging all in the same year (.348/.442/.636). For his efforts, he won back-to-back MVP awards.

Cabrera fought through injuries in 2017, but he is healthy and hitting well again in 2018. He has plenty of time left on his contract to add to his already-gaudy career statistics, with his contract running through 2023, his age 40 season, though there are two vesting options if Cabrera is still hitting very well and finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting in that final year.

What many don’t realize is just how far up the leaderboards Miggy has already climbed, and how far he could go even with reduced projected production in his later 30s. There’s a very real chance that Cabrera could end up the all-time leader in doubles along with finishing in the top 5 all-time in hits and RBI along with a very reasonable projection of 600 career home runs before he’s done.

Not only will Cabrera be an easy first-ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee, he could be an immediate inner-circle guy.

Next: Twins

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