Orlando Cabrera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orlando Cabrera |
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Cabrera with the Cleveland Indians in 2011
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| Shortstop | |||
| Born: November 2, 1974 Cartagena, Colombia |
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| debut | |||
| September 3, 1997, for the Montreal Expos | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 23, 2011, for the San Francisco Giants | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .272 | ||
| Hits | 2,055 | ||
| Home runs | 123 | ||
| Runs batted in | 854 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Orlando Luis Cabrera Ramírez, born on November 2, 1974, is a former professional baseball player from Colombia. People often called him "O-Cab" or "the OC." He played as an infielder, mostly at shortstop.
Orlando is famous for winning the 2004 World Series with the Boston Red Sox. He played for many different teams during his career, including the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, and San Francisco Giants. His older brother, Jolbert Cabrera, also played professional baseball.
Cabrera was a great fielder, winning the Gold Glove Award twice, in 2001 and 2007. He announced his retirement from baseball before the 2012 season.
Contents
- Orlando Cabrera's Baseball Journey
- Playing for the Montreal Expos (1997–2004)
- Winning with the Boston Red Sox (2004)
- Time with the Los Angeles Angels (2005–2007)
- Playing for the Chicago White Sox (2008)
- Joining the Oakland Athletics (2009)
- Moving to the Minnesota Twins (2009)
- With the Cincinnati Reds (2010)
- Time with the Cleveland Indians (2011)
- Final Season with the San Francisco Giants (2011)
- Retirement from Baseball
- Orlando Cabrera's Life Outside Baseball
- See also
Orlando Cabrera's Baseball Journey
Playing for the Montreal Expos (1997–2004)
Orlando Cabrera started his professional baseball journey when he signed with the Montreal Expos in 1993. He made his first appearance in a major league game on September 3, 1997. He played as a defensive replacement at shortstop.
On September 11, he got his first major league hit, a single, against the New York Mets. In 2003, Cabrera had a fantastic year. He was second among shortstops in batting average (.297) and runs batted in (80). He also hit 17 home runs, which was the most ever by an Expos shortstop at that time. He was one of only four Expos players to play in all 162 games in a season, and he did it twice!
After leaving the Expos in 2004, Cabrera played in the MLB playoffs six times. He reached the postseason with almost every team he finished a season with.
Winning with the Boston Red Sox (2004)
On July 31, 2004, Cabrera was traded to the Boston Red Sox. This trade was part of a big four-team deal. With the Red Sox, Cabrera batted .294, hit six home runs, and had 31 RBIs in 58 games. He brought a lot of stability to the shortstop position.
His arrival helped energize the team. The Red Sox played much better after the trade, winning the American League's wild card spot. He even hit a home run in his very first time at bat with the Red Sox on August 1. In the 2004 American League Division Series, he hit a double that cleared the bases, helping the Red Sox win. Boston then went on to win the 2004 World Series, their first championship since 1918!
Time with the Los Angeles Angels (2005–2007)
After his World Series win, Cabrera signed a four-year contract with the Anaheim Angels (who later became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) on December 20, 2004. He became their new shortstop. He also reunited with his former Expos teammate, Vladimir Guerrero.
In 2007, Cabrera was recognized for his excellent defense. He led all American League shortstops with a .983 fielding percentage. He made only 11 errors, which was the lowest in the league. This earned him the American League Gold Glove for shortstop. He was the first Angels shortstop to win this award since 1967. He also stole 20 bases for the third year in a row.
In 2006, Cabrera had an amazing 63-game streak where he reached base in every game. This was one of the longest streaks in baseball history! He also made a rare play on July 2, 2006, by stealing home plate without a throw.
Playing for the Chicago White Sox (2008)
On November 19, 2007, Cabrera was traded to the Chicago White Sox. His time with the White Sox in 2008 had some disagreements. He had some discussions with his manager, Ozzie Guillén, and sometimes left the clubhouse early.
Joining the Oakland Athletics (2009)
On March 6, 2009, Cabrera signed a one-year deal to play for the Oakland Athletics. In 101 games with the A's, he batted .280, hit four home runs, and had 41 RBIs.
Moving to the Minnesota Twins (2009)
On July 31, 2009, Cabrera was traded to the Minnesota Twins. He had a strong offensive year in 2009. He finished the season batting .284 with 186 hits and nine home runs. He also had 77 RBIs, which was the most among American League shortstops.
In a special tiebreaker game on October 6, 2009, Cabrera hit a crucial two-run home run in the seventh inning. This helped the Twins stay in the game, which they later won 6–5 in 12 innings, allowing them to advance to the playoffs.
With the Cincinnati Reds (2010)
On February 1, 2010, Cabrera signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He played as the Reds' shortstop for the season. He batted .263 with four home runs and 42 RBIs. He played in 123 games that year.
Time with the Cleveland Indians (2011)
On February 10, 2011, Cabrera signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians. Since Asdrúbal Cabrera was already playing shortstop, Orlando switched to playing second base. On June 12, 2011, Cabrera achieved a major milestone: he got his 2,000th career hit! This happened at Yankee Stadium.
Final Season with the San Francisco Giants (2011)
On July 30, 2011, Cabrera was traded to the San Francisco Giants. He chose to wear number 43 out of respect for former Giants player J. T. Snow.
Retirement from Baseball
On January 18, 2012, Orlando Cabrera announced his retirement from professional baseball on a radio show in his home country of Colombia.
Orlando Cabrera's Life Outside Baseball
Orlando Cabrera became a citizen of the United States on May 19, 2011. As of 2025, he lives in Windham, New Hampshire, with his wife, Katie Cabrera.
See also
In Spanish: Orlando Cabrera para niños
