When I first heard of Miguel Cabrera’s recent DUI arrest and him actually taking a swig of alcohol in front of the police, I thought of one thing – a cafeteria cart.

I know, it’s a weird connection, but there was a rumor (now readily confirmed as a true story) about a run-in Miguel Cabrera had with a clubhouse food cart while he was a Florida Marlin.

Essentially, no one could find Cabrera before the game – literally minutes before they were to walk out on the field.  Someone eventually located him passed out drunk and sleeping on the bottom tier of a cafeteria cart with the tablecloth pulled down.

Somehow, they were able to get Cabrera awake and what did he do?  He went 3 for 4 with two doubles and 4 RBI.

When Cabrera had his much-publicized domestic incident where we found out (already knew) was fueled by alcohol, he seemed to turn a corner.  Perhaps a prominent shiner inflicted by his wife or the embarrassment of causing a major distraction to his team in a pennant chase was enough to cause a change and finally make him straighten up.  The 2010 season would be a telling case.  He went cold turkey; I couldn’t find a single record of him entering any rehab programs.

And what did he do? 

He batted .328 (second highest season average in his career - .339), hit 38 homeruns (the most in his career), and drove in 126 RBI (second highest season total in his career - 127).

Cabrera is a great hitter while drinking and even better when he went on the wagon.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to stick this time around, but his previous effort at sobriety is an encouraging sign.

Recommendation:  Draft Cabrera as normal.  He seems to have enough of a brain on his shoulders to realize that he has a problem and needs to dedicate himself to getting clean.  We always worry about a relapse because another incident may come along with a MLB suspension, but we’re crossing our fingers for a positive outcome.