BALTIMORE — Is it possible to play for the Yankees, stand as the top free agent in the upcoming winter and still be under-appreciated?
Perhaps not. Yet Robinson Cano presents an interesting test case.
Many players are responsible for the Yankees’ ability to stay relevant through this topsy-turvy season. Cano tops that list, though. He’s enjoying another late-season surge when his team desperately needs him, and he’s reminding the baseball industry he is in fact one of the game’s most consistent, valuable players.
“He’s one of the best hitters in baseball,” Kevin Long said Monday, before the Yankees and Orioles faced off at Camden Yards. “That’s the bottom line. When he goes through stretches and people wonder about him, I always give my standard answer: ‘He’s the least of my concerns.’
“I’m not worried about Robinson Cano. He’s a special player, a special talent. There’s a reason why he’s considered the best in this division.”
The Yankees stopped their three-game losing streak Sunday by withstanding another Mariano Rivera blown save and riding Ichiro Suzuki’s baserunning adventure to a walk-off, 4-3 victory over the rival Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. What got lost in Rivera’s failure was that Cano’s two-out, two-run, fifth-inning double off tough Boston left-hander Jon Lester put manager Joe Girardi in a position to ask Rivera for a six-out save.
Cano entered Monday’s action with eight RBIs in his previous five games and a .435/.435/.696 slash line in that time. Since Aug. 2, in 149 plate appearances, he had a .360/.416/.559 line. His career .332 batting average in September/October (regular season only) ranked sixth in the major leagues (minimum 300 PAs) since 1960.
He is raking and playing strong defense, and all of this more than trumps the reality that, yes, he often doesn’t run hard out of the box. Any accusations of apathy are easily shot down by his work ethic — he’s always one of the first Yankees in uniform and working at the ballpark — and his durability. He’s on pace for a seventh straight season of playing 159-plus games.
“I feel good,” Cano said Monday. “Sometimes it’s not about how many hits you get. It’s just about how you feel mentally and physically when you get to the plate. If you feel good any time, any pitch, you can change the game with one swing. But when you don’t feel good and you have to think about, ‘What’s wrong? What do I have to do?’ It’s a lot different.”
It’s possible no star player has ever experienced the sort of upgrade of supporting cast that Cano has enjoyed this season. Consider when the Yankees played their first game this season at Baltimore on May 20, Cano batted second, behind Brett Gardner and ahead of Travis Hafner. On Monday, Cano hit third, behind Alex Rodriguez and ahead of Alfonso Soriano.
“Obviously, the guys around him right now are better,” Long said. “But I think he’s doing exactly the same thing. He’s on a tear right now, but he’s been on tears earlier in the year, as well.”
Will this tear get Cano to where he wants to go this winter? The notion switching representation from Scott Boras to Jay-Z and CAA increased the likelihood he’d bypass free agency proved to be conventional wisdom gone wrong. Cano and the Yankees never came close on a deal this season, as every indication is the 30-year-old didn’t drop his asking price — the specifics aren’t known, although it’s in the neighborhood of A-Rod’s 10-year, $275-million package — when he switched agents.
It would be shocking at this point if Cano didn’t give free agency a whirl, and you’d think the Dodgers’ interest or lack thereof will determine what he ultimately gets and where he goes. Although it takes just one other ambitious team to change that expectation.
With his season totals and percentages climbing toward his season norms, Cano has reminded both the Yankees and the other 29 teams just how good he is. While the Yankees may not agree yet on his value, they sure are grateful that he is enjoying another September surge.
“I don’t pay attention to that,” Cano said of his impending free agency. “Come ready to play and have fun.”
You needn’t ignore Cano’s flaws to appreciate that he’s honoring his words in this crucial part of the season.