Asdrúbal Cabrera
Cleveland Indians — No. 13
Shortstop
Born: November 13, 1985 (1985-11-13) (age 24) Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 8, 2007 for the Cleveland Indians
Career statistics (through August 12, 2009)
Batting average	.284
Home runs	14
Runs batted in	115
Teams
Cleveland Indians (2007–present)

Cabrera in the minor leagues playing for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on May 16, 2005.

Asdrúbal José Cabrera (born November 13, 1985) is a switch hitting infielder for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. After coming up through the Seattle Mariners organization, he was acquired by the Indians on June 30, 2006, in exchange for Eduardo Perez. Cabrera spent the remainder of the 2006 season at Cleveland's Triple-A minor league team, the Buffalo Bisons.

Cabrera was a non-roster invitee to the Indians 2007 spring training, but was reassigned to their minor league camp March 16. He started 2007 at Double-A with the Akron Aeros and was named to the Eastern League mid-season All-Star team. He was promoted to the Indians' Triple-A affiliate, Buffalo Bisons July 30 and then to Cleveland August 7. Cabrera made his major league debut the following night against the White Sox, starting at second base. He was hitless in three at-bats and scored a run after he was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning. Four days later, Cabrera picked up his first major league hit, a double, against Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees. Cabrera's first home run came August 18, 2007, off Jason Hammel of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a 8-1 victory for the Indians. Cabrera eventually assumed Cleveland's everyday second baseman job despite being a natural shortstop, taking over for an ineffective Josh Barfield.

In 2007, Cabrera helped power the Indians to a tie for the best record in baseball (96-66 with the Boston Red Sox) with his late inning heroics. Cabrera batted .375 (21 for 56) in the 7th inning or later.^[1] For good luck, Cabrera wears a white beaded necklace which was made for him by his wife.^[2] In the 2007 postseason, he became the first baseball player named Asdrubal to ever compete in the American League Championship Series.^[3]

At Progressive Field on May 12, 2008, Cabrera turned the 14th unassisted triple play in MLB history against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second game of a doubleheader. In the fifth inning, with Toronto's Marco Scutaro on first base and Kevin Mench on second, Cabrera dove and caught a Lyle Overbay liner, stepped on second base before leading runner Mench could return, and then tagged Scutaro who had already passed second base.^[4] Ron Hansen, who had turned an unassisted triple play in 1968, was in attendance to witness Cabrera's feat.^[5]

On June 9, 2008, Cabrera was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo after hitting a team low .184 with 14 RBI in 52 games. Barfield was called back up to take his place. During his stay in Buffalo, Cabrera hit .326 in 34 games with 25 runs, seven doubles, four homers and 13 RBI. He was also named International League Batter of the Week after hitting .394, going 13 for 33, with three doubles, three homers and six RBI. Cabrera was called back up to the Indians on July 18, and has since hit .261 (30 for 115) with 3 homers, raising his season average (with the Indians) from .184 to .216.

Cabrera hit his first career grand slam against New York Yankees' pitcher Anthony Claggett to highlight a 14-run second inning for the Indians on April 18, 2009 at new Yankee Stadium, and had a career high four hits and five RBI as the Indians went on to win 22-4. Cabrera resides in Anzoategui, Venezuela with his wife, Lismar, and his son^[6].

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
• Asdrubal Cabrera Quote regarding Julio Lugo