Royals rolled out a six-man outfield when Tigers star came to bat on Monday
Tigers star Miguel Cabrera is 37 years old, and he’s had a number of injuries the past few years.
Cabrera had a knee issue that flared up a couple of times last season. In 2018, he had a hamstring strain.
So, yeah, Cabrera doesn’t run like he once did, and he was never known for his speed. Cabrera was a Triple Crown winner in 2012 and has 478 career home runs (and just 38 stolen bases), so his bat does the talking.
Despite that lack of speed, it was jarring to see the Royals use an infield alignment during Monday night’s game that pushed third baseman Maikel Franco, shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and second baseman Whit Merrifield into the outfield grass.
First baseman Ryan O’Hearn was at the back of the infield too, and may have step on the grass at times.
This was a six-man outfield, with Franco playing especially deep:
Royals manager Mike Matheny was asked if the Royals’ analytics team came up with the idea.
“I think a lot of it has to do with our arms too,” Matheny said. “With how Franco throws across the infield and with Mondi with a plus arm. Be able to give us a little more room to cover it.”
Only four games have been played this season, but Matheny has shown a willingness to think outside the box. On Saturday, he brought in last year’s closer Ian Kennedy in the sixth inning of a tie game.
“It’s something (where) we’re always going to try and figure out how we can gain a little more ground,” Matheny said.
Cabrera went 1 for 3 on Monday with two walks.
This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 8:23 AM.
