Melky Cabrera, Retired
Date of Birth: 8/11/1984
Birthplace: Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic
Nickname: Leche
Melky Cabrera, retired left fielder, was first signed by the New York Yankees in 2001 when he was just 17 years old. He played in the Yankees' minor league system from 2003 through 2005, playing with the Yankees in just six games in 2005.
In 2006, his first full season with the Yankees, Cabrera batted .280 with 129 hits and 26 doubles in 130 games. He was a left fielder that season but moved to center field in 2007.
Cabrera had a good year with the Yankees in 2009, batting .274 with 133 hits, 28 doubles, 13 home runs, and 68 RBIs in 154 games. On August 2, 2009, he hit for the cycle. Although he played well for the Yankees, they traded him to the Atlanta Braves in December, 2009.
In 2010, his only year with the Braves, Cabrera played all three outfield positions. That year, he batted .255 with 117 hits and 27 doubles in 147 games.
Cabrera signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Kansas City Royals in December, 2010. The 2011 season was Cabrera's best one, with career highs in hits (201), doubles (44), home runs (18), RBIs (87), and stolen bases (20). He batted .305 in 155 games. He played in center field in 2010.
Although Cabrera had a very good 2011 season, the Royals traded him after the season ended to the San Francisco Giants. In 2012, he batted a career high .346 with 159 hits, 25 doubles, 10 triples, and 60 RBIs in 113 games. That year, he won the All Star Game MVP. However, Cabrera's performance in 2012 is tainted by his use of PEDs that resulted in a 50 game suspension.
In November, 2012, Cabrera signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He suffered from a knee injury and back surgery in 2013 that limited his playing time to just 88 games. He finished the 2014 season with 171 hits, 35 doubles, 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a .301 batting average.
Cabrera signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Chicago White Sox in December, 2014. He finished the 2015 season with 172 hits, 36 doubles, 77 RBIs, and a .273 batting average. As a left fielder, he made 220 putouts and 5 errors in 150 games.
Cabrera had a strong 2016 season, finishing with a .296 batting average. He had 175 hits, 42 doubles, 14 home runs, and 86 RBIs in 151 games. Defensively, as a left fielder in 147 games, he made 232 putouts and 3 errors.
Cabrera returned to the Royals in a trade on July 30, 2017. He finished the season with 177 hits, 30 doubles, 17 home runs, 85 RBIs, and 74 strikeouts to 36 walks in 98 games with the White Sox and 58 games with the Royals. Defensively, he played 104 games in left field and 46 games in right field.
Cabrera became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians on July 5, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 70 hits, 39 RBIs, 38 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a .280 batting average in 78 games. Defensively, as a right fielder in 68 games, he made 92 putouts and no errors. In the postseason, he had one hit in eight at-bats in three games.
Cabrera elected free agency on October 29, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 11, 2019. He finished the 2019 season with 106 hits, 22 doubles, 47 RBIs, 41 strikeouts to 17 walks, and a .280 batting average in 133 games. Defensively, he played 24 games in left field and 74 games in right field and he made 113 putouts and 1 error.
Cabrera became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets on June 29, 2020, and he was released on July 22nd. He only played in the Dominican Winter League and the Caribbean series in 2020 and 2021.
Cabrera retired on January 14, 2022.
Career batting statistics for Cabrera through 2019 include:
- 1,887 games played
- 1,962 hits
- 383 doubles
- 144 home runs
- 101 stolen bases
- 854 RBIs
- 891 strikeouts to 510 walks
- .285 batting average
Career fielding statistics for Cabrera as a left fielder through 2019 include:
- 1,023 games played
- 1,590 putouts
- 20 errors
- .988 fielding percentage
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Melky Cabrera
ESPN - Melky Cabrera