April 04--White lines of tape stuck to the floor around White Sox left fielder Melky Cabrera's locker during spring training at Camelback Ranch, courtesy of his neighboring teammates.
"(Jose) Abreu and (Emilio) Bonifacio always said I take the three lockers, so they put the lines down to limit the area," Cabrera explained through a team interpreter.
From the laughing and joking coming from the trio of lockers in a lighthearted spring atmosphere, it seems Cabrera has found an easy fit in his sixth major-league clubhouse. Much more businesslike on the field, the career .286 hitter and his new team also think he is going to fit well in the Sox lineup when they open the season Monday against the Royals.
"I think there is a way you have to build a chemistry and a relationship with a team, and for me it's been easy here to adapt with the guys," Cabrera said.
Cabrera has had practice adjusting to new clubhouses during his 10-year major-league career, but with his last two teams there was the question of whether the PED-user label would follow him. He was suspended 50 games for testing positive for testosterone in 2012 while with the Giants, but Sox general manager Rick Hahn effectively put the issue in the past at Cabrera's introductory news conference.
Cabrera said he doesn't know what his teammates think of the suspension. He just knows he has left it behind.
"I don't try to put my mind on that topic," Cabrera said. "I know that I made a mistake, and it was in the past. Right now, I'm just trying to do my job ... to help the team to win games. That's it, just try to be the best player I can be."
Cabrera was the priciest per-year acquisition the Sox made in the offseason, signing a three-year, $42 million contract. The Sox were willing to shell it out with an eye on another season like 2014, when Cabrera hit .301 with 35 doubles, 16 home runs, 73 RBIs and a .351 on-base percentage.
Cabrera didn't put a number on his personal expectations, but when he pledged his allegiance to the Sox following some of their other offseason moves, he made his team expectations clear. He thinks the Sox can be a playoff team, something he has already discussed with teammates.
"If I'm healthy, I know I can help the team to win games, and that is the most important," Cabrera said. "I think we have a good chance to make the playoffs. That is our goal. And I'm very confident about it."
Cabrera hit .305 with two doubles, a homer, nine runs scored and six RBIs over 20 games this spring and did enough to earn the praise of center fielder Adam Eaton, whom he is likely to hit behind in the No. 2 spot.
"You can't say enough about him at the plate," Eaton said. "He handles the bat extremely well. It seems like every time I was on base or around him, he was hitting the ball on the nose, so we're excited to have him."
Eaton said he also thinks Cabrera will clean up some "bumps in the road" defensively from this spring. Cabrera dropped a few fly balls in the sun, contributing to three errors, but he promised he would be up to par in left field, a problem area during the Sox's Dayan Viciedo/Alejandro De Aza era.
Sox manager Robin Ventura said he is happy to have the big arm of Cabrera, who along with Eaton and Avisail Garcia should help to deter baserunners. Cabrera had 13 assists and two errors last season.
"You want to be able to shut down the first to third," Ventura said. "When you have arms like that it just keeps people from taking that extra base."
Cabrera said he feels like he's in a "good spot right now" heading into the season. His confidence in the Sox and their chemistry helps.
"We have the elements to compete this year," he said.
ckane@tribpub.com
