Cabrera's three big league seasons:
IP ERA WHIP K BB HR
2004 BAL 147.2 4.78 1.59 76 89 14
2005 BAL 161.1 4.14 1.43 157 87 14
2006 BAL 148 4.52 1.58 157 104 11
Daniel Cabrera is just a big bag of fun, but sadly it's a garbage bag, and while garbage bags are very useful and can even be fantastic depending on what you use them for, it generally contains garbage nonetheless.
I'm not saying I don't love watching him pitch on those days when he is nigh untouchable, but I have grown to just completely hate watching him pitch when he's a bit more adventurous. There's no more, "Aw, he'll come around," left in me. He's 26 years old in May and he's been doing this in the major leagues for three years -- of course, that is part of the problem, since outside of his his K-rate, Cabrera has little else to bring to a big league rotation, and could definitely have used more work in his development phase, but I suppose it's just as well that he has been learning here. Besides, who the hell else would we have been using? Dave Borkowski?
Cabrera is still a work in progress, as evidenced by the fact that his control was off the charts horrible last season, the worst it's been in his career. He's still quite awkward on the mound, and highly prone to falling apart in spectacular fashion after the first thing goes wrong -- the first batter is walked, the first bloop single falls, the first slider doesn't slide and gets hit off the wall and some slow-footed catcher has a leadoff double. These things happen to every pitcher, but Cabrera takes them anything but in stride.
I hope for a big season and indeed a big career out of Daniel Cabrera, but the fact of the matter is that the problems have persisted and even gotten worse. He's a time bomb every time he takes the mound. If he could get his mechanics down, become a little more mature and focused, and get that slider working on a consistent basis, we'd be looking at one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball, because he's already one of the most overpowering.
I do love Cabrera, really. Maybe this is his year. Go get 'em, Leo!
The line to project: IP, ERA, WHIP, K, BB, HR