The Yearly Tradition of Miguel Cabrera Weight Loss

According to Alex Avila on ESPN's Baseball Tonight, Migual Cabrera has lost 20-25 pounds this off season. The chances of this being true, despite Avila's positive spin, are slim. (Excuse the pun.) Allow me to remind us that a yearly announcement of weight loss on Miguel Cabrera has been a regular tradition in the life of the best hitter in baseball. 

This one is from 2007 from the LA Times.

"Concerns about Miguel Cabrera's work ethic and weight have raised questions about whether the Angels should send four top young players, including second baseman Howie Kendrick and catcher Jeff Mathis, to Florida in a deal for the third baseman.
But Cabrera, one of the hottest commodities on the trading floor of baseball's winter meetings, is making a significant effort to address those issues, having recently begun a rigorous winter workout and nutritional program in Davie, Fla. "He looks good," said Angels catcher Mike Napoli, who has been training with Cabrera for the last three weeks. "He's starting to slim down, and he's getting real strong.""

Here is a reminder from a USA today article in 2008, when Cabrera joined the team.

The highlight under the subtitle "New training regimen"

"Cabrera will not talk about his weight loss. The Tigers list him at 240, about 20-25 pounds lighter than he was with the Marlins last season. But right after the season ended, Cabrera hired a personal trainer who helped him develop workouts and eating habits that made his body stronger. He worked out four hours a day, five days a week, and lost 10 pounds by the time the Tigers acquired him at the winter meetings in early December."

And then look at this one from Mlive from 2010. It is less about losing weight, and more about intending to lose weight in 2010. (We know this didn't happen as Miguel has weighed as high as 300 lbs according to other local bloggers.)

"One of the Tigers who showed up to Lakeland, Fla. looking good is Miguel Cabrera. And, according to FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi, Cabrera intends to look even better by Opening Day in Kansas City. Detroit's first baseman would like to drop 10 more pounds by then."

All this to say that just because another season of a Miguel Cabrera weight loss is right around the corner, don't buy into the hype. The news hits harder this year because of his transition to 3B. We'll see how he really looks standing at the hot corner on April 5 in Comerica against the Red Sox. And let's remember, that even at 300 pounds, the man can still hit, so don't be too disappointed if Avila's words are a bit exaggerated.