Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Friday morning that he has selected Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera (pictured) to play in the upcoming MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Cabrera will join St. Louis Cardinals great Albert Pujols as the Commissioner's "legacy" picks to the Mid-Summer Classic.

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Miggy, arguably, could've made the American League All-Star team without today's announcement.  He is hitting .308 in 70 games played this season as the Tigers main designated hitter.  But with Cabrera crossing the 500 home run plateau late last season, and him crossing the 3,000 hits and 600 doubles plateaus early this season, Manfred wanted to reward Cabrera for that.

It will be Cabrera's 12th All-Star appearance, and his first one since 2016.

Manfred commented on the Cabrera and Pujols announcement earlier on Friday:

“I am delighted that Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have agreed to participate in the All-Star Game.  Albert and Miguel are two of the most accomplished players of their generation. They have also represented the baseball traditions of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela with excellence for the last two decades. Albert and Miguel are two all-time greats whose achievements warrant this special recognition.”

Pujols announced this spring that he will retire after the 2022 season.  He signed with the Cardinals, the team where he had his greatest success from 2001-11, this past off-season after spending the majority of the previous ten seasons with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Pujols is one of a handful of players in MLB history with 600 career home runs, 3,000 career hits, and 2,000 career RBI.

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