| Alex Cabrera | |
|---|---|
| First baseman | |
| Born: (1971-12-24)December 24, 1971 (age 53) Caripito,Monagas State,Venezuela | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| CPBL: March 16, 1999, for the Koos Group Whales | |
| MLB: June 26, 2000, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| NPB: March 24, 2001, for the Seibu Lions | |
| Last appearance | |
| CPBL: September 20, 1999, for the Koos Group Whales | |
| MLB: September 30, 2000, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| NPB: June 17, 2012, for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks | |
| CPBL statistics | |
| Batting average | .325 |
| Home runs | 18 |
| Runs batted in | 64 |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .263 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 14 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .303 |
| Home runs | 357 |
| Runs batted in | 949 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Alexander Alberto Cabrera (born December 24, 1971) is aVenezuelan formerfirst baseman andright-handed batter who played in 2000 for theArizona Diamondbacks inMajor League Baseball (MLB) and for 12 seasons inNippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He also played several seasons in theMexican League and theVenezuelan Professional Baseball League (LVBP).
Cabrera signed with theChicago Cubs as an amateurfree agent in 1991 and played in their minor league system through 1996. He moved to theMexican League, playing forPotros de Minatitlán andTigres Capitalinos in 1997 and returning to the Tigres in 1998.[1] He attended spring training with theTampa Bay Devil Rays before the 1998 season.[2] He played for theKoos Group Whales in theCPBL inTaiwan in 1999, then signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000.[1]
After nine seasons in the minors, Cabrera finally reached the majors with the Diamondbacks. A muscular slugger, Cabrera hit ahome run in his firstat-bat.[3][4] He ended the 2000 MLB season with a .262average, five home runs, 14RBI, 10runs, and a .500slugging percentage in 31games.[5] After the 2000 season, theSeibu Lions of theJapan Pacific League purchased his contract from Arizona.[6]
In 2001, Cabrera batted .282, with 49 home runs and 124 RBI. He was even better in 2002, with a .336 batting average, 55 home runs, and 115 RBI, winning thePacific League's MVP award. His 55 home runs tied Japan's single-season record, equaling the mark set bySadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by former MLB playerTuffy Rhodes in 2001. Cabrera stated that he was unable to break the record because pitchers threw him very few strikes after hitting his 55th home run.[6]Wladimir Balentien later broke the home run record, hitting 60 home runs in 2013.[7]
In 2003, Cabrera hit an impressive 50 home runs with 112 RBIs, while batting .324 for Seibu. Injuries limited him to 64 games in 2004, with 25 home runs and 62 RBIs.[1]
On October 26, 2004, Cabrera hit a two-run towering homer as the Seibu Lions defeated theChunichi Dragons 7–2 in Game 7 of theJapan Series to win their first championship since 1992. The ball bounced off the glass-enclosed private boxes above theleft field seats at theNagoya Dome. It was Cabrera's third home run of the series. He also hit agrand slam and a two-run homer in Game 3.[8][9]
In six seasons with the Lions, Cabrera was a .308 hitter with 246 home runs and 605 RBI in 708 games.[1]
In January 2008, Cabrera signed a one-year contract with theOrix Buffaloes. The contract reportedly required that Cabrera pass a drug test when he reported to the team in February.[10] He obtainedfree agency rights following the 2009 season after playing 8 years in Japan, thereby removing the designation as a "foreign player," becoming the fourth non-Japanese player to obtain such classification in NPB.[9]
In three seasons with Orix from 2008 through 2010, Cabrera slugged 73 home runs with 225 RBIs. Cabrera's career in NPB ended with 97 games over two seasons for theFukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2011 and 2012.
After leaving Japan, Cabrera continued to play professionalwinter league baseball forTiburones de La Guaira in his native Venezuela. In 59 games during the 2013–14 season, Cabrera batted .391, with a record-setting 21 home runs. He broke the league single season home run record set byBo Díaz, who hit 20 home runs in 1979–80.[11] Cabrera played 14 games forRojos del Aguila de Veracruz in theMexican League in April 2014 at the age of 42, batting .404 and hitting 4 home runs. He continued to play in theVenezuelan winter league until 2016–2017, playing 4 games in his final season withTigres de Aragua.[1]
On December 13, 2007, Cabrera was linked to steroid use in theMitchell Report, one of many MLB players so identified. The report detailed an incident in September 2000 when Cabrera on the Arizona Diamondbacks. Team officials found a package that contained a vial of what they suspected to be anabolic steroids and several hundred pills. Clubhouse attendants claimed the package was intended for Cabrera. The contents of the package were tested, and it was determined that the vial contained the anabolic steroid Winstrol, but the pills were legal, over-the-counter diet pills. Before the tests came back, however, Cabrera's contract had been sold to the Seibu Lions, so he was never tested for steroid use. Cabrera denied knowing why the package had been addressed to him.[12]
After the report came out, Cabrera denied ever using steroids.
"I couldn't have used the substances that are identified. I never had possession of the alleged box that supposedly contained the pharmaceutical drugs."[13][14]
During his career in Japan, Cabrera never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.[15] In 2013, he stated that he never injected himself with or smoked drugs.[16]
In 2014, Cabrera tested positive forstanozolol, which ended his career in the Mexican League.[17] A Mexican sports court later suspended his permanent ban from the league.[18]
In 2016, Cabrera tested positive foradderall while playing in the LVBP. His suspension was overturned by a Venezuelan court later in 2016.[19][20] He tested positive for stanozolol in December 2016, receiving a 50-game suspension from the LVBP.[21][22]
Cabrera's sonRamón is also a professional baseball player. The younger Cabrera, a switch-hittingcatcher, signed with thePittsburgh Pirates organization in 2008, at the age of 18.[23] Ramón made his major league debut with theCincinnati Reds on September 5, 2015.[24] Cabrera played against his son in some winter league games.[25]
