Ex-Tigers star Willie Horton knows about great hitting.
He was a great hitter himself, hitting 325 career home runs. And he's played with the greats like Al Kaline.
So when Horton, 72, talks about Miguel Cabrera's hitting, well, the man knows what he's talking about. He says he's the best Tiger in history. (This comes five days after Detroit sports radio commentator Jamie Samuelson of WXYT wrote in a Free Press guest column that said Cabrera outranks Ty Cobb and Al Kaline because "there's never been a better-rounded hitter in the game.")
"He's the best I've seen in my lifetime," Horton says, according to Terry Foster of The Detroit News. "And he's still a young man (32). And he's only getting started. Certainly he's going to be one of the best in baseball history."
Tigers great Willie Horton lets Miguel Cabrera know where he is sitting before most home games. Horton is usually somewhere down the third-base line.
If there is a sign of distress or confusion for Cabrera, he wants to make sure he can flash a signal or a glance at Horton. He wants to see how the old slugger responds. It's a sign of respect for the 72-year-old Horton, who blasted 325 home runs during his MLB career, mostly with the Tigers.
Horton roams the ballpark during games, and over his years as player, coach and consultant to General Manager Dave Dombrowski, he has seen a lot of great ones come and go. The list includes former teammates Al Kaline and Bill Freehan, 1984 World Series champions Jack Morris, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell. He has read up on Charlie Gehringer and Ty Cobb.
Horton says none of them can match Cabrera for pure hitting ability.
Horton doesn't hesitate when he calls Cabrera the best in Tigers history, even though he played with Kaline, who many of the old-timers still regard as the greatest Tiger.
"He does not play the game to break records," Horton tells Foster. "He plays the game because he enjoys it."
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Cabrera Vs. Cobb Vs. Kaline: Agree With Radio Host's Pick?, May 19
