I wouldn't worry so much. Yes, it was a down year, but it's no reason to give up on him. He's still very young and very talented. Down years happen, the key is making sure they don't happen again and again.
Also, when you look at his monthly splits you see that his numbers were really hurt by his horrible April where he hit .161, in every other month he hit .287 or above. Take out April's numbers and Cano hit .297 for the season. Maybe not what we all expected, but not horrible either.
The major problem that I saw was that he was very streaky all year; he'd hit for a week and then go cold for two. And the major problem - as Boorstein talks about below - was when he wasn't hitting he gave the Yankees nothing because of his lack of patience at the plate. His on-base percentage was just .305, and that's not going to cut it. Cano is going to have to become more patient so that even when he's struggling he can still get on base.
Here's more from SNY.TV's Tom Boorstein:
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.
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.I've also heard some people say that if you make Cano be more patient it will hurt his batting average, but I'm not sure I believe that. I think hitters can evolve, just because you've been an aggressive hitter, doesn't mean you have to continue to be one to be successful.
Kevin Long already did a good job tweaking Cano's swing at the end of '08, now he has a tougher task ahead of him; making Cano patient.
The work begins this week when Cano along with Long will join Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Winter League.
5 Comments:
The good thing about Cano is that he does not strike out a lot. If he became more patient, then he also has to be more selective. He swings at the high fastball like all the time. He can hit almost anything but if zeroes in on a certain spot then I think he could be a batting champ.
Yea I think the fact that he can hit anything gets into his head a bit. Just cause you can reach it, it doesn't mean you're going to hit the ball well. And yes, he does need to be much more selective.
no kidding, Tom.
hahahaha
I think Cano is awesome, and you're right one down year shouldn't change that.
Look out for a big comeback year in '09 for Robinson.
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