Miguel Jesús Cairo [KI-row] (born May 4, 1974 in Anzoátegui State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball second baseman who plays for the New York Mets (since 2005). Previously, Cairo played with the Toronto Blue Jays (1996), Chicago Cubs (1997, 2001), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998-2000), St. Louis Cardinals (2001-03) and New York Yankees (2004). He bats and throws right-handed.
Cairo is a career .273 hitter with 25 home runs and 231 RBI in 829 games. He is a good fastball hitter who usually is aggressive at the first pitch. As a runner, he has an above-average speed and good instincts on the bases.
As a fielder, Cairo can adequately play both shortstop and third base, but his best position is second, where he has good range and turns the double play very well. He is a solid defensive outfielder as well, with an average arm and great reaction speed.
In 2004, Cairo won the second base job with the Yankees after starting the year in a platoon with Enrique Wilson. Cairo showed steady play and collected big moments with his bat. He seldom killed a rally in the regular season as well as the post-season. Cairo knew his role, became comfortable, and did not play outside of himself. He finished the season hitting .292 (19 points over his lifetime average) with six home runs and 42 RBI in 122 games, prompting the ultimate comment from his manager: "He knows how to play", Joe Torre said. However, the Yankees declined to offer him a contract for 2005 and signed Tony Womack as their new second baseman.
Cairo was signed by the Mets as a free agent before the 2005 season.
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