Miguel Cabrera participant of 2012 Major League Baseball season
José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983), nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since his debut in 2003, he has been a two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winner, a four-time AL batting champion, and a 12-time MLB All-Star. He has played at first and third base for most of his major league career, but primarily played left and right field before 2006. He claimed the 17th MLB Triple Crown in 2012, the first to do so in 45 seasons. In 2022, Cabrera became the third player in history with a career batting average above .300, 500 home runs, and 3,000 hits, joining Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.In the Venezuelan Winter League, Cabrera was signed by Tigres de Aragua at 16 years old. In this league, he recorded his first hit as a professional in December 1999, at age 16 years 8 months. Cabrera was signed in 1999 as an amateur free agent by the Florida Marlins, and progressed through their minor league system. He made his MLB debut in mid-2003 at the age of 20, and contributed to the Marlins' World Series success later that year. Over the next four seasons, Cabrera was a regular player for the Marlins before being traded to the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2008 season. In 2012, Cabrera became the first player since 1967 to win the batting Triple Crown, leading the AL with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs, and 139 runs batted in (RBI), earning him the AL MVP award that year. In 2013, Cabrera improved on his previous year's batting performance, including a career-high .348 batting average, and received another AL MVP award.
Cabrera has won four AL batting titles, including three in consecutive years (2011–2013), and has batted over .300 in 11 different seasons. He has hit 30 or more home runs in ten separate seasons, and driven in over 100 runs in 12 separate seasons (including 11 consecutive seasons, 2004–2014). Cabrera is the all-time leader in career home runs and hits by a Venezuelan player, surpassing Andrés Galarraga and Omar Vizquel respectively. He joined the 500 home run club in 2021 and the 3,000 hit club in 2022; he is the seventh player in MLB history to reach both milestones. He will retire after the conclusion of the 2023 season, but plans to continue working with the Tigers organization.