Asdrubal Cabrera: Former Mets Infielder (2016-2018)
Asdrubal Jose Cabrera was born November 13th 1985 in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. The six foot, switch hitting middle infielder, was signed as an amateur free agent by the Seattle Mariners in 2002.In the minors at just 19 years of age, Baseball America named him the best second baseman in the Midwest League. He quickly jumped right up to AAA level.
In 2006 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Eduardo Perez. He began 2007 at AA ball & was fourth in the league in batting by mid-summer.
Indians Career: He was brought up to the Indians big league club as a second baseman that August. He contributed to the Indians stretch run, batting .283 as they won the Central Division making it to the ALCS.2007 Post Season-ALDS: In his first post season game- Game #1of the series, he hit a two run HR off the AL New York team's Chien-Ming Wang, in the Indians 12-3 win. He would get two more hits in the series with an RBI in the Game #4 series winner.
Triple Play: On May 12, 2008, he turned the 14th unassisted triple play in MLB history, it came against the Toronto Blue Jays. He snagged a line drive, touched second base forcing Kevin Mench & then tagged Marco Scutaro to complete the play.
All Star: He returned in 2011 to have career highs in hits (165) HRs (25) RBIs (92) stolen bases (17) & games played (151) while making his first of two straight All-Star appearances for the second place Indians. His play at shortstop was solid making many highlight videos.
Trivia: On May 22nd, he became just the fifth MLB short stop to ever have a five hit, two HR day. His HRs came off the Reds Sam LeCure & Edinson Volquez in a 12-4 win in Cleveland.
In the All-Star Game he was 0-2 in the NL's win at Chase Field.
In 2012 he was hitting well over .300 early on, but then slumped in July & finished off the year batting .270 with 16 HRs & 68 RBIs. On June 12th he hit a 10th inning walk off HR off Aroldis Chapman. At the All-Star Game in Kansas City, Cabrera drew a walk off Clayton Kershaw then struck out in the 8th inning to Craig Kimbrel in the NL's 8-0 win.He would lead all short stops in errors (19) in 2012 but rebounded with the league's third best fielding % (.982) in 2013. That year his average fell off to .242 but he kept his power number in the same range with 31 doubles 14 HRs & 64 RBIs. He would get to one more post season with Cleveland, going 0-4 in the 2013 AL Wild Card Game loss to Tampa.
Cabrera spent eight years in Cleveland batting .270 with 933 hits 211 doubles 15 triples 82 RBIs a .331 on base % & .742 OPS. He hit 30 plus doubles for four straight years as well (2011-2014).
They would get eliminated in the NLDS by the San Francisco Giants. Cabrera hit a HR in the 3-2 Game 31 loss & then drove in a run in Game #3, batting an overall .200.
Rays Career: In 2015 he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Rays, playing as the team's main short stop posting the 4th best fielding % in the AL (.974). His offensive numbers remained consistent as he hit .265 with 134 hits 15 HRs with 28 doubles 5 tiples & 66 runs scored.
Mets Career: At the 2015 winter meetings, Cabrera signed a two-year deal with the New York Mets for $18.5 million. The addition of the thirty-year-old Cabrera & second baseman Neil Walker the previous day gave the Mets a strong solid infield with lots of flexibility. The Mets were not comfortable with Wilmer Flores as their everyday short stop. Cabrera proved to be the Mets answer at short stop, playing 135 games there & posting the second-best fielding % in the NL, while turning 77 double plays.
He was a great team mate & was the first Met out of the dugout, when a player hit a HR. He would wait at the edge of the dugout, to celebrate the HR, then pull that players helmet off their head & toss it away.He collected his first Mets hit on the Opening Day loss in Kansas City & would hit in his first four Mets games. On April 23rd he hit his first Mets HR coning off the Braves Ryan Weber in an 8-2 Mets win in Atlanta. After the first month he was batting .300 with seven RBIs.
On May 4th he hit his second HR also coming off the Braves in a 8-0 win at Citi Field. On May 8th he collected two RBI singles in a 4-3 win in San Diego. On May 21st he started a Mets comeback over Milwaukee with an RBI single in the 4th inning with the Mets down 4-1. They eventually won the game on David Wright's walk off RBI base hit. Cabrera would drive in runs in four straight games.
In June although he hit four HRs, he only batted .228. On June 21st he hit his 7th of the year, coming off the Royals Ian Kennedy in a big 2-1 win at Citi Field over Kansas City. The next day he added a two run HR off Danny Duffy, helping the Mets & Noah Syndergaard to a 4-3 win.The importance of Cabrera's bat in the Mets line up didn't really start making a difference until about July. He ended the first three months of the season with until 8 HRs & 23 RBIs & a .255 batting average.
On July 1st, he hit a pair of HRs & drove in three runs in the Mets 10-2 win over the Chicago Cubs. Later that week he hit HRs in back-to-back games against the rival Washington Nats.On July 31, 2016, Cabrera strained the patellar tendon in his left knee while rounding third base in a 6-4 win against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Two days later he was put on the DL & missed almost three weeks of action. In that time the Mets realized how much he was missed.
In the time he was gone the Mets fell to their lowest point of the season 60-62 with the wild card seeming like it was never going to happen.But from the day he arrived back, the rag tag team who had been struck with injuries both on offense as well as pitching, began their incredible stretch run. Cabrera was a huge part of it.
Bleached Bonde: He returned to the lineup with bleached blonde hair, on August 19th on the Mets Road trip in San Francisco. As the Mets went to take two of three in St. Louis, Cabrera started a stretch where he drove in runs in five straight games, with a total of seven in ten games with at least one RBI.
Player of the Week Award: On August 26th he hit two HRs in the Mets 9-4 win at Citi Field. He connected off Adam Morgan in the 1st inning then later off Frank Herman in the 6th. Cabrera then added another the next day. From August 26th to September 2nd, he hit 6 HRs drove in ten runs with 11 hits raising his average to .274 winning the Player of the Week Award.
He began September with HRs in back-to-back games with the Nationals & Marlins, although the Mets lost both. He went on to a ten-game hit streak & hit safely in fifteen of sixteen games, getting his average to .281.
He was arguably the heart & soul of the team, playing with the injured leg through pain while inspiring the rest of the squad. Before games he wrapped the knee & after games, he iced it up.
Quotes- Cabrera said in Spanish: “With my experience, I think I’ve earned that respect from the team and from my teammates. I always try to boost everyone’s spirits.”
Walk Off HR: On September 22nd he had his most dramatic moment of the year, hitting a three-run walk off HR in the bottom of the 11th inning off the Phillies Edubray Ramos. The Mets won the game 9-8 win to stay atop the wild card lead in the NL.
Grand Slam: On Sunday September 25th, the Mets beat the Phillies 17-0 in the biggest lopsided win in team history. In the 7th inning, Cabrera hit a grand slam HR off Frank Herman putting New York up 11-0. It was his 23rd HR of the season, as the Mets continued to win.
In the emotional Mets Marlins game at Florida, after the tragic death of pitcher Jose Fernandez, Cabrera had two hits & drove in a pair of runs in the Met loss.
The Mets got into the playoffs for the second straight year, this time with a wild card spot, having to face the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field.
2016 Wild Card Game: Cabrera got one of the four Mets hits off the Giants; Madison Bumgarner in the wild card loss. He also drew a walk.Cabrera would tie with Yoenis Cespedes for the team's best batting average (.280). He would lead the team in hits (146) & doubles (30) while coming in second with 62 RBIs.
He played in 141 games hit 23 HRs scored 65 runs, stole 5 bases walked just 38 times posted a .336 on base % with am 810 OPS. He struck out 103 times.
Drama: The Mets used him at short stop, then at second base & third base, a position switch that didn't sit well with Cabrera. The move made way to keep Jose Reyes, a fan favorite, in the lineup. At first, Cabrera demanded a trade not wanting to give up short stop.
A week later he changes his tune & said he was fine with it. This was the only low point of Cabrera's Mets career, other than that he was one of the better Mets free agents signing.
He played in 141 games hit 23 HRs scored 65 runs, stole 5 bases walked just 38 times posted a .336 on base % with am 810 OPS. He struck out 103 times.
A week later he changes his tune & said he was fine with it. This was the only low point of Cabrera's Mets career, other than that he was one of the better Mets free agents signing.
2017: He began the year with three hits & an RBI on Opening Day in the Mets 6-0 win at Citi Field over the Atlanta Braves. On April 11th he hit his first HR of the year & had the first of back-to-back multi RBI games at Philadelphia.In May he would drive in runs in four straight games from May 2nd-May 6th. After his May 2nd HR it would take him another month before he hit another, that came in Texas in a 10-8 Mets loss.
On June 12th, he hit two HRs off the Cubs John Lackey in a 6-1 Jacob deGrom complete game win at Citi Field.
After the game he missed a week of action with injury. The week he returned he homered in an 8-0 win at Miami. On July 8th he hit a two run HR off the Phillies Pat Neshek putting the Mets ahead for good the 7-6 win. From July 22nd to the 28th, Cabrera had 12 hits over a seven-game span.He began August driving in runs in three straight games at Colorado, having two multi-hit games where he had three hits each time. On August 8th he drove in an insurance run in the Mets 5-4 win over Texas at Citi Field. He hit just one HR the whole month, a three-run shot off the Nationals Erick Fedde in a 6-5 Mets win.
In 2017 the Mets season was a disaster as they finished fourth 70-92. Cabrera led the team in batting (.280) hits (134) & doubles (32). He was second in on base % (.384%) at bats (479) third in RBIS (59) & runs scored (66). He played 45 games at short 44 at third & 32 at second base.
Cabrera hit .340 in April with 17 RBIs, starting out with an eleven-game hit streak from March 31 to April 13th. On April 10th he hit two HRs in Miami in an 8-6 win over the Marlins. He also had another four-hit day on April 16th with a HR & two RBIs.
On April 27th Cabrera hit a three run HR off the Padres Craig Stammen in a 5-1 Mets victory in San Diego. On June 9th he hit his 11th HR of the year, a two-run shot off Domingo German in the 4-3 subway series loss. He started out July with HRs in back-to-back games, with another in the first game of a July 9th double header which the Mets won on a Wilmer Flores walk off HR in the 10th inning.
On July 26th he hit a HR the Pirates Nick Kingman & drove in four runs in what was his final Mets game. After 98 games he was batting .277 with 18 HRs 23 doubles & 58 RBIs, when his Mets career ended as he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for a minor leaguer.
Mets Career Stats: In his Mets career he played 374 games batting .279 with 55 HRs 85 doubles & 179 RBIs with a .339 on base %. & .803 OPS.
Post Mets Career: In 2018 he played 49 games with the Phillies, batting .228 with 5 HRs & 17 RBIs, the Phils faded out of the race in September.In 2019 he began the year with the Texas Rangers, hitting 12 HRs with 51 RBIs & batting .235.
He was released in August & got signed by the Washing Nats. In 38 games there he hit .323 with 6 HRs & 10 doubles & 40 RBIs.
2019 Post Season: He made the post season there going 3-0 in the NLDS.
In the NLCS he got into four games against the LA Dodgers, going 1-6 driving in two runs, both in pinch hit appearances. His RBI single in Game #4 gave the Nat's a two-run lead, sealing their 4-2 win. In Game #6 he had a sac fly in the 6th inning. With the Nat's he went to his first World Series.
2019 World Series: In the World Series Cabrera went 6-23 playing in all seven games. In Game #2 at Houston, he drove in three runs in the Nat's 12-3 win. Cabrera & the Nat's went on to win their first championship.
2019 World Series: In the World Series Cabrera went 6-23 playing in all seven games. In Game #2 at Houston, he drove in three runs in the Nat's 12-3 win. Cabrera & the Nat's went on to win their first championship.
After the playing the Covid19 shortened season in D.C. he went to the Arizona Diamondbacks & Cincinnati Reds in 2021 playing in 110 games combined batting .230.
In his 15-year career he has hit .266 with 1763 hits 195 HRs 401 doubles 28 triples 886 runs scored & 1210 strike outs. He walked 589 times with a .331 on base% & a .752 OPS in 1822 games.
In his 15-year career he has hit .266 with 1763 hits 195 HRs 401 doubles 28 triples 886 runs scored & 1210 strike outs. He walked 589 times with a .331 on base% & a .752 OPS in 1822 games. He has played 1079 games at short 365 games at second 247 at third & 47 games at first base. He was a DH 39 times.
Family: Asdrubal & his wife Lismar met in school in their native Venezuela. They have two children. They became US citizens in 2019.
Family: Asdrubal & his wife Lismar met in school in their native Venezuela. They have two children. They became US citizens in 2019.
Nickname: Cabrera earned the nickname Pearls due to the fact he wears a white beaded necklace his wife made for him.
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