Miguel Cabrera

[packs]

I don’t think speaking English has anything to do with perception. When it comes to baseball, I can’t think of anyone who says anything interesting to the press. Personalities develop from play on the field. Jeter wasn’t popular because he spoke English. He was popular for the way he played. You wouldn’t even have to hear Paul O’Neill speak to know what kind of guy he was. All you had to do was watch him play. He’s not called The Warrior for what he said in postgame. The same is true for Votto, who frequently interacts with fans during games. These players don’t have to say anything. Adrien Beltre was hugely popular and I’ve never seen an interview with him. I know him as the guy who didn’t want you to touch his head.

Not to mention how prevalent Spanish is in this country.

[Snapolit1]

I agree. Cespedes was electric and owned NY for a while. Don’t recall him speaking.
If I was an agent I’d really encourage my young guys to learn English. Certainly makes them more marketable to more groups. But to say that someone is not a national phenomena because they don’t speak English seems like a real stretch. Combination of where they played, how they played, what big moments they had on a National stage.

[D. Bergin]

Some guys talk too much. A-Rod never reached anywhere near the popularity in New York that Jeter did, because he always acted like he was trying to talk himself out of a parking ticket.

It wasn't just the PEDS either. He WANTED you to love him so bad, he always came across as needy and desperate. Even the times he carried the Yankees on his back......Yankees fans never really warmed up to him.

You always got the feeling he dated so many movie stars and pop stars, not because he was a bad-ass Lothario.....but because he was a clout chaser with low self-esteem.

I'm a huge Yankees fan, but I love when David Ortiz gives A-rod the business during their studio commentating jobs.

[Seven]

On the subject of popularity, I would agree, it's a lot of right place, right time sort of scenario's. Jeter was popular because he was apparently humble, carried himself with a certain sort of air, while playing for the Yankees. He gave a lot of cookie cutter answers whenever he was interviewed, played hard and dated beautiful celebrities in the limelight of New York. People viewed him through the lens of a player from years past. He was emotional when it called for it, but carried himself with grace most of the time.

I compare Jeter to DiMaggio in a few ways. Humble beginnings, thrust into the spotlight of NY, and lived up to every single one of the expectations people gave them. Neither were the best players of their respective generation, but their presence overshadowed the guys who were better than them. Jeter is a bit nicer than Joe D apparently was though.

Cabrera was a great ballplayer. He never played in a big market, was never the face of a World Series winning team, and while he connected with the people of Detroit, I don't think he's really done much with other fan bases. I don't think there's anything wrong with that though. Baseball fans appreciate what he brought to the dish, not every player needs to be world renowned.

[profholt82]

Still no 500, but he had a little fun with Shohei tonight.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1427793085904220163

[clydepepper]

He just got #500. I totally forgot he has four batting titles. WOW!

Hell of a hitter! - through age 33 anyway.

See Barry, this is what happens to your production as you age 'honestly' -

see also Albert Pujols.



.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

He just got #500. I totally forgot he has four batting titles. WOW!

Hell of a hitter! - through age 33 anyway.

See Barry, this is what happens to your production as you age 'honestly' -

see also Albert Pujols.



.

Hope he has enough mileage left for 3000 hits.

[profholt82]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

He just got #500. I totally forgot he has four batting titles. WOW!

Hell of a hitter! - through age 33 anyway.

See Barry, this is what happens to your production as you age 'honestly' -

see also Albert Pujols.



.

Yeah, special player for sure. Only triple crown since Yaz in '67, 2 MVPs, career .300 hitter. Not a lot of 500 HR club guys have the overall average to go with the power. Watching him for years in Detroit, it's easy to take him for granted, but he'll go down as one of the all-time greats when he hangs it up.

[profholt82]

Also, as has been touched on earlier in this thread, he definitely does not like talking to the media. I was watching his press conference on Bally Sports, and he was a bit surly with one of the journalists. A guy asked him about what he said in an address to the team after the game, and Miggy got a cross look on his facd and said, "that's our business." Haha, it cracked me up. While he's all smiles with players and fans during the games, he's prickly as heck with the media afterward.