Remember Me?

It’s safe to say that the first two years for second baseman Robinson Cano as a member of the Seattle Mariners were not been easy. After nine years as a member of the New York Yankees, Cano became a free agent and he was lured to Seattle by a 10-year, $240 million contract. In nine years with the Yankees, Cano was a five-time American League All-Star while he hit 204 home runs and a career .309 batting average with the Bronx Bombers. But it has been a tough go at it for Cano in Seattle as he wasn’t putting up the consistent offensive numbers that we were accustomed to seeing him produce in pinstripes. In 2014, Cano batted .314, but he only hit 14 home runs while driving in 82 runs. And some of the reasoning behind Cano’s home run and runs batted in numbers dipping was that he was now playing in a cavernous park of Safeco Field as opposed to Yankee Stadium which is a hitter’s ballpark. Last year the Mariners signed designated hitter Nelson Cruz to provide protection for Cano in the Seattle lineup. But Cano batted .287 with 21 dingers and 79 runs batted in while batting in front of Cruz who hit 44 home runs which was second in the AL. It also hasn’t helped Cano that he has been unable to get the Mariners to the postseason as they haven’t made the playoffs since 2001 which is currently the largest drought in Major League Baseball. But things are changing for the Mariners in 2016 with Cano leading the way.

Through 32 games, the Mariners have a record of 19-13 which is good enough for first place in the American League West. And Cano is a big part of that as he is batting .301, while he is leading the AL in home runs (12), and runs batted in (33), as he appears to have found the form that made him one of baseball’s most revered hitters a few years ago.

When Cano was struggling in 2015, he referenced to a sports hernia that he was dealing with, while he also opened up about the death of his grandfather as you need a healthy body and a clear mind the perform at your best as the smooth stroke of his at the plate had disappeared.

But in each of the Mariners first three games here in 2016, Cano went yard which culminated in him hitting a pair of home runs and recording 5 runs batted in on April 6 against the Texas Rangers. On April 26, Cano tallied 6 runs batted in while hitting another home run in Seattle’s 11-1 victory over the Houston Astros. And for the month of April, Cano finished with 8 home runs and 24 runs batted in.

But after one month of the 2016 Major League Baseball season was in the books, Cano’s batting average was just .226. However here in the month of May, Cano has recorded at least one hit in each game which has seen his batting average increase by 75 points which is reflecting in the Mariners record this month as they are 6-3. And Cano doesn’t appear to be slowing down one bit as he is providing the Mariners with two things that they envisioned upon signing him which are leadership, along with providing a quality bat in the middle of their lineup.

When Cano hit free agency after the 2013 Major League Baseball season, the Yankees brass felt that his price tag was too high as they felt that his best years were behind him. And even though that the Yankees did make the playoffs last year, they have not gotten the same production out of their second basemen since Cano left town. But for Cano’s sake, for the first time in a long time, he appears to be focused while he is also having fun, and once you peel back the surface, that is what Major League Baseball is all about.

In 2014, the Mariners finished one victory short of making the postseason. It’s not a guarantee that Seattle will be able to get to the playoffs this October, but Cano is definitely doing his part to once again make the Mariners relevant.

Source: Baseball-reference.com