Melky Cabrera
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| Position | Outfield |
| Team | New York Yankees |
| Years of Experience | 2 years |
| Age | 21 |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in |
| Weight | 170 lb. |
| Bats | Switch |
| Throws | Left |
| College | N/A |
| 2006 Salary | $316,000 |
| Place of Birth | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Selection | Signed as a non-drafted free agent. |
| Drafted by | New York Yankees |
| Major League Debut | July 7, 2005 |
Melky Cabrera (born August 11, 1984 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a major league baseball outfielder playing for the New York Yankees. He is very rare in that he throws left handed and is a switch hitter.
2005, First stint as a Yankee
On July 7, 2005, Melky was promoted from the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. Many believe this hurt Cabrera as he had played in Triple-A for only nine games after being promoted from Double-A Trenton. That same day, Cabrera made his major league debut as a member of the Yankees in a game against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium. In his first major league at-bat, Cabrera struck out. He was 1-for-4 in the game, earning a standing ovation for his first hit, which was a single. Cabrera was also responsible for 4 putouts. In a July 15 game against the Boston Red Sox, Cabrera misplayed a ball that allowed an inside-the-park home run to Trot Nixon. This error led to the NESN announcer making the infamous quote "Cancel the Yankeeography!".[citation needed] The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 17-1. Cabrera was sent back to Columbus two days later.
2006, Second stint as a Yankee
Cabrera was recalled by the Yankees from Columbus to replace an injured Gary Sheffield on May 9, 2006, and he started that night against the Boston Red Sox, going 2 for 3 and making one error.
Though he had problems defensively in his first Major League stint, he has performed much more capably in 2006. He initially played in right field, but moved to left field following an injury to Hideki Matsui, eventually becoming the full-time starter. Cabrera has mostly batted in the bottom third of the lineup, but in his first time batting leadoff, he went 2-4 with 4 RBIs, as he filled in for a fatigued Johnny Damon in a game against the Red Sox. On May 30, 2006, he batted leadoff for a second time, and he went 4-6 with a two singles, a double, a triple, and walk. He also had 2 RBIs in that game. His four hits were a career high.
On June 6, 2006, Cabrera garnered nationwide attention by stealing a home run from Manny Ramirez in the eighth inning of a Yankees-Red Sox game, when Cabrera reached over the left center field wall to retrieve a sharp line drive. The potential home run would have tied the game at 2-2; the Yankees won the game 2-1.
On June 15, 2006, Cabrera hit his first major league home run off Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee.
On July 5, 2006, Cabrera hit his first major league grand slam off Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd. On that day he also had a career-high 5 RBIs in the Yankees' 11-3 victory.
Trivia
- Chris Berman, known for giving nicknames to players, has given Cabrera the nickname "Melky Way" Cabrera. Yankees broadcaster John Sterling also uses this nickname, though it is unclear whether Sterling or Berman came up with the nickname first. John Sterling also uses the phrase, "the melk man always knocks twice" when referring to Cabrera. Usually this reference comes after a Cabrera homerun.
- Melky's nickname around the Yankee clubhouse is "Leche" which is Spanish for "milk"
References
- Baseball America 2006 Prospect Handbook : The Comprehensive Guide to Rising Stars from the Definitive Source on Prospects. Baseball America. 193239110X.
- The Baseball Cube
- Yankees promote prospect Cabrera
- Future's Now for an Heir Apparent
- Redding, Yanks roughed up by Sox
- New York Yankees transactions, July 2005
External links
- Player Information - current statistics
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics