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Bench Warmer
Cano needs to learn to be patient and draw walks « Zell’s Pinstripe Blog
I am a huge fan of Robbie Cano. I wouldn’t trade him…actually wouldn’t even consider trading him. This is a guy who came up through the Yankees farm system and shined as soon as he hit the big leagues. He is a batting title contender, and was sometimes compared to Rod Carew. People get all mad and throw a fit when they here that, but nobody is saying he is on his level yet or even near it. They are just saying he is similar to him..in that they both took the ball to the opposite field and hit for high averages. Cano is definitely a talented player, but we need to see more in ‘09 than we saw last year. If Cano didn’t have such high expectations..on any other team he would be considered a really good player. Unfortunately, he is under the biggest magnifying glass in sports, and when you don’t perform..you will be ripped apart by the media and fans. I am expecting big things out of Cano next year, and if the real Robbie doesn’t show up, than we could see some problems ahead. I’m not worried though, as I think he will bounce back with a very big season. Also..why would you trade Cano at such low value. Makes no sense at all.
My ‘09 Robbie Cano Projection: .315AVG 20HR 97RBI
Call me crazy, but I really believe he can do it.
Joe Torre took some heat for even comparing the two hitters. Carew won seven batting titles while Cano was rated only a B-level prospect by some scouts. Well, the criticism of Torre is off base here. Torre said that Cano “reminded” him of Carew, in terms of his physical appearance and his swing, and not that he necessarily expected Cano to become as a great a player as Carew. There’s quite a difference between Torre saying that Cano “reminds” him of Carew as opposed to saying that he expected Cano to “become the next Carew.”
Cano has a very smooth swing at the plate, which is probably what influenced Torre to make the Carew remark.
Yankee batting coach Don Mattingly also made a comparison involving Cano during spring training, but that analogy didn’t create as much of a firestorm as Torre’s comments. Mattingly said that Cano’s swing and style at the plate reminded him of Ruben Sierra during the latter’s younger days. In terms of statistical output, that’s probably a better gauge of what Cano may be able to do; he’s not likely to win the seven batting championships that Carew garnered with the Twins and Angels, but might be capable of putting up offensive numbers similar to those of Sierra. While Cano doesn’t have the hitting ability or footspeed that Carew had in his prime, he does have one advantage over the Hall of Famer. Cano is a very good defensive second baseman—he’s twice been named the best defender in his league during his minor league days—and likely won’t have to switch positions as Carew was asked to do in the midst of his career with the Minnesota Twins. In 1976, the Twins moved Carew, a subpar defensive second baseman, to the less demanding position of first base.
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Tom Boorstein’s Bronx Cheer: Hoping for more from Cano
Robinson Cano is the Yankees’ second baseman. After 2007, the Yankees made their move by giving him a handsome contract to buy out his arbitration-eligible years. How did Cano repay their generosity? By putting up a .271/.305/.410 line with bouts of horrendous defense in the field.
Here’s what could be bad news for the Yankees: There just isn’t much they can do about it. As poorly as Cano played in 2008, where is the upgrade to be had? The Yankees’ best hope is that the streaky player puts up lines more reminiscent of his 2007 (.306/.353/.488) or his even-better 2006 (.342/.365/.525. He has three years remaining on his contract, and those don’t include the two seasons for which the team holds (expensive) club options. He will be 26 when he plays next season. Time is not running out on him.
Cano has always relied on a high batting average. Let his 2008 serve as a reminder to those who scoff at the value of walks. Batting averages fluctuate much more from season to season than on-base percentages. Some people — Joe DiMaggio and Ichiro Suzuki for instance — rely on a consistently unusually high batting average to provide upper-tier offense. (Of course, Ichiro isn’t half the player DiMaggio was. Just look at the power, but that’s a story for another day.) Others — Garret Anderson for example — get way too much praise for their ability to hit for a high average. Those players do so at the expense of their patience. And when the hits don’t fall, those players lose almost all their value.
This is why hitting streaks are overrated. Yes, it takes skill to get base hits. But patient hitters don’t usually end up with long streaks. That’s because their walks cut down on their chances to get hits.
What does that have to do with Cano and 2009? He needs to make sure his on-base percentage is more than 50 points higher than his average. Everyone worries about changing a hitter’s approach. “He’s aggressive,” coaches and announcers will say. “We like that.” What teams should like is “productive.” Aggressive is just a euphemism for impatient.
Cano’s average should return to a more respectable level next season. But unless it soars well over .300, he’s not going to be much more than an average hitter. At second base, that’s still worth something, but the Yankees’ aging lineup needs the few youngsters like Cano to step it up.
As for his defense, Cano is not as bad as he looks. Some metrics have him as well above-average and others have him all over the board. Too many of his fielding shortcomings come from his mental mistakes. Some would say those are unpardonable. The glass-half-full approach is to say those are correctable. And don’t count Bronx Cheer among those who are positive Cano misses former third-base and infield coach Larry Bowa. Cano had a bad year at the plate and probably let that accompany him into the field at times. No one knows how much Bowa means to him besides Cano. All this conjecture is just filler.
So, let’s say Cano goes .290/.340/.450 next season. It wouldn’t be what the Yankees had in mind when they gave him the contract extension, but at least such a line would show that he’s hit rock bottom and bounced back.
I am a huge fan of Robbie Cano. I wouldn’t trade him…actually wouldn’t even consider trading him. This is a guy who came up through the Yankees farm system and shined as soon as he hit the big leagues. He is a batting title contender, and was sometimes compared to Rod Carew. People get all mad and throw a fit when they here that, but nobody is saying he is on his level yet or even near it. They are just saying he is similar to him..in that they both took the ball to the opposite field and hit for high averages. Cano is definitely a talented player, but we need to see more in ‘09 than we saw last year. If Cano didn’t have such high expectations..on any other team he would be considered a really good player. Unfortunately, he is under the biggest magnifying glass in sports, and when you don’t perform..you will be ripped apart by the media and fans. I am expecting big things out of Cano next year, and if the real Robbie doesn’t show up, than we could see some problems ahead. I’m not worried though, as I think he will bounce back with a very big season. Also..why would you trade Cano at such low value. Makes no sense at all.
My ‘09 Robbie Cano Projection: .315AVG 20HR 97RBI
Call me crazy, but I really believe he can do it.
Joe Torre took some heat for even comparing the two hitters. Carew won seven batting titles while Cano was rated only a B-level prospect by some scouts. Well, the criticism of Torre is off base here. Torre said that Cano “reminded” him of Carew, in terms of his physical appearance and his swing, and not that he necessarily expected Cano to become as a great a player as Carew. There’s quite a difference between Torre saying that Cano “reminds” him of Carew as opposed to saying that he expected Cano to “become the next Carew.”
Cano has a very smooth swing at the plate, which is probably what influenced Torre to make the Carew remark.
Yankee batting coach Don Mattingly also made a comparison involving Cano during spring training, but that analogy didn’t create as much of a firestorm as Torre’s comments. Mattingly said that Cano’s swing and style at the plate reminded him of Ruben Sierra during the latter’s younger days. In terms of statistical output, that’s probably a better gauge of what Cano may be able to do; he’s not likely to win the seven batting championships that Carew garnered with the Twins and Angels, but might be capable of putting up offensive numbers similar to those of Sierra. While Cano doesn’t have the hitting ability or footspeed that Carew had in his prime, he does have one advantage over the Hall of Famer. Cano is a very good defensive second baseman—he’s twice been named the best defender in his league during his minor league days—and likely won’t have to switch positions as Carew was asked to do in the midst of his career with the Minnesota Twins. In 1976, the Twins moved Carew, a subpar defensive second baseman, to the less demanding position of first base.
—————————————–
Tom Boorstein’s Bronx Cheer: Hoping for more from Cano
Robinson Cano is the Yankees’ second baseman. After 2007, the Yankees made their move by giving him a handsome contract to buy out his arbitration-eligible years. How did Cano repay their generosity? By putting up a .271/.305/.410 line with bouts of horrendous defense in the field.
Here’s what could be bad news for the Yankees: There just isn’t much they can do about it. As poorly as Cano played in 2008, where is the upgrade to be had? The Yankees’ best hope is that the streaky player puts up lines more reminiscent of his 2007 (.306/.353/.488) or his even-better 2006 (.342/.365/.525. He has three years remaining on his contract, and those don’t include the two seasons for which the team holds (expensive) club options. He will be 26 when he plays next season. Time is not running out on him.
Cano has always relied on a high batting average. Let his 2008 serve as a reminder to those who scoff at the value of walks. Batting averages fluctuate much more from season to season than on-base percentages. Some people — Joe DiMaggio and Ichiro Suzuki for instance — rely on a consistently unusually high batting average to provide upper-tier offense. (Of course, Ichiro isn’t half the player DiMaggio was. Just look at the power, but that’s a story for another day.) Others — Garret Anderson for example — get way too much praise for their ability to hit for a high average. Those players do so at the expense of their patience. And when the hits don’t fall, those players lose almost all their value.
This is why hitting streaks are overrated. Yes, it takes skill to get base hits. But patient hitters don’t usually end up with long streaks. That’s because their walks cut down on their chances to get hits.
What does that have to do with Cano and 2009? He needs to make sure his on-base percentage is more than 50 points higher than his average. Everyone worries about changing a hitter’s approach. “He’s aggressive,” coaches and announcers will say. “We like that.” What teams should like is “productive.” Aggressive is just a euphemism for impatient.
Cano’s average should return to a more respectable level next season. But unless it soars well over .300, he’s not going to be much more than an average hitter. At second base, that’s still worth something, but the Yankees’ aging lineup needs the few youngsters like Cano to step it up.
As for his defense, Cano is not as bad as he looks. Some metrics have him as well above-average and others have him all over the board. Too many of his fielding shortcomings come from his mental mistakes. Some would say those are unpardonable. The glass-half-full approach is to say those are correctable. And don’t count Bronx Cheer among those who are positive Cano misses former third-base and infield coach Larry Bowa. Cano had a bad year at the plate and probably let that accompany him into the field at times. No one knows how much Bowa means to him besides Cano. All this conjecture is just filler.
So, let’s say Cano goes .290/.340/.450 next season. It wouldn’t be what the Yankees had in mind when they gave him the contract extension, but at least such a line would show that he’s hit rock bottom and bounced back.
