Asdrúbal Cabrera

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**Asdrúbal Cabrera**
Cabrera in the minor leagues playing for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Cleveland Indians — No. 13
Second baseman
Born: November 13, 1985 (1985-11-13) (age 22) Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
August 8, 2007 for the Cleveland Indians
Selected MLB statistics (through May 17, 2008)
Batting average	.247
Home runs	4
Runs batted in	35
Teams
Cleveland Indians (2007–present)

Asdrúbal José Cabrera (born November 13, 1985 in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) is a switch hitting infielder for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. After coming up through the Seattle Mariners organization, he was acquired by the Indians on June 30, 2006, in exchange for Eduardo Perez. Cabrera spent the remainder of the 2006 season at Cleveland's AAA minor league team the Buffalo Bisons.

Cabrera was a non-roster invitee to the Indians 2007 spring training, but was reassigned to their minor league camp March 16. He started 2007 at double-A with the Akron Aeros and was named to the Eastern League mid-season All-Star team. He was promoted to the Indians' triple-A affiliate, Buffalo Bisons July 30 and then to Cleveland August 7. Cabrera made his major league debut the following night against the White Sox, starting at second base. He was hitless in three at bats and scored a run after he was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning. Four days later, Cabrera picked up his first Major League hit, a double, against Mike Mussina of the New York Yankees. Cabrera's first home run came August 18, 2007 off Jason Hammel of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in a 8-1 victory for the Indians. Cabrera eventually assumed Cleveland's everday second baseman job despite being a natural shortstop, taking over for an ineffective Josh Barfield.

In 2007, Cabrera helped power the Indians to a tie for the best record in baseball (96-66 with the Boston Red Sox) with his late inning heroics. Cabrera batted .375 (21 for 56) in the 7th inning or later.^[1] For good luck, Cabrera wears a white beaded necklace which was made for him by his wife.^[2] In the 2007 postseason, he became the first baseball player named Asdrubal to ever compete in the American League Championship Series.^[3]

At Progressive Field on May 12, 2008, Cabrera made the 14th unassisted triple play in MLB history against the Toronto Blue Jays in the second game of a doubleheader. In the fifth inning, with Toronto's Marco Scutaro on first base and Kevin Mench on second, Cabrera dove and caught a Lyle Overbay liner, stepped on second base before leading runner Mench could return, and then tagged Scutaro who had already passed second base. ^[4] Ron Hansen, who had turned an unassisted triple play in 1968, was in attendance to witness Cabrera's feat.^[5]

On June 9, 2008, Cabrera was optioned to Triple A Buffalo after hitting a team low .184 with 14 RBI in 52 games. Josh Barfield was called up to take his place.