Baseball Players: José Miguel Cabrera Torres

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Miguel Cabrera, also known as “Miggy”, was born in Maracay, Venezuela on April 18, 1983. His real name is José Miguel Cabrera Torres. Miguel was raised by his parents, Miguel Sr. and Gregoria. As a young child Miguel first started playing baseball with his neighbors. Baseball is one of the most popular sports in his home country of Venezuela. Miguel came from a very poor part of Venezuela. One thing that kept his family going, was baseball. His father played baseball as a child on up to his twenties. His mother was on the Venezuelan national softball team for fourteen years. Miguel’s uncle, Davis Torres played Class-AA for the St. Louis Cardinals minor league team, before being released. Baseball ran through Miguel’s family, and it was something that they could all play together. When Miguel wasn’t playing baseball with his local team in Maracay. Miguel’s father, Miguel Sr., was a stud baseball prospect growing up, but was not able to complete his ultimate goal of becoming a pro baseball player. After playing baseball, Miguel’s father became a mechanic. If baseball did not work out for his son, he wanted Miguel to have the proper education to still be able to get a job. Miguel’s father stayed hard on his about his grades, and made sure that he graduated with his high school diploma.
Miguel was regarded as a very talented pro prospect by the time he reached high school. While he was playing in high school, he was being scouted by the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the team Miguel claimed was his favorite as a teenager was the Florida Marlins. (Currently known as the Miami Marlins.) Miguel had memories of watching the Marlins win the 1997 World Series, with other Latinos such as Livan Hernande...

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... on the city of Detroit. When Miguel came to Detroit to play with the Tigers, the city was going through a very tough time. He helped spread the joy of coming to the ballpark and watching a game. By coming to watch the Tigers play, he helped get the citizen’s minds off of their tough times. He contributed to bringing in money to fund programs for the city to get back on their feet. He also contributed through the Boys and Girls program with the MLB. He held camps for young kids, and helped raise money for local schools around Detroit. Miguel is not only a fantastic baseball player, but a contributor to his community and the people in it.

Works Cited

http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Cabrera/Cabrera_bio.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Cabrera#2003:_Rookie_Year http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cabremi01.shtml
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/7163/

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