Miggy slumping early on

April 16, 2008 @ 07:55:09

By Keith Hernandez
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

It is obvious that Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is off to a slow start. After a blockbuster deal that sent him from the Florida Marlins to Detroit's potent offense, it was expected that the young third baseman would have an impact immediately. However, he has begun the 2008 season with a .213 batting average, two home runs and five RBIs in 47 at-bats.

Everyone knows the 24-year-old phenom is a great hitter with plenty of power, but there could be some explanations for his slow start.

Terrible Tigers

It seems Cabrera is not the only one struggling in the Tigers offense; the rest of the team is in a slump as well. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez, shortstop Edgar Renteria and outfielder Gary Sheffield are also looking to get out of an early season funk.

After a hot start in spring training, Rodriguez has come out of the gates in the regular season cold. He has one home run and five RBIs while batting .213 in 47 at-bats. Manager Jim Leyland has tried putting him in the leadoff spot to fill in for injured outfielder Curtis Granderson (hand). As the leadoff man, Rodriguez has just one hit in seven at-bats. He has also seen time in the sixth, seventh and eighth spots in the lineup.

Renteria is also off to a bad start with his new team after coming from the Atlanta Braves. He has totaled four RBIs and no home runs while hitting .268 in 56 at-bats. Like Rodriguez, he has been moved around in the lineup, hitting first, second, sixth and seventh. It should be noted that in his only other season in the American League, which came in 2005 with the Boston Red Sox, he had a down season, hitting .276 with eight home runs and 70 RBIs.

The 39-year-old Sheffield (finger, shoulder) has been bothered by a torn tendon in his left finger and an aching shoulder. He has missed a few games because of the finger, and it seems these injuries are affecting the start to his 2008 season. Sheffield admitted that his surgically repaired shoulder still in fact bothers him. He is batting .216 with one home run and just two RBIs in 37 at-bats. His age could be considered a factor, especially with his injury woes; however, he posted 25 home runs and 75 RBIs last year in just 133 games.

Tigers not so tough

In addition to the struggling members of the lineup, first baseman Carlos Guillen (hamstring) has been plagued with a strain in his right hamstring and has missed several games in the early going in 2008. This injury has not slowed him at the plate, as he is batting .372 with three home runs and six RBIs, but his absence at times hasn't helped. His high average has not led to many RBIs, either, because the rest of the Tigers have hit so poorly.

For more evidence of how slowly things have gone, take a look at outfielder Magglio Ordonez's line. He is putting up a decent average at .291. Like Guillen, however, he is not driving in runs as you would expect - he didn't get his first RBI until April 10, and he has just six. This would suggest the struggles of Cabrera, Rodriguez, Renteria and Sheffield are affecting the production of Ordonez and Guillen, too.

The absence of outfielder Curtis Granderson (finger) could be another reason why Cabrera and the team have struggled so mightily. Granderson has yet to play in 2008 because of a broken finger. With Granderson out, the team has started the season with a 2-10 record. It is apparent that his absence at the top of the lineup is truly affecting the offense. In 2007, Granderson had a .302 batting average with 23 home runs, 74 RBIs and 122 runs scored. He was the team's leading run scorer last year. The Tigers have struggled to find an adequate fill-in at the leadoff spot in his absence. Third baseman Brandon Inge has played well in center and at the plate, but he ordinarily hits at the bottom of the lineup.

Cabrera's pains

Aside from the drought in production from the team's offense, there may be a few other factors contributing to Cabrera's inefficiency. This being his first season in the American League, he may very well be going through a transition and adjustment phase. A cause for concern here could be the fact that he is not a notorious slow starter. He has only once hit under .300 in the opening month of a season, which was in his second year with the Marlins in 2004, when he batted .292 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs. Cabrera has also been battling a tight left quadriceps muscle in the past week. This nagging injury, coupled with the cold weather in Detroit, could be a factor in his performance.

Fantasy outlook

Obviously fantasy owners of Cabrera should not give up on him. Early season inconsistencies throughout the team's lineup seem to be playing a significant role in both the Tigers' bad start and Cabrera's. In his last four seasons, the 24-year-old has averaged 32 home runs and 115 RBIs while hitting .318 in a weak Marlins lineup. Only St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Vladimir Guerrero have had similar numbers at the plate since 2004.

Expect Cabrera to break out of his early season funk and contribute in the middle of the Tigers' potent offense. In fact, now seems like a great time to trade for him in your fantasy league. If you are looking to dump him, which doesn't seem wise despite his atrocious start to the season, you should still look to receive a top-tier player in return for the slugger.

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Keith Hernandez

Keith, an editor with KFFL, joined the team as a Hot off the Wire analyst in 2008 and has been playing fantasy sports since 2005. He is involved in MLB, NFL and NASCAR content. He graduated from the University of California-San Diego in 2005 with a B.A. in Communications and was a four-year starter as a member of the baseball program.

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