Growing up around Detroit and being a lifelong fan of the professional teams there, I have been privileged to see amazing athletes in person – Barry Sanders, Steve Yzerman, Isiah Thomas, even on back to Al Kaline and the legendary 1968 Tigers. One day you’re watching them play a routine midseason game, and the next they’re part of your memories. Detroit Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera is in the homestretch of his final season in Major League Baseball. When the final series ends on Oct. 1 at Comerica Park he will say farewell to a 21-year career that cemented him among the elites of the game. His next stop? Baseball immortality. “He’ll absolutely be in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility and he’ll have an Old English D on his plaque,” said Evan Woodbery, who covers the Tigers for MLive.com. “Miggy has been the most prominent Tiger for 16 years – which is an incredible amount of time in the world of pro sports.“ Woodbery has been on the Tigers beat since 2016; prior to that he covered the New Orleans Saints for The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com. During Woodbery’s time covering the Tigers, Cabrera has been a mainstay in his stories – often as the only bright spot in some down years. It wasn’t always that way. Cabrera was a part of some of the most potent Tigers teams ever – they won four straight division titles from 2011-14 and made it to the 2012 World Series. But ultimately that roster never won a championship, something Cabrera considers among the biggest disappointments of his career, according to Woodbery. The Tigers’ long rebuilding process – they began trading star players in 2015 and haven’t had a winning record since 2016 – has been a slog for fans. But Cabrera stayed in The D and has remained a fan favorite. “Even when he wasn’t playing well, he was the most colorful personality on the team,” Woodbery said. “For years, he was the one and only player whose name alone could prompt fans to come to the game, even though his production had declined markedly.” Though he’s reticent around media, especially since some bumps in his personal life earlier in his stint in Detroit, Cabrera is joyful on the diamond, and is well known for his antics with fans and opposing players. Cabrera has actually played better ball as the summer progressed, hitting close to .300 since the end of May, Woodbery notes. But I think that’s secondary, especially in a season where the Tigers never threatened to be a playoff team. The best part is that Cabrera told us this season was curtains, and fans in Detroit and across the country have had a chance to see him in action and honor him in pregame ceremonies. I’ll be in the stands that last weekend of the season at Comerica Park. The Tigers won’t be playing for anything significant, but it will be a celebration nonetheless – of one of the greatest baseball players ever, and of the end of a great era in Detroit sports. # # # Where does Miguel Cabrera rank among on your list of best Detroit athletes of all time? Write me at editor@mlive.com with your favorites. ### John Hiner is the vice president of content for MLive Media Group. If you have questions you’d like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editor@mlive.com. | 