Miguel Cabrera: Will He Recover Enough Mentally to Stay at Superstar Status?

To say Miguel Cabrera's reputation has taken a little bit of a hit would be an understatement.  Thanks to his well-publicized and well-documented alcohol binge ending in a DUI arrest, Cabrera went from icon to moron in a matter of weeks.

The criticisms are mostly deserved, a little piled on, but very distracting as cringe worthy details continue to emerge.

Unfortunately for Cabrera, modern media has turned the magnifying glass that was on pro athletes' personal lives into a full-blown NASA Hubble Telescope.

While personal transgressions of former MLB superstars like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle didn't play out until featured in books and movies years after their deaths, Cabrera is dealing with the public scrutiny in real time.

For several reasons, however, Miguel Cabrera will overcome this and will recover.  He'll again battle for the AL MVP.  Here are the reasons why.

He's Done It Before

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DETROIT - JULY 09: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers hits a sacrifice fly in the second inning scoring Ryan Raburn during the game against the Minnesota Twins on July 9, 2010 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers defeated the Twins 7-

In the final series of the 2009 season, when Cabrera was involved in another incident, he faced similar scrutiny.

In the play-in game vs. the Minnesota Twins, Cabrera hit a huge two-run bomb to dead center field to silence 50,000 "classy" Metrodome fans chanting "Al-co-hol-ic."  He performed under that scrutiny two days after the event while the incident was the talk of baseball.

He continued to thrive, flirting with the triple crown for much of the season in 2010, and finished second in the AL MVP race.

It's apparent that Cabrera is able to separate his on-the-field and off-the-field issues.

His Teammates

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 21: Magglio Ordonez #30 of the Detroit Tigers plays against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the interleague game at Dodger Stadium on May 21, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Miguel Cabrera struggles with English.  On a team that was composed of mostly North American players, he may be unable to rely on teammates for support due to communication issues.  Conversely, teammates might have a hard time keeping Cabrera in check.

This won't be a problem with the Tigers.  Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen and Victor Martinez all hail from Venezuela and maintain a close bond with each other.

It's safe to assume that Ordonez and Martinez both signed in Detroit this offseason due to this bond.

These guys know Cabrera and will be able to support him and keep an eye on him and most effectively communicate to him in a way that would most likely be effective to him.  Ordonez, in particular, has taken a big-brother, tough-love approach to Cabrera. 

All players (regardless of nationality) have shown immense support for Cabrera.  Any negative issues won't come from within the locker room.

Where He Plays

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DETROIT - APRIL 09: Fans enter the ballpark before the game between Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians on April 9, 2010 during Opening Day at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Cabrera doesn't play in New York or Boston or even LA, thank goodness for that.

The rest of the country doesn't care about Detroit and won't care about Cabrera after a while.  If he keeps himself clean, this incident will fade away just like America's love for American-made cars.

Additionally, the fans of Detroit are forgiving fans with modest expectations for their team.  He will get every opportunity to prove himself clean to the fans of Detroit.

How Alcohol Has Affected Baseball Talent

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NEW YORK - MAY 02: The plaque of Babe Ruth is seen in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium prior to game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox on May 2, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the White Sox 12-3. (Ph

Cabrera is an immense talent.  In his career, he has a .313 batting average, 1,400 hits, 247 home runs and 879 RBI.

If his first eight seasons are like the last eight seasons, he's a sure-fire Hall of Famer.  If he were marginally talented, I would be a little more concerned about alcohol ruining his career.

Like it or not, alcohol has played a role in the history of baseball.  While some players who were known alcohol and drug users (like Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden) had their careers derailed, several baseball legends with alcohol issues thrived with long careers.

Cobb, Ruth, Mantle, Williams, Boggs, Wells, etc.  All of these Hall of Fame players never had their talent effected by their alcohol issues.

While Cabrera has the disadvantage of playing in an age where his issues play out in the public eye, he also plays in a time where people are more knowledgeable about his problems, and it is isn't seen as just a part of who he is.

Hopefully, when his playing career is over, Cabrera be more well known for the talent he has in common with the players listed above.