Rakeville Times: The Hero of Rake City

Rakeville's Miguel Cabrera watches one of his nine playoff homeruns sail over the wall at Reed Field during the EHCC Championship game against Rio.

By Aviator McShadeless,

Rakeville Times

During a layover in Washington D.C., Jack Reed nearly had a heart attack.  On the cover of EhSPN Magazine was his prized prospect, a young outfielder that the Rakeville general manger was scouting heavily.  Reed panicked.  He had planned to take the young stud late in the upcoming major league draft.  Never before had a rookie been taken high in the draft, so Reed wasn’t too worry until he saw the magazine.  This guy was the real deal, and the sudden publicity could make some owners aware of this stellar talent.  It was 2004. The prospect… Miguel Cabrera.

By today’s standards, it would be laughable if a player the caliber of Cabera fell to the second round of the major league draft.  But Reed was ahead of the curve while Miggy was bashing them.  In his first full season as a Rocket, the right fielder hit .294 with 33 homeruns, and 112 RBIs.  That was only the tip of the iceberg.  In the next eight years, Cabrera put up 100+ RBI seasons and 30+ homerun seasons in all but one.  And if all that didn’t lock in his spot on the Mount Rushmore of Rakeville stars, his performance this year certainly did.

Cabrera led the league in Homeruns (44), RBIs (139) and batting average (.331), making him the first ever EHCC Triple Crown winner.  He played in all but two games for the Rockets, powering them to the second best head-to-head record in the league and a playoff run that led to the franchise’s first championship.

“When we’ve needed a spark, Miguel has always been there for us,” said Head Coach Justin Fuller.  “For years we’ve been trying to build around his impressive skill set, and we got close this year.  I guess Miggy was tired of waiting and just decided to win the title himself.”

In the EHCC playoffs, Cabrera shined.  During the Rockets opening series against Tokyo, the first baseman put up a 7 run/3 homerun/7 RBI/.407 avg. line and easily won the offensive player of the series honors.  Against Las Vegas, the Eastern Division champs, Cabrera reached legendary status.  Miguel clobbered the competition posting a line of 9 run/4 homerun/10 RBI/.346 avg.  The power continued in the championship game.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling," Cabrera said. "I’m excited to see this, enjoy this, be a part of something big, and winning, I feel better."

And the people of Rakeville share his sentiments.  A legendary player, and a legendary season.