Detroit Tigers: A.J. Hinch says Miguel Cabrera should be an All-Star
By Kevin Henry
DETROIT — Whether Miguel Cabrera makes it to the MLB All-Star Game because of what he has done on the field this season or the numbers he has put together during his 20-year career, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch believes that Cabrera belongs on the field for the 2022 Midsummer Classic.
Why Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch believes Miguel Cabrera should be an American League All-Star in 2022
A clause in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to add “one player that he selects to each League’s roster, in recognition of each player’s career achievements.” Much has been mentioned about how that could apply to 42-year-old Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals, but that designation could certainly be the case for Cabrera, who recorded his 3,000th career hit in front of the Detroit Tigers faithful in late April.
However, the 39-year-old Cabrera is also having a solid season in 2022, slashing .308/.348/.372 through his first 250 at-bats of the season. That includes a 13-game hitting streak that he extended during Wednesday’s home game against the Cleveland Guardians with a two-run single.
After going 3-for-3 with a walk in Tuesday night’s win over Cleveland, the future Hall of Famer recorded his eighth three-hit game of the season. He’s just the third player in Detroit history to have multiple three-hit games during his age-39 season or older, joining Victor Martinez (three, all in 2018) and Ty Cobb (two, both in 1926).
“I think he should be an All-Star in his own right,” Hinch said prior to Wednesday’s contest. “I figure he could take it either way because he’s both, for what he’s doing for our offense with runners in scoring position (slashing .382/.422/.491 heading into Wednesday) and certainly the career achievement. If the Commissioner wants to add him as a legend, he’s spot on.
“But when you look around at the guys on our team, he’s certainly a viable candidate on his own.”
Cabrera has been Detroit’s designated hitter in each of the 68 games in which he has appeared in 2022. With Spencer Torkelson now manning first base in the Motor City, Hinch can slot Cabrera in at DH as a focus.
One and gone: The 13 pitchers Cabrera faced once and it resulted in a home run. dark. Next
Cabrera and Pujols join Hank Aaron as the only players in MLB history with 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, and 600 doubles. Now both could (and arguably should) also be a part of a star-studded All-Star Game in Los Angeles on July 19.