Money Changes Everything
Congratulations Robinson Cano for achieving 2,500 hits. Of the nearly 20,000 players in major league history Cano becomes the 101st to accomplish the feat. This puts him in the top five percent all-time. He also becomes only the sixth player hailing from the Dominican Republic to join this exclusive club.
Cano no doubt has enjoyed a rather remarkable career proving both durable and productive throughout his 13 1/2 seasons previous to his arrival in Flushing. Lest we forget in 2018 he was suspended under MLB's performance substance policy and thus missed half the regular season. Cano began serving his suspension after Seattle's May 13 game at Detroit. He was batting .287 at the time through 39 games, with four home runs and 23 RBI. He returned to full duty on Aug. 14 at Oakland, finishing the season slashing .303/.374/.471 with ten home runs and 50 RBI in 80 total games played. If you're inclined to be kind, then his numbers translate into a 20 home run and hundred RBI season (in what could have been the fifth hundred RBI season of his career, and his second with the Mariners). In 2017 as a 34-year old, Robinson drove in 97 runs in 592 at-bats.
The now 36-year old has participated in 34 games to date as a member of the Mets. If you're still inclined to being kind, keep in mind he is a career American League player whom (despite inter-league play) to some degree is learning a new league, new parks, with many an unfamiliar pitching staff, and having to adjust to dreaded Citi Field. And to be fair, after getting hit with a pitch in two separate incidences his hands and digits must be killing him. However, that didn't seem to stop him from stroking four hits against the Padres on Tuesday. He followed up going 0 for 4 in Wednesday afternoon's loss at San Diego. That said, Cano is presently slashing .254/.307/.400, with three home runs and 11 RBI. For his career, he averages just 86 strikeouts in 632 at-bats per season. But with 31 strikeouts in 130 at-bats to date, he is on pace for a 150 strikeout season.
More advanced statistics not needed because this has noting to do with what he's done and everything about what the Mets need from him this moment forward.
The acquisition of Robinson Cano was easily the off-season's top headline, a bold maneuver on BVW's part but a very risky one as well. So far Cano's performance hasn't quite yielded what fans nor the Mets general manager had in mind when he acquired him from the equally desperate and dollar burdened Seattle Mariners.
In truth, Mets fans could care less what Robinson Cano previously achieved as a Yankee or a Mariner. All they're interested in is his next 500 potential hits. What impact will they have? Because if they fail to cross connect this club with actual playoff success, I question how many will genuinely care seeing him potentially attain 3,000 career hits in a Mets uniform (perchance to dream ... see Gary Sheffield hitting home run #500 as a Met).
Ponder as you will how much Edwin Diaz weighed in the trade bringing both him and Cano to Flushing. Diaz may very well have been the hook. But at the end of the day it is Robinson Cano with the requisite resume needed to park fannies in the seats. And to a large degree it's his responsibility to ensure Diaz is brought into winning situations, not Michael Conforto, not Pete Alonso, et al. They require a separate narrative, just as Cano requires his own narrative separate of them. Being a good mentor and clubhouse presence will not suffice. Cano must be to the Mets what David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes could not: the unquestioned leader in the batter's box. While it's nice Pete Alonso is coming up huge, the onus is nevertheless on Cano to elevate and get the Mets through the dog days of summer by matter of responsibility. Injuries clearly got the better of Wright and Cespedes. Therefore Robinson Cano must not only remain productive, but available.
Anxiety levels in Flushing are sky high as it is. If the first fifth of Cano's 2019 regular season is any indication, well, then ...
You can't be disappointed with what you do not expect. This is not one of those situations. Brodie Van Wagenen knew Cano would be coming with huge and very expensive expectations. Anything short of Cano's career averages will fail to quell those expectations. Otherwise rampant dismay and disappointment will unavoidably run high.
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