New York Mets: Robinson Cano, back and with a vengeance
Robinson Cano, the veteran second baseman of the New York Mets, is off to a great start to his sixteenth year in the league.
When the New York Mets landed Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano in a trade last year, we thought the Amazins were going to return to the playoffs. Diaz imploded and Cano got hurt. We then realized Diaz was just a flash in a pan and Cano was 36 years-old.
He may be 37 this year, but nobody tell the stats keeper. Cano is off to the kind of start the Mets wished he would have had all year last season. Through 14 games he is heathy, he is hitting, and he is a big reason why the Mets are not in the basement of the National League East.
Well, put a semi-asterisk by the healthy part. Cano did have to spend ten days away from the game with a Grade 2 adductor strain.
Cano has hit in four of the five games he’s played in since coming off the injured list and has three multi-hit games during that span. Recently he had three hits, including two home runs in a game against the Miami Marlins.
His average is quietly up to .393 and his OPS leads the team. I say quietly, as the the Mets are off to an 11-14 start, while the other team in town is 16-7 with the best record in the American League.
For Cano, and the Mets, him staying on the field and producing serves to benefit everyone involved. With an intriguing lineup of youngsters, the Mets would do well to have Cano leading by example as the season progresses.
After Jacob deGrom and David Peterson the Mets starting pitching has been horrendous. Peterson is now lost to the injured list with shoulder fatigue leaving an offense forced to out-perform their pitchers on an almost nightly basis now.
Cano is being paid a lot of money and has a handful of years left on his contract. For him to be so productive out of the gate, he has quieted the naysayers who get caught up on the $24M he is making each year.
Most likely the New York Mets will finish in, or near the bottom of the division. That is unless Robinson Cano has something to say about it.