Alex Cabrera

Infobox MLB player


width=200
name=Alex Cabrera
position=First Baseman
team=Orix Buffaloes
number=42
bats=Right
throws=Right
debutdate=June 26
debutyear=2000
debutteam=Arizona Diamondbacks
statyear=2000
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value= .263
stat2label=HR
stat2value= 5
stat3label=RBI
stat3value=14
teams=
*Arizona Diamondbacks (by|2000)
*Seibu Lions (by|2001-by|2007)
*Orix Buffaloes (by|2008-present)

Alex Cabrera (born December 24, 1971) is a Venezuelan baseball player. He is a first baseman and right-handed batter who played in Major League Baseball for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Nippon Professional Baseball for the Seibu Lions in Japan. He is currently playing for the Orix Buffaloes after signing with them prior to the 2008 season.

Cabrera was born in Caripito, Monagas State.

Baseball career

He was signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent in 1991, and moved to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before the 1998 season. Later he was transferred to Arizona while also played for CPBL's Koos Group Whales in 1999. After staying in the minors for nine seasons, he finally got a shot in the majors in 2000. A muscular slugger (6' 2", 220 lb.), Cabrera hit a home run during his first at bat. He ended the season with a .262 average, five home runs, 14 RBI, 10 runs, two doubles, one triple and a .500 slugging average in 31 games. After that, the Seibu Lions of the Japan Pacific League purchased his contract from Arizona.

In 2001 Cabrera batted .282, with 49 HR and 124 RBI, and exploded with .336, 55, 115 in 2002, winning the Pacific League's MVP award. His 55 home runs tied Japan's single-season record, equaling the mark set by the legendary Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by former big leaguer Tuffy Rhodes in 2001. Like Rhodes, Cabrera would see few good pitches for the remaining games after tying the record. He maintained his form in 2003, batting for .324, 50, 112.

On October 26, 2004 pitcher Takashi Ishii went six strong innings and Cabrera hit a two-run towering homer [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UioIXL6k6zc] as the Seibu Lions defeated the Chunichi Dragons 7-2 in Game 7 of the Japan Series to win their first championship since 1992. The ball bounced off the glass-enclosed private boxes above the left field seats. It was Cabrera's third home run of the series. He also hit a grand slam and a two-run homer in Game 3.

In six seasons with the Lions, Cabrera has been a .308 hitter with 246 home runs and 605 RBI in 708 games.

In January 2008, Cabrera signed a one year contract with the Orix Buffaloes. It is reported that the contract has requirement that Cabrera pass a drug test when he reports in February. [cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3187959
title=Cabrera stays in Japan league, joins Orix for $2.2 million |date=2008-01-09 |publisher=ESPN | accessdate=2008-01-09]

Mitchell Report

On December 13, 2007, Cabrera was linked to steroid use in the Mitchell Report,one of many MLB players so identified. The report detailed an incident in September 2000 when Cabrera was playing for 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 legal, over-the-counter diet pills Winstrol. 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 [cite web | url = http://assets.espn.go.com/media/pdf/071213/mitchell_report.pdf | title = Mitchell Report pp. 94-5| format = PDF]

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." [cite web
url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2007-12-15-cabrera-mitchell-report_N.htm?csp=34
title=Ex-D'back Alex Cabrera denies steroid use |date=2007-12-16 |publisher=USA Today | accessdate=2007-12-26] [cite web
url=http://www.leones.com/detalle_noticia.php?id=169
title=Alex Cabrera frente al informe Mitchell |date=2007-12-14 |publisher=Caracas Lions | accessdate=2007-12-26]

While playing in Japan, where they conform to Olympic testing standards, he has never tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. [cite web
url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2007-12-23-japan-mitchell-report_N.htm?csp=34
title=Ripple effect felt in Japan over Mitchell Report |date=2007-12-24 |publisher=USA Today | accessdate=2007-12-26]

ee also

*Players from Venezuela in "MLB"
*Arizona Diamondbacks all-time roster
*List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report

References

External links

*
* [http://japanesebaseball.com/players/player.jsp?PlayerID=1370 Japanese Baseball Statistics]
* [http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/stats.html The Baseball Guru Japanese Baseball Data Archive]