Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan.
Robinson Cano is the best first half player in baseball, and I have 4,135,305 reasons to back it up.
That, of course, is the number of votes he received during this year’s All-Star Game selection voting. Cano’s 2010 performance impressed the fans so much that he dominated the voting throughout the entire process, never losing his lead for the starting second base position. His 4,135,305 votes were the third largest number of votes received by a player in the AL, finishing behind Joe Mauer of the Twins and Cano’s teammate and Yankees Captain, Derek Jeter. In total, he finished fourth in MLB, trailing only Albert Pujols in the National League, no doubt an impressive feat unrivaled in the list of accomplishments for the 27 year old slugger.
Since breaking into the big leagues in 2005, Robinson Cano has struggled with consistency. He has been somewhat of a hot and cold player, tearing the cover off the ball one month only to turn ice cold and slump the next. But so far 2010 has been a different story entirely.
After working all Spring Training with his hitting coach, Kevin Long, to develop better plate discipline, his efforts are paying off big time. He leads New York in runs, hits, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage, and batting average. This is incredible, considering this world championship lineup boasts names like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera, and Jorge Posada. Leading the Yankees in one of these categories is an accomplishment in itself, let alone all of them. His achievements, however, are not limited to his ball club.
Cano ranks among the best in baseball in terms the Triple Crown categories. While his 55 RBI lag behind the rest of the pack – ranking 18th in MLB – his batting average and home run totals more than make up for it. Cano has hit for a .343 average in the first half, ranking second in the majors. His 17 homeruns are nothing to scoff at either. Cano’s round trippers rank as the fifth largest in baseball.
To me, the evidence that Cano is the having the best first half in baseball comes from his hits, slugging percentage, and run totals. Cano has accumulated 109 hits so far this season. That ties him for second in baseball with Ichiro Suzuki. That’s right, I said Ichiro! He is absolutely raking the ball, and what makes this even more impressive is that Cano’s hits are coming from the second base position, a spot usually not known for its offensive dominance. As Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci points out, “Cano has become a rare gem in baseball: a second baseman with game-changing slugging ability.” Verducci illustrates his point by explaining that the greater than .600 slugging percentage that Cano held as recently as June was last duplicated at the second base position in 1929 by Rogers Hornsby. I would say that’s pretty elite company. His 59 runs are just as impressive, tying him for fourth in the majors. That gives him numbers usually reserved for leadoff batters. Even more astonishing is that Cano is getting the job done on the base paths the hard way. He is scoring these runs largely without the assistance of thievery, only stealing two bases all season.
While my competition for this debate mistakenly think that Joe Mauer and Josh Hamilton are having the best seasons in baseball, only Mauer’s number remotely compare. While Hamilton is a great power hitter, his game is more one dimensional. Mauer on the other hand has a well rounded hitting game like Cano and even bests him – although microscopically – in a few categories. The biggest difference that, for me, makes Cano so much better is the fact that he is carrying the New York Yankees this season in the cut-throat AL East. It is inarguable that the AL East is one of, if not the most competitive divisions in baseball. Cano has become one of the most instrumental players to the Yankees success. Day in and day out Cano has succeeded in a Yankees lineup that has been missing the punch of its biggest bats, A-Rod and Teixeira, and again he is doing this as a second baseman. The fact that Cano manages this elite offensive play while providing ample defense at a more challenging position to field than Mauer makes him my pick for the best player of 2010, and well deserving of his All-Star nod. For those who aren’t believers in Cano’s staying power, the second half will surely tell the story. But I am betting he will be around the top of the statistical leader boards for a while to come.
Cano will slump just like every other prof.baseball player.And yer dreamin’ if you think he won’t. Albert Pujols is today’s and this past decade, “Mr. Baseball!” The stats prove it. And the Cardinals have won more Championships in the NL, and second only to the Yankees. Last time they met was in 1964 & the Cards put a whuppin’ on’em! GO CARDS! Bro. GUY
You don’t think that Joe Mauer is more impactful on his team than Pujols?
Well Prophet Guy, I don’t really get your point about Cano slumping because it’s like you said “every other professional baseball player” slumps as well. Even your boy Pujols is bound to have some down spells, and again like you said, (with some grammatical corrections) “you’re dreaming if you think he won’t.”
Cano is having a fantastic first half, and the fact that he is putting up league leading numbers while playing at 2nd base makes him my pick for this year’s best All-Star.
I will admit that Pujols is a pretty good player, but personally I don’t care for the guy. But by no means do I think he warrants the title of “Mr. Baseball,” unless you are comparing his appeal to the Tom Selleck movie of the same name.
For starters he hasn’t done enough to carry the Cards to a dynasty of multiple championships, like other current All-Stars Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera did in the 1990s. Not to mention his accent makes him as marketable as Balki Bartokomous from Perfect Strangers. (There is a reason that Pujols doesn’t talk in many commercials.) So calling him “Mr. Baseball” is quite a stretch to say the least.
I appreciate the fact that you read the article and visited our site, but I’m afraid we are just going to have to agree to disagree.
Babe Ruthless