Cleveland — It feels like there’s a lesson in here somewhere. Maybe not. Maybe it’s just a trait intrinsic to all great players. Just part of the package, not meant to serve any grand purpose. Still, it was pretty cool to see.
Miguel Cabrera is 40 years old. This is his 21st and final big-league season. His baseball immortality is secure. If he never produces another hit, he’s a sure-fire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. It’s a Tuesday in Cleveland, his name is not in the starting lineup.
And yet, there he was on the field five hours before game time grinding away, taking multiple rounds of early batting practice.
“He still cares,” said Spencer Torkelson, who came out to watch the session. “He’ll tell you, ‘I feel like crap right now.’ He still wants to get better. He still wants to compete. I can only hope I can do that at the age of 40.
“It’s really motivating for the guys to see.”
Cabrera isn’t some fake gym rat. This wasn’t eyewash or fake hustle. This is a proud, accomplished veteran who cannot stand that fact that he’s hitting .200. That he’s at the end of his career, that he has nothing left to prove, none of that matters to him.
“Miggy is a professional through and through,” manager AJ Hinch said. “He wants to do well when he gets in there. … He’s been that way my entire time here.”
Jonathan Schoop, Nick Maton, Akil Baddoo, Matt Vierling and Zack Short were out hitting rounds with him. Several times throughout the session, Cabrera would do something or say something to make everybody fall out laughing.
“He makes it fun,” Torkelson said. “He makes it light. It doesn’t even feel like you’re working. You’re just out there having a good time and it just so happens, you are also getting better at baseball. He’s pretty special.”
Cabrera has six hits in his last six games, including a pair of two-hit games. He’s tried to turn those baby steps into bigger steps. During his early work he was hitting most of the balls to right field, as he always does in the cage. Occasionally he would turn on one and drive it into the seats.
But this wasn’t a showcase. He was clearly working on specific parts of his swing.
“Sometimes he wants to keep whatever feel he has going right now,” Hinch said. “Or he wants to improve one movement that he’s doing.”
Or he just wants to be on the field. On Monday, Cabrera was taking ground balls at third base and second base. He hasn’t had a single defensive rep all season and isn’t likely to get one.
“He likes baseball,” Hinch said. “He likes to be at the ballpark and he wants to contribute. The best way to do that is to be ready. He might pinch-hit tonight. He’s not going to take anything for granted.”
And by no means does he expect to keep hitting at or below the Mendoza Line all year.
“He’s got a lot of pride,” Torkelson said. “He still thinks he can go out and win another Triple Crown.”
The Vest pocket
Interesting that Hinch went to right-hander Will Vest to rescue the sixth inning Monday night. He was summoned for lefty starter Joey Wentz with two on and two out and the Tigers up 5-2. Hinch suspected Guardians manager Terry Francona would counter with left-handed pinch-hitter Josh Naylor.
And he did.
This was intriguing for a couple of reasons. Since Vest was called up from Triple-A Toledo, Hinch has tried to match him up in pockets of right-handed hitters, where his 94-95 mph fastball and slider have played extremely well (right-handers are 2-for-19 against him this season).
But going against Naylor meant Vest would have to use his third pitch, the changeup. Going into the at-bat, Vest had thrown just nine of them.
“With the confidence he’s been pitching with, it was pretty easy to give him an opportunity to showcase it,” Hinch said of the changeup. “He’s worked on it a lot. When we sent him to Triple-A, that was one of the things we wanted him to do a little more.
“And that was the true test since he’s been back. You have the lead, a big-time hitter coming up, a guy who has done a lot of damage, especially in this park.”
The plan was set up before Vest even threw a pitch.
“The directive was, like, ‘Here’s where the fastball needs to go. Here’s where the changeup needs to go,’” Hinch said. “And here’s a ground ball to second.”
Vest stayed true to the plan: four-seam fastball (ball), four-seam fastball (called strike), slider in the dirt, changeup. Naylor rolled over to second base.
“He’s been in a lot of situations where he’s had to get right-handers out,” catcher Eric Haase said. “That’s been the pocket that’s been carved out for him. Naturally, you are going to have some better weapons against righties.
“But then you get in a situation like that where obviously the changeup creates a giant hole, we’re going to try to get to it. For him to have that sharpness in such a big spot, even though he hasn’t been using it, that was huge.”
Around the horn
The Tigers have pumped the brakes on outfielder Kerry Carpenter’s return to play schedule. Out with a shoulder sprain, Carpenter reported discomfort after hitting off a tee over the weekend.
According to the Tigers’ medical report, he has stopped his hitting progression and will be re-evaluated at the end of the week.
Also on the injury report, right-hander Beau Brieske (ulnar nerve entrapment) resumed his throwing program on Monday. Right-hander Trey Wingenter, who had a cortisone shot to quiet the inflammation in his right arm, is still not throwing. He, too, will be re-evaluated at the end of the week.
… Yes, from now on, Baddoo will be wearing a protective cup when he plays. Baddoo got tagged twice trying to steal second base in the second inning Monday. The throw from the catcher tagged him in the groin and then second baseman Andres Gimenez snared the carom and tagged Baddoo out.
“Yeah, unfortunate that happened and on top of that I’m out,” Baddoo said. “Definitely going to be wearing a cup. Only time I ever wore a cup was when I played first base when I was younger. But I’m going to play it safe.”
… Starting pitcher Casey Mize has increased his weekly throwing program from three days to four days. This is just catch play and long toss, nothing off a mound.
… Hinch said before the game that the Tigers will be sticking with a five-man rotation going forward, even though they have three off days coming up in the next nine days. That means that right-hander Alex Faedo will remain in the rotation and make his second start on Saturday against the Mariners at Comerica Park.
Tigers at Guardians
▶ First pitch: 1:10 p.m. Wednesday, Progressive Field, Cleveland
▶ TV/radio: BSD/97.1
SCOUTING REPORT
▶ LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-2, 1.81), Tigers: Simply put, he’s been pitching like a Cy Young Award contestant. Over his last five starts, he’s allowed two runs in 34⅔ innings, with 33 strikeouts, four walks and opponents hitting .157. His 27.6% hard-hit rate is the second lowest in the American League. Hitters are 13-for-84 (.154) combined against his four-seam and cutter. He’s putting on a pitching clinic every time out.
▶ RHP Peyton Battenfield (0-3, 4.07), Guardians: He pitched well against the Tigers at Comerica Park last month (allowing only a homer to Riley Greene in six innings) and in his last start, he limited the Twins to two runs over seven innings with seven strikeouts and no walks. He works an elite cutter (.140 opponent average, 35% whiff rate) off a 91-mph four-seamer and mixes curveballs in to left-handed hitters.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky