i9s

Alfredo Cabrera was certainly useful. The challenge is whether he was more than that.

He was good enough to have a minor league career and a cup of coffee in the majors (which is as much a reflection of his ability to pass than his ability to play), and good enough to be inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942.

But he also wasn’t good enough to ever dominate in the NeL for any extended period of time. And his career, which spans from 1901 through the late 1920s, reflects exactly the type of longevity that tends to inflate reputation.

So, what to do?

We’ve projected Cabrera as having a long career, driven mainly by gold glove level defense at SS from 1905 through 1910. But he rarely broached a .600 OPS, so as soon as the defense slips, it’s hard to see him warranting a full time job in an integrated league.

He had slightly above-average control of the strike zone, resulting both in decent walk rates and lower than average strikeout rates, but little else: he had virtually no power, and consistently saw his BA anchored in the low .200s. He was fast, which helped a bit.

Cabrera’s greatest impact was with the glove, where he was of the highest caliber, especially for the second half of the oughts’. He played primarily at SS, but was excellent at 1B as well. Time at 3B and in the OF was less effective, although never outright bad, but this supports the notion that he had great range, great instincts, and a solid, but not spectacular, arm in the middle infield.

There is an outside shot at him being an early recipient of gold gloves at two positions, as he should be in the running at SS for quite a few years, and then possibly at 1B in the early to mid teens, should his career last that long.

And, there’s the rub. Assuming his defense carries him through 1910, he hits a little in 1911 through 1913 before his offense truly falls off the cliff. We have his career lasting until 1915, but really he adds so little offensively in 1905, 1908, and 1910 that it’s possible he never gets to his 30s. It is the deadball era, though, so incredibly low OPS’ are more the norm than not.

In our current view, everything hinges on the value given to El Pajaro’s defense. The more credence you give it, the more his career makes sense. But if you reduce it just slightly, he very quickly becomes a utility infielder, never warranting a fulltime job. As is often the case, we’ve decided to give weight to the praise of his peers, seeing him as a solid starter for a few years, and a valuable piece for a few more.

Name	Alfredo Cabrera (El Pajaro)
ID / Status	cabrer049alf / Draft
Pos	SS
DOB / i9s Career	05/11/1881 / 1901 - 1918
Birthplace	Canary Islands, Spain (Cuba)
Height / Weight	5'10" /
B / T	R / R

 

Batting Projections

Year	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1901	41	10	1	0	0	4	6	3	1	0.244	0.311	0.268	0.579
1902	140	30	4	1	0	8	14	4	2	0.214	0.257	0.257	0.514
1903	165	32	3	2	0	14	20	7	2	0.194	0.257	0.236	0.493
1904	355	94	10	4	0	24	39	26	4	0.265	0.311	0.315	0.627
1905	375	75	8	4	0	24	41	26	6	0.200	0.248	0.243	0.491
1906	519	115	14	3	0	39	53	35	6	0.222	0.276	0.260	0.536
1907	600	159	18	6	1	51	61	50	8	0.265	0.323	0.320	0.643
1908	529	101	13	2	0	33	50	19	5	0.191	0.238	0.223	0.461
1909	538	136	17	2	0	45	52	55	9	0.253	0.310	0.292	0.602
1910	460	85	11	2	0	35	50	19	5	0.185	0.242	0.217	0.460
1911	493	121	17	3	0	47	55	51	9	0.245	0.311	0.292	0.603
1912	521	125	12	4	0	51	57	29	10	0.240	0.308	0.278	0.586
1913	411	86	11	2	0	45	50	16	7	0.209	0.287	0.246	0.533
1914	324	60	7	3	1	34	49	14	3	0.185	0.263	0.235	0.497
1915	210	35	4	1	0	22	36	6	3	0.167	0.246	0.195	0.441

 

Pitching Projections