Robinson Cano reawakens the steroids/ Baseball Hall of Fame debate

The New York Yankees used-to-be second baseman Robinson Cano has been suspended 80 games for using a banned substance. Somehow the connection between doing something MLB automatically expels players for, and that players eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame, remains elusive for some fans and writers.

New York Yankees former 2B Robinson Cano and current Seattle Mariners star has as much Baseball Hall of Fame talent as any player in the last 20 years. His career slash of .304/.354/.493 along with his 2,417 hits, 305 HR, and WAR of 67.5 are all high in his favor — and that he will finish at or close to 3,000 hits is a reasonable projection.

He is also without question the greatest second baseman I’ve ever seen. His patented stream of milk throws from the shortstop hole, under his left arm, with his back turned, directly to the first baseman’s mitt wouldn’t be believed in a movie.

He is a millionaire many times over, won a WS with the Yankees in ’09, and rode the Canyon of Heroes on a day no one can take back. Robinson Cano has made multiple All-Star appearances and will one day retire young to fabulous wealth and luxury.

But he will never be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. And he shouldn’t be. And for more reasons than I can list here; instead, I’ll stick to two.

Who’s On First

First is the seriousness of the offense from both the fans and MLB’s point of view.

As a fan, what is the most important aspect of any player on your team? His/her performance on the field, right? Few Yankees fans would have wanted Stephen Drew to stay on the team even if they found out he was spending his spare time healing the sick.

Now Robinson Cano has thrown away 80 games, half a season for all intents and purposes. Please, any comments about his injury overlap will be ignored as obtuse to the point of distraction. Robinson Cano made a choice to do something he knew full well could cost him 280 AB or so.

And that intentional loss of production should count against him. Production still counts, doesn’t it? That is still an essential element of the game, isn’t it; number of days on the field?

Some readers might at this point be thinking, but he was trying to stay on the field. To that I would say, one, the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and, two, I don’t care what a person tries to do so much as what they actually do.

Baseball is about results, as is life.

In all fairness to his stats and his chosen impact on the team, his numbers should be averaged out to include his banned games. So, if he comes back and ends with a .300 average over 80 games, his true average should be .150 for the season. Same with figuring his lifetime numbers.

That would put into perspective his real crime against his team and the fans thereof. Because it’s going to count against the teammates that he left to fend for themselves.