New Arrival: Melky Cabrera, of, Cleveland Indians

I love the 2001 Topps Heritage 1952-style certified autographs. When I saw that Cabrera had one I jumped on it.

I am not really thrilled that the Indians are in a position to need to keep Melky Cabrera on the 25-man roster. And he was pretty terrible during his initial call-up with the big league club earlier in the season. But its worth noting that since he rejoined the team he is hitting .299/.349/.442 with 3 HR–good for an OPS+ of 114. It’s not amazing, but better than league average production is pretty exciting for the 2018 Indians outfield.

That Cabrera is hitting well should not be a terrible surprise. He is a career .285/.335/.417 hitter and in both 2016 and 2017 he was league average or better. In fact, in 2017 he hit 17 HR–the second highest total in his career.

Of course, this is all offensive production. On the defensive side of things…he is rough. Not good at all.

Not sure what his long-term prospects are on the team. But I think he has a place, at the very least as a fourth outfield type. But I would totally not mind the Indians upgrading at some point over the next week or two.