Phillies: Asdrubal Cabrera Finally Breaks Out of Slump With New Team

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The Philadelphia Phillies traded for Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera at the trade deadline and finally, he put up a solid game for his new team.

When Asdrubal Cabrera signed with the New York Mets in December of 2015, they didn’t expect a whole lot. He was coming off three crummy seasons — .249 BA between 2013-15 — with three different teams, leaving most to believe his best years were behind him. Over his next two-plus seasons with the Mets, however, he was, unquestionably, New York’s best and most consistent offensive player.

Asdrubal Cabrera Mets Career (2016-18) 

  • 2016: 141 GP, .280 BA, 23 HR
  • 2017: 135 GP, .280 BA, 14 HR
  • 2018: 98 GP, .277, 18 HR

So when the 2018 Mets’ season completely fell apart, Cabrera was one of the guys they needed to get something for at the trade deadline. Philadelphia, on their run towards a return to the NL Postseason, jumped in on the idea and sent Franklyn Kilome to the Mets in a one-for-one trade. Kilome was the 68th-best prospect prior to the 2018 season, per Baseball Prospectus.

Unfortunately, the Cabrera that Philadelphia received looked more like the 2013-15 guy over his first six games. The Phillies’ new shortstop got off to a wretched 3-for-23 start, prompting manager Gabe Kapler to start rookie Scott Kingery over Cabrera on August 3rd against Miami.

Message sent.

On August 4th, a day after riding the pine, Cabrera finally showed off the stick that made him enviable as a New York Met. Batting in the No.5 hole, Cabrera went 2-for-4 in the Phillies’ 8-3 victory, complete with his first home run in red-and-white pinstripes.

Cabrera also showed off some leather with a highlight play at shortstop.

Hopefully, this gets Asdrubal going the rest of the way. The Phillies are a fun team to watch and they’ll definitely need him down the stretch in order to made the postseason.

The Phillies currently hold a 1.5-game lead over Atlanta for first place in the NL East.

 

CATEGORY: MLB