Miguel Cabrera interview

Here's our brief interview from last summer with the Florida Marlins' slugger...

Filet of fish
Cabrera's as solid as they come
By Jon Chattman, for thecheappop.com

July 2006

Next to Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera is arguably the most feared position player in baseball. In just his third full season with the Florida Marlins, the 23-year-old third baseman has already established himself with the greats of the game.
More importantly, the All Star is helping a bunch of unknowns make a name for themselves. Yes, last season the Marlins made headlines for trading away almost all of their marquee players. Expected to play dismal, the Marlins have actually played quite well considering there's a rookie at almost every position. We asked Cabrera, who at the time of this interview was hitting well over .300 with 15 homers and 31 RBIs, about his own stats and how well the team's been playing.

On success:
You have to work hard. You have to come in every day [to] get better. It's a lot of work.

On the team playing well:
It didn't surprise me because [we've] got great talent. These guys, the organization, there's great talent right here. These guys can play in the big leagues. If [they] go on, they'll surprise a lot of people here.

On whether he was frustrated last off-season to see friends and teammates traded away:
No. I spent a lot of years with old friends, but I don't care right now. These guys have great talent. I am happy right now because the way these guys work, [the] way the guys play hard it's like me, the way I play. I love this team.

On Joe Giradi's managing:
He's great. Every time [he's like] "let's go...lets do it.. let's play hard."

Photo/Rich Tarantino