Nightengale: Cabrera gone but not forgotten

• Melky Cabrera led the major leagues with a .346 batting average
• Cabrera was suspended 50 games for using testosterone
• Cabrera, a free agent, will not be invited back to San Francisco next season

SAN FRANCISCO — His presence is felt everywhere here, but as hard as you look, Melky Cabrera is nowhere to be found.

Melky Cabrera, who led the major leagues with a .346 batting average, is one of the biggest reasons the San Francisco Giants are in the World Series.

FOLLOW LIVE:World Series Game 1 updates

Cabrera, who earned MVP honors at the All-Star Game, is even responsible for the Giants opening the World Series at AT&T Park on Wednesday, with the team awarded home-field advantage as a result of the National League's victory.

Now, in what should be one of the proudest moments of Cabrera's career, he has vanished.

Cabrera got busted for 50 games for using testosterone, a banned performance-enhancing drug, in August, and has not been seen around these parts since . Oh, he's issued a public apology. He even thanked the Giants and offered his support when they left him off the playoff roster.

Yet, not a single player has seen him since Aug. 15, the day his positive drug test went public.

"I feel really bad about that," said Giants infielder Joaquin Arias.

Many of the players are angry with Cabrera, wondering why he never even tried to privately visit them . Third baseman Pablo Sandoval refuses to talk about him. Close friends like reliever Javier Lopez and Hector Sanchez say they feel sorry for him. Giants general manager Brian Sabean declines to discuss his future.

"I don't want to get into that," Sabean says. "That's for another day."

It's like Cabrera never existed, so we sent a message Wednesday to his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, asking for their help.

Cabrera is not much more popular with the Levinsons. He may be the reason why the brothers get decertified, or at least suspended, if a Major League Baseball investigation proves that they played an active role in arranging business relationships with steroid suppliers. Kirk Radomski, the former New York Mets clubhouse attendant who was convicted of distributing steroids, told MLB investigators last month that the Levinsons directed their clients to him before his arrest in 2005.

When asked whether Cabrera would be watching the World Series, Seth Levinson told USA TODAY Sports in a text message: "Melky is not on the active roster. He has already wished his teammates, the organization and the fans the best of luck in the playoffs and wants nothing more than to see the Giants bring home another world championship to San Francisco."

HOW MUCH FOR PARKING?:Ridiculous World Series prices

Cabrera, a free agent, will not be invited back to San Francisco next season. He might have cost himself as much as $50 million on the free-agent market, with no team expected to offer him more than a one-year, $5 million deal, wondering how much of his success the last 11/2 years was chemically induced.

Yet, even though he hasn't played since Aug. 14, Cabrera still has a financial stake in this World Series. When the Giants had their team meeting in September to discuss playoff shares, they actually voted what percentage of a full share Cabrera should get.

Nobody on the team would publicly say how much Cabrera was granted, but one player hinted he will get a full share, saying the team cook got as much even though he works only home games.

It may not seem fair that a player who was suspended and put his team in a tough spot could get a paycheck in excess of $300,000. Then again, maybe the pain Cabrera endures of watching his teammates play in the World Series without him is actually the most severe punishment of all.

We can only hope.