Detroit Tigers fans on Reddit divided over whether Miguel Cabrera should get more playing time in final season

It's no secret that future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera is retiring this offseason. When the Detroit Tigers play their last game this season, it will be the final time Cabrera is in uniform (barring an unforeseen trade or an unexpected injury). Cabrera has been a semi-regular in the lineup.

The Tigers have not been good, although Cabrera has been solid lately. The right-hander, over his past 19 games, is slashing .276/.377/.414. While that's not special, it would add to the Tigers lineup every day. One fan on Reddit posed this question.

The AL Central, where the Tigers reside, has been the worst division in baseball thus far. Even after a brutal stretch of baseball, the Tigers are just seven games back of the Minnesota Twins. For reference, there's a bigger gap between the second wild card New York Yankees and AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

This has divided the fanbase. On one hand, some fans believe Cabrera's recent production deserves a spot in the lineup to see if they can make some sort of run. Others believe his production will wane and is not worth an everyday spot right now.

This debate is not likely to end, especially if the Tigers stay around the pack in the Central and if Miguel Cabrera keeps playing better.

Miguel Cabrera's final season isn't going as planned

Even with the recent uptick in production, Miguel Cabrera's farewell season has not been good. Unlike Albert Pujols, who in 2022 chased a historic finish to his career and made the postseason, Cabrera's age is showing.

Thus far, he's hitting at a 77 wRC+ clip. That's 23% worse than the league average. He's also been a bad baserunner and overall negative player, posting -0.4 fWAR so far.

He's never been a good defender and he's far too old to play the field now, which limits his ability to do much if he isn't hitting. Thus, the poor overall metrics. Cabrera will likely make the Hall of Fame, but this season won't live long in the memory of fans.

About the author

Zachary is a journalist covering NFL, Professional Golf, esports, and Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda. He has a degree in writing/editing from Southern Adventist University (USA), and in his spare time, he likes to play games such as Minecraft, Pokémon and Fortnite, or watch sports.

Ever since he was a youth football wide receiver, Zachary has been an avid NFL fan. He loves the Carolina Panthers, with Cam Newton being his all-time favorite player (with respect to the close second, Steve Smith). If you ever meet Zachary, prepare to hear all about how underrated Newton was and how he single-handedly dragged the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

Zachary is also a big fan of top golfers like Tiger Woods, Wyndham Clark, and Scottie Scheffler. He enjoys watching them and hopes that Woods can return to form soon and win again.

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