Cabrera is starting to slightly heat up since participating the Home Run Derby. The Marlins hitting coach is of the opinion the contest didn't bother him.
But Presley said he doesn't think third baseman Miguel Cabrera's participation in the contest July 10 in Pittsburgh caused his slow start in the second half.
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Cabrera had a big day Monday in Philadelphia, hitting two doubles and a home run. The home run was his first since July 8.
Cabrera has 16 home runs, putting him on pace to hit 25 this season. He had 33 each of the past two seasons.
After last year's All-Star break, Cabrera had six homers in July compared with the single homer he had in July after participating in the home-run contest three weeks ago.
"I'm not a big fan of the Home Run Derby, but I'm glad that he did that because now everybody knows across the country who Miguel Cabrera is," Presley said.
Miguel's Post-All Star Numbers
| AB | H | HR | RBI | SO | AVG | OPS |
| 66 | 19 |
|
|
16 | .288 | .852 |
Those are not bad numbers if the person were a mere mortal but we are talking about Cabrera. He is showing a good trend of steady improvement and hopefully he will soon be hitting at his usual clip.
I still find it hard to believe that the Derby didn't have some effect and I mean past the: he didn't get but one day off. But you will get no argument from me that Jim Presley knows more about hitting than I ever will.
The other thing is, any baseball fan who was following the sport in 2003 already knew who he was. I'm not so sure the Derby was that important to showcase his talent as a hitter.