DETROIT (AP) Miguel Cabrera can now say it with a good deal of certainty

DETROIT (AP) Miguel Cabrera can now say it with a good deal of certainty: Baseball is harder than it looks on TV.”It’s so easy when you watch the game on TV. It’s so slow Ken Boyer Jersey ,” the Detroit slugger said. ”The game is so simple on TV.”It’s not nearly as simple on the field, of course, and right now all Cabrera can do is watch. The Tigers lost their star first baseman in the middle of June to a ruptured biceps tendon, and he’s out for the season. Detroit was in a rebuilding mode anyway, but losing one of the team’s top hitters was a significant blow.Cabrera was back at Comerica Park on Monday night to host an event supporting children’s health and youth baseball programs. He seemed to be feeling good, but he has a long way to go before playing again.”Right now it’s a little slow,” Cabrera said. ”Hopefully in a couple weeks I starting do more stuff, to be healthy again.”Cabrera said he goes back and forth between Michigan and Florida, and he thinks he’s making good progress toward being ready for spring training next year. The two-time American League MVP is 35 now http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-mike-shannon-jersey , and this was supposed to be a crucial year for the veteran to show if he could still be one of the game’s most feared hitters after a poor showing in 2017.Instead, Cabrera has played only 38 games after never playing fewer than 119 in his previous decade with the Tigers.”Really hard, watch the games on TV. It’s really hard don’t be on the field with my teammates. It doesn’t matter if we win or lose. I want to be part of this process,” Cabrera said. ”Right now, I’m focused to be back next year and healthy.”Cabrera’s big contract extends through at least 2023, which means Detroit may have a hard time trading him as part of its rebuild. In 2016, he hit .316 with 38 home runs and 108 RBIs – his eighth straight year finishing in the AL’s top seven in batting average.Then last season, he hit .249 with only 16 homers and an unsightly .399 slugging percentage.There were some decent signs early this year. Cabrera hit .299 with a .395 on-base percentage. But he had only three home runs. He was hitting .323 when he went on the disabled list in early May with a hamstring strain . He came back June 1, but his bat was quiet from then until his season-ending injury June 12.Cabrera’s absence has left a big hole in the lineup Whitey Herzog Jersey , and Detroit has backup catcher John Hicks playing first base quite a bit in his place.Only six players have reached both 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, and with 465 homers and 2,676 hits, Cabrera still has a good chance to join that group if he can come back and play several more seasons. His pursuit of those milestones is on hold now, though. And Detroit fans can only wonder how effective he’ll be going forward.Cabrera was cheerful Monday night and quick with a laugh, but it’s clear that being out of action is tough for him.”I can’t describe what I’m feeling right now,” Cabrera said. ”I need to stay focused, mentally stay focusing on trying to be back healthy next year.”— NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award along with two New York Yankees infielders.The Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed the finalists for its major awards Monday night. The winners will be announced next week.Ohtani figures to be in a tight race with Yankees infielders Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres after a historic first season with the Los Angeles Angels. The two-way Japanese sensation was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA as a starting pitcher before an elbow injury forced him off the mound. He finished out the season exclusively as a designated hitter http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-vince-coleman-jersey , hitting .285 with 22 home runs and 61 RBIs.Ohtani is the first player ever to hit 15 home runs and strike out 50 batters in a season, and he joined Babe Ruth as the only players ever to hit 15 homers and pitch 50 innings. He had Tommy John surgery after the season and is not expected to pitch in 2019.Andujar hit 47 doubles, tied for the second-most by a rookie in major league history, while Torres had 24 homers and 77 RBIs as a 21-year-old. They are the first teammates to finish top three in Rookie of the Year voting since Wil Myers and Chris Archer with Tampa Bay in 2013.The World Series champion Boston Red Sox might be in line for more hardware. Mookie Betts is a finalist for AL MVP, and Alex Cora is in the final three for AL Manager of the Year in his first season. Betts led the majors with a .346 average and .640 slugging percentage while setting career highs with 32 homers and a 1.078 OPS.Los Angeles’ Mike Trout and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez are also finalists for AL MVP. Trout has finished in the top two in AL MVP voting in five of the past six seasons after finishing fourth in 2017. Ramirez was third in the voting last year, when Houston’s Jose Altuve beat out Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich is the favorite for NL MVP, and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado and Chicago’s Javier Baez also were revealed as top vote-getters. Yelich emerged from a crowded field by hitting .370 with 10 homers and a 1.313 OPS in September while the Brewers topped the Cubs for the NL Central title.The Mets’ Jacob deGrom, Washington’s Max Scherzer and Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola are the top three for the NL Cy Young Award, with deGrom favored to win for the first time despite a 10-9 record. Felix Hernandez had 13 victories when he won the 2010 AL Cy Young Orlando Cepeda Jersey , the fewest wins ever by a starting pitcher to win the award. Scherzer is a three-time winner, including the past two NL awards.Corey Kluber has a shot at a second straight AL Cy Young Award and third overall. The Cleveland right-hander is up against Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell and Houston’s Justin Verlander, who won the AL Cy Young and MVP Awards in 2011.Cora is up against Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash and Oakland’s Bob Melvin. Cash oversaw the Rays‘ successful experiment with using relief pitchers as “openers” to begin games, a trend that others — including Melvin — adopted later in the season. Melvin led Oakland as it charged back into the AL playoff picture and earned a spot in the wild-card game.Milwaukee’s Craig Counsell, Colorado’s Bud Black and Atlanta’s Brian Snitker were named NL Manager of the Year candidates, while Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr., Washington’s Juan Soto and Los Angeles’ Walker Buehler are the top three for NL Rookie of the Year.