The spring training game had just ended but most of the Yankees stars were long gone, having exited after the sixth or seventh innings. But one superstar remained, first lifting weights and then conducting an impromptu clinic.
The Yankees’ second baseman stood in front of his locker in a cramped area of the George M. Steinbrenner Field clubhouse, showing the proper footwork on a pivot at second base. Eduardo Nunez, the young prospect, watched from his locker, soaking it all in.
This is the Robinson Cano version 2.0. No longer is he viewed as the lackadaisical, free-swinging bundle of potential. Now, he’s the best player on the Yankees, no small statement in a clubhouse with its share of future Hall of Famers. In a star-studded lineup, he is the true stud. Add in the Gold Glove second base he played last year, and you have quite a package just entering his prime.
“He could very easily be as good as anyone in baseball,” said Larry Bowa, the former Yankees coach and now an MLB Network analyst. “The reason I say that is because the position he plays. I’m sure there’s going to be guys that hit more home runs and drive in more runs. I’m talking about the overall position this kid plays — in the middle of the diamond, involved in everything. He could be as good as anybody. He’s got unbelievable talent.”
Cano finished just short of winning the MVP last year. After a scorching start, he cooled and Josh Hamilton never did. Cano finished third in the voting, but gave everyone a glimpse of what the future could look like for a long time at Yankee Stadium.
With Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez in the their mid-to-late 30s, this will be Cano’s team shortly. Most people around the Yankees believe he will be the face of the franchise when Jeter retires.
Cano hears what people are saying about him this spring: The MVP talk; the proclamations about him being one of the best in the game. Cano seems to handle it in stride, not letting it make him content or lazy.
“Those things keep me humble,” he said. “They make me work even harder. Those people know the game. When they say that stuff, I don’t want to let those people down. For you to say something about somebody in the paper or on TV, it makes me work even harder.”
Former Yankee Aaron Boone remembers seeing Cano when he first came up in 2005. Boone was with the Indians then, but still paid close attention to his former team. The wiry kid with the big smile has now developed into a man capable of carrying the Yankees. While some of his older teammates now need more frequent days off, Cano played 160 games last year.
“He’s like Rod Carew with monster power,” Boone, now an ESPN analyst, said.
“How good of a compliment is that? Now he’s become an elite defender. You see a guy, especially at second base, that makes plays in his sleep that not a lot of other second basemen can make. Couple that with him developing into this monster hitter. He’s special. There’s no doubt about it.”
Cano is now showing leadership qualities, as well, something that would have been far-fetched just three years ago. This winter, he welcomed young teammates Nunez and Francisco Cervelli to his workouts in the Dominican Republic. Both players showed progress after working in what the Yankees staff calls “Camp Cano.”
Cano says he wasn’t trying to be a leader, just giving a few teammates some help. He doesn’t realize the two are not mutually exclusive.
“Those guys are the same as I was in the past: I want to be in the big leagues. I want to do my thing,” Cano said. “They asked what I do. I said just work hard at home. They said, ‘Can we come work out with you?’ I said, ‘No problem.’ “ Just another part of being the best player on the Yankees.