Ever since Robinson Cano came into the fray as the everyday second baseman for the New York Yankees, the comparisons to Rod Carew and the like were coming from every direction. As I watched this kid for the first time in 2005, I thought in no way would he live up the the expectations set forth.
Boy was I dead wrong.
Cano has not only held his own with the bat, but his fielding is nothing short of spectacular. He supports a lifetime .984 fielding percentage and has a stellar arm for a second baseman. His ability to turn the double play is something to watch. The time it takes for him to field a ground ball and release to second is one of the shortest and best in the league. His range in both directions also are a huge benefit to his defensive game.
But where Cano is most notably excelling is at the plate. Batting behind Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, he has had his fair share of RBI opportunities, and he has taken advantage. He currently is second on the team to Arod with 53 RBI's this season. But Cano leads the team with a .359 batting average among the everyday players, a testament to his ability to take the ball the other way as he demonstrated in extra innings yesterday. Cano in the 10th inning against the Dodgers struck a line drive that landed 5 rows deep in left center to give the Yankees the lead which Mariano Rivera closed out. Time and time again, Cano has shown the ability to spray the ball hard all over the field. His hitting chart amply displays how evenly dispersed all of his hits are. Cano also has the advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium in right field, which he has taken advantage of since he came here. It would be a mistake though for Cano to turn into a pull hitter and to get too caught up in the short porch in right.
Kevin Long is to be given en enormous amount of credit with what he does, especially with guys like Cano and Arod. I always see him continuously talking with players before and after at bats not only going over scouting reports, but working on techniques and simple tendencies hitters sometimes fall into. The only knock you can possibly have on Cano is his batting in the postseason. He is still young, and playing on a team like the Yankees, he will continue to have plenty of opportunities to show why he is one of the best second baseman in the league, as demonstrated by the All-Star voting. Cano is a sure thing to be the starting second baseman for the American League in Los Angeles for the 2010 All-Star game. If he continues his hot bat in the second half of the season, you could be looking at the 2010 American League MVP.
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