Lakeland, Fla. — Miguel Cabrera was asked what he remembered about driving to his first big-league camp back in 2003 when he was a 20-year-old prospect in the Florida Marlins system.
“I don’t remember anything, that was a long time ago,” he said, laughing. “The car. I drove a different car. Maybe a rent-a-car.”
He didn’t need to rent a car to get to the official start of his 21st and final spring training Monday. After 20 seasons, 3,088 hits, 607 doubles, 507 home runs, 1,847 RBIs, two MVP awards, one Triple Crown, four batting titles, 12 All-Star appearances and an invitation to Cooperstown post-dated five years from the end of the season — he has a driver.
“You’ve got to enjoy these moments,” Cabrera said. “I think we are blessed because we have these moments and I am grateful for them. I am going to enjoy all of this.”
That’s about as nostalgic as Cabrera was going to get on Monday. Yes, he’s announced that this will be his final season, which makes the start of spring training the first of a lot of lasts Cabrera will experience over the next eight months. But this isn’t the time to stop and smell every rose.
“It’s hard to think about retiring after the season,” he said. “I want to go out there and be me and have fun. If they give me a chance to play, I’m going to play. I don’t know what my role is going to be this year. I am open to do anything. Hopefully I can hit and be in the lineup.”
What he doesn’t want, what he dreads, is for the season to morph into a farewell tour around the league.
“It’s nice if they do something, but they don’t have to do anything,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy, I don’t want to be in the middle every day. I don’t want that attention. I don’t want any distraction for our team. I look forward to going out and beating those teams. I’m not looking for them to do something for me.
“They already gave me a lot of hits (laughing). That’s enough for me.”
There’s no way he’s going to be able to dodge and deflect the attention, and he knows it. He couldn’t escape it in the first full-team meeting Monday morning.
“I brought him up at the meeting,” manager AJ Hinch said. “So that tells you I didn’t listen to his desires (laughing). We’re going to cherish our time with Miggy. We’re also going to let him be a player and be a contributor and we’re going to let him just be himself.
“He doesn’t want a ton of attention, but he’s going to get it anyway from the fans, from the organization, from his teammates. This is his 21st year. His contributions to the Tigers and to the game need to be celebrated. But we also need to let him be himself on the field and let him play and not just reminisce about the last 21 years.”
How much he plays, how big his role is, that will all be determined by his health and his productivity. Hinch said he and Cabrera will sit down at the end of the week to map out a schedule for spring training and beyond.
“He wants to play and he’s earned the right,” Hinch said. “He’s going to be a contributor. We have an idea of what our plan is, but he is going to be a big part of this team. He’s a central force in the clubhouse. He’s very influential in how he prepares.
“That doesn’t change despite the unknowns about how many plate appearances he’s going to get, what days he’s going to play and not play. He’s too competitive to just show up and be celebrated.”
The major milestones have been reached. He’s going to retire as one of just three players to achieve a .300 career batting average with at least 500 homers and 3,000 hits. He will join Hank Aaron and Willie Mays in that elite group.
Would he like to end his career the way his friend Albert Pujols did last year — with a bounce-back productive season and a playoff berth — of course. But it’s not nor ever has been about individual achievement for Cabrera.
“I only try to focus on winning games,” he said. “I don’t think about numbers. I think about winning percentage. I want to do the same thing. If they give me a chance to play, I’m going to play hard and do my best. I hope I can go out and do what I can do.
“We’ll see how it goes in spring training. It’s the manager’s decision. If I can hit, then there is a good chance I can be in the lineup.”
It will come down, ultimately, to his health. He has dealt with chronic pain in both knees, especially his right knee, for the last two years. Typically, he starts strong and healthy but by the end of June, the pain starts to impact his ability to play.
“I was really worried last year,” he said. “Right now I feel comfortable but I don’t know what’s going to happen this year. I need to do my work and keep getting stronger. Hopefully I can go out and play more.”
Cabrera was asked what he saw when he looked around the clubhouse this spring.
“Kids,” he said, laughing.
From prospects like Justyn-Henry Malloy and Colt Keith, to newly-acquired players like Nick Maton and Matt Vierling, Cabrera holds a certain reverence. Kerry Carpenter broke in with the Tigers last season and yet he was still in awe when Cabrera greeted him with a bear hug on his first day in camp.
“We should treasure all these moments with Miggy,” Tigers president of baseball Scott Harris said. “I really hope our young hitters treasure these moments with Miggy. Most of these guys will never play with another sure-fire Hall-of-Famer, another Rushmore -type of player in an organization. I hope they are constantly picking his brain because he has a lot of wisdom he can share.
“For the Colt Keiths of the world, the Justin-Henry Malloys, Parker Meadows — I hope they attach themselves to his hip all spring and soak up all that wisdom.”
The first order of business for Cabrera this spring will be making his final stand with Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He will have competed in all four of them.
“I look forward to winning,” he said. “We’re going to try to beat the Dominican, Puerto Rico, Israel and Nicaragua in the first round. That’s our goal. Win all four games and then we will see what happens.”
After that, though, he wants it to be business as usual.
“I look forward to enjoying the season,” he said. “Just trying to help the young guys through the season and help our team win more games. That’s my focus. I don’t want to be a distraction. I don’t want any video cameras following me around. I don’t want that attention. I just want to do my job.”
Asked if he’s given any thought to what he might do after he hangs up his spikes, Cabrera grabbed the microphone out of WXYZ-TV’s Brad Galli’s hand.
“Maybe I will do some interviews,” he said, breaking into a deeper voice. “’Hey, hi, Miguel Cabrera, ABC, how are you doing today?’”
We’re going to miss him.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky