Miguel Cabrera is opening the final season of his Hall of Fame career by playing with Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Apparently, the Detroit Tigers continue to be concerned that hitting one last time for his native land will leave the soon-to-be 40-year-old too tired to bat in the regular season.
According to a report from ESPN’s Marly Rivera, the Tigers are putting more limitations on Cabrera as Venezuela continues to outperform predictions and appear destined for the knockout round — perhaps as Pool D champion.
Those limitations may include keeping Cabrera to one at bat per game. Cabrera does not play on the field for Venezuela, operating in the same designated hitter role that he will for the Tigers in 2023.
As Venezuela continues to roll through the World Baseball Classic undefeated through three out of four games in Pool D, they are getting more resistance from the Tigers than the teams they face on the field in Miami, Florida.
Detroit has already mandated that Eduardo Rodriguez, who threw two innings in Tuesday’s win over Nicaragua, not pitch again in the tournament. Now, the Tigers may restrain Miguel Cabrera to nothing more than pinch hitting duty.
Fans of both Cabrera and the Tigers are questioning why Detroit is even bothering.
Tigers fans are seeing the rumored restrictions as petty. After all, the 2023 season is little more than a grand farewell tour for a player who is well-liked around the league. He is also an offensive shell of the former back-to-back American League Most Valuable Player he was a decade ago.
Baseball Twitter is imploring Detroit to let Miguel Cabrera enjoy his final World Baseball Classic. Venezuela looks well positioned to make a strong run in the tournament.
After all, it’s not like Cabrera is a big bat for a playoff contender. The Tigers are about as far away from the World Series as Detroit is from Mars.
Conspiracy theorists abound that Venezuela may be asking for an excuse not to have to continually play Miguel Cabrera in this year’s World Baseball Classic. He has batted .111 through three tournament games, though he is out-hitting Ronald Acuna Jr.
Miguel Cabrera has played in all five World Baseball Classic tournaments
Miguel Cabrera is the only player to have played in every World Baseball Classic. He was in-between the first two of his four consecutive All-Star Game appearances as a fairly spry outfielder with the Florida Marlins when he made his Team Venezuela debut in the 2006 WBC. As his career moved on, his commitment to the national team never wavered. He played in the 2009, 2013, and 2017 tournaments.