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. He was known by his nicknames "O-Cab" and "the OC." Orlando played as an infielder, mostly at shortstop, in Major League Baseball (MLB).
He is famous for winning the 2004 World Series championship with the Boston Red Sox. During his career, he played for many teams. These included the Montreal Expos, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, and San Francisco Giants. Orlando's older brother, Jolbert Cabrera, also played in the major leagues.
Orlando Cabrera was recognized for his excellent defense. He won the Gold Glove Award twice, in 2001 and 2007. He officially retired from baseball before the 2012 season began.
Contents
- Orlando Cabrera's Baseball Journey
- Playing for the Montreal Expos (1997–2004)
- Winning with the Boston Red Sox (2004)
- Playing for the Los Angeles Angels (2005–2007)
- Time with the Chicago White Sox (2008)
- Playing for the Oakland Athletics (2009)
- Joining the Minnesota Twins (2009)
- Playing for the Cincinnati Reds (2010)
- With the Cleveland Indians (2011)
- Final Season with the San Francisco Giants (2011)
- Retirement from Baseball
- Orlando Cabrera's Personal Life
- Images for kids
- See also
Orlando Cabrera's Baseball Journey
Playing for the Montreal Expos (1997–2004)
Orlando Cabrera joined the Montreal Expos in 1993. He was a free agent, meaning no team drafted him. His first big league game was on September 3, 1997. He played against the Boston Red Sox.
Cabrera got his first major league hit on September 11. It was a single off New York Mets pitcher Rick Reed. In 1999, he was the last batter in David Cone's perfect game.
In 2002, Cabrera made 29 errors, which was the most in MLB. But he improved a lot. In 2003, he was one of the best shortstops in the league. He had a .297 batting average. He also had 80 runs batted in and 17 home runs. His 17 home runs were the most ever by an Expos shortstop. He also played all 162 games that season.
After leaving the Expos in 2004, Cabrera played in the MLB playoffs six times. He reached the postseason with almost every team he joined later in the season.
Winning with the Boston Red Sox (2004)
On July 31, 2004, the Expos traded Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox. This trade was part of a big four-team deal. With the Red Sox, Cabrera batted .294. He hit six home runs and had 31 RBIs in 58 games.
Cabrera helped make the Red Sox's infield defense much stronger. Pitcher Curt Schilling said Cabrera was a "game-changer" in the field. The Red Sox played much better after he joined. They won the American League's wild card spot.
Cabrera hit a home run in his very first at-bat with the Red Sox. This happened on August 1. In the 2004 ALDS, he hit a double that cleared the bases. This helped the Red Sox sweep the Anaheim Angels. Boston then went on to win the 2004 World Series. They swept the St. Louis Cardinals in four games. It was their first World Series title since 1918.
Playing for the Los Angeles Angels (2005–2007)
After winning the World Series, Cabrera signed a four-year contract. He joined the Anaheim Angels on December 20, 2004. The team later changed its name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He became their new shortstop.
In 2007, Cabrera was excellent defensively. He led all AL shortstops with a .983 fielding percentage. He made only 11 errors. This earned him the American League Gold Glove. It was the first time an Angels shortstop won 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 safely. This was one of the longest streaks in baseball history. He also stole home plate on July 2, 2006. This was a rare play where he ran from third base to home without the pitcher throwing the ball.
Time with the Chicago White Sox (2008)
On November 19, 2007, Cabrera was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He played one season with them. During this time, he had some disagreements with his manager, Ozzie Guillén.
Playing for the Oakland Athletics (2009)
Cabrera signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Athletics on March 6, 2009. He played in the middle infield for them. In 101 games, he batted .280. He also hit four home runs and had 41 RBIs.
Joining the Minnesota Twins (2009)
On July 31, 2009, Cabrera was traded to the Minnesota Twins. He had a strong offensive year in 2009. He batted .284 with 186 hits. He also hit nine home runs and had 77 RBIs.
In a special tiebreaker game on October 6, 2009, Cabrera hit a key two-run home run. This helped the Twins win the game 6–5 in 12 innings. They then advanced to the playoffs.
Playing for the Cincinnati Reds (2010)
Cabrera signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds on February 1, 2010. He played shortstop for the Reds. He batted .263 with four home runs and 42 RBIs.
He played in 123 games that season. He missed some time due to a muscle injury. While he was injured, he even spent one game dressed as a batboy. He helped bring balls to the umpire and collected bats.
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 got his 2,000th career hit. This happened at Yankee Stadium.
Final Season with the San Francisco Giants (2011)
Cabrera was traded to the San Francisco Giants on July 30, 2011. This was his last team in MLB. He chose to wear number 43 out of respect for former Giants player J. T. Snow.
Retirement from Baseball
Orlando Cabrera announced his retirement on January 18, 2012. He shared the news on a radio show in his home country of Colombia. His brother, Jolbert, later said that Orlando might have played for the Colombia national baseball team if they had reached the final round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Orlando Cabrera's Personal Life
Orlando Cabrera became a U.S. citizen on May 19, 2011. This happened in South Carolina. As of 2014, he lives in Windham, New Hampshire, with his wife, Katie Cabrera.
Images for kids
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Cabrera with the Chicago White Sox in 2008.
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Cabrera with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Orlando Cabrera para niños
