Hey, Nineteen: Robinson Canó

[Edgy MD]

https://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.27417447.1550466255!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_768/image.jpg>



Hi, I'm Robinson Canó. I'm big, I'm bad, I'm awful slow for a middle infielder, and I'm living proof that the Mets aren't afraid of really big depreciating contracts, as long as they make two kinda big really depreciating contracts go away.



I've been an All-Star eight times, I'm quite possibly a drug abuser, and I bear the taint of an ex-Yankee (the mark of Canó!). I'm your new Mets secondbaseman, quite possibly your future Mets firstbaseman, and the notion that I'll be the first-ever Mets full-time DH is not an eventuality outside of the universe of the plausible.



I'm also 36 years old, and I guess I'm a controversial subject. Remember when every columnist was writing "The Mets look good this year, but they need to get Alfonso Soriano"?



The Mets didn't need to get any such thing. It was just that a former Yankee star sent into the wilderness coming back to join the Mets is an attractive story line to write about. Well, they better get writing. Because the Mets have finally acquired Alfonso Soriano, and his name is Robinson Canó, or something.



But I'm more than that. This is my team of destiny. My agent is a New York rapper, I have a wing named after me at the Hackensack University Medical Center (and yes, apparently, Hackensack has a University), and Dad says I was named after the Citi Field Rotunda.



But it all comes down to this: I'm 36. I've had a heckuva career. I've had 2,470 hits (more than Jim Rice! Or Pie Traynor!), and I've had 311 homers (more than Edgar Martinez! Or [for now] Giancarlo Stanton!), but if Roberto Alomar is to be any guide, I've well reached the age when a player starts to hack-'n'-suck, if you get my meaning.



So that's the deal. All of that nonsense comes down to a single question: What do I have left?



What do you think?

[seawolf17]

.290/.360/.470, with 28 home runs and 122 RBI en route to a surprise fifth-place in the NL MVP balloting.

[Edgy MD]

Them 122 RBI would put him within two of the all-time Mets record!

[MFS62]

=seawolf17 post_id=3067 time=1550499841 user_id=91]
.290/.360/.470, with 28 home runs and 122 RBI en route to a surprise fifth-place in the NL MVP balloting.

[seawolf17]

Edgy MD wrote: Them 122 RBI would put him within two of the all-time Mets record!

With Nimmo scoring 130 runs atop the order this year, there will be lots of opportunities.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm afraid that ten years from now I'll be conflating him with Robinson Cancel.



Cano reported to spring training saying that he feels like he's 25 years old. Clearly, he's delusional.



By the way, when he was 25 he was .271/.305/.410 with 14 homers and 72 rbi. I'd prefer it if he said he felt like he was 29.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I'll go with that 25 line.



275/305/410 14-72

[Edgy MD]

That's some bearish (but reasonable) hey-nineteenin' right there.



I feel like McNeilio could give them that batting righthanded.

[Edgy MD]

I'll jump in a little more bullish but with him getting less than a full season's worth of work, for one reason or another.



125 games .278 / .327 / .464 // .791 with 20 homers and 68 RBI.

[smg58]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm afraid that ten years from now I'll be conflating him with Robinson Cancel.

I'm afraid we'll be doing that in May.



I'll go .280/.330/.440. He won't tank, but he won't be all that impressive either.

[kcmets]

I'm in Camp Cano. I wasn't at first (I think) but have come around to expect

an all-star caliber season and best Met in 2019. #expectcano

[Lefty Specialist]

.280 25/75. Dontcha know.

[Fman99]

I'm on board. Cheaters can beat the system now. He'll get on the good El Dopa and make believers of us. .290, 24 HRs, 88 RBIs, steady presence in the dugout. Anchors the lineup.

[Guest 41Forever]

I'm on Team Optimistic. He won't have the first-year-in-New York thing, and has seen a reasonable amount of NL pitching through interleague play. I'll take .280 with 25 homers from second base any day.

[Edgy MD]

Canó is coming up on 2,500 hits (he's eight short) and that's great. But he's also signed through four seasons beyond this one, at $24 million per. Perhaps you can call it $20 million per, as the Mets got $20 million in the deal to offset his salary.



But I'm mentally laying the groundwork for McNeil to take over at second and Can-Can to become a pinch-hitter/Sunday starter. Am I crazy?

[MFS62]

Edgy MD wrote: But I'm mentally laying the groundwork for McNeil to take over at second and Can-Can to become a pinch-hitter/Sunday starter. Am I crazy?

We're not ruling out any of those possibilities.

Later

[G-Fafif]

Batting both .223 with little discernible power and third on June 25 (tonight).

[Lefty Specialist]

The definition of insanity? Batting Robinson Cano third night after night after night.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Tonight will be the 80th game of the season, so we're just about to the halfway point.



Cano's counting stats: .223 / .270 / .361 (an Ordoñez-ian .631 OPS, 70 OPS+). He chips in with 4 homers, 16 doubles and 16 ribeye steaks.



All that equates to -0.5 fWAR.



He's striking out at a career-worst 19.5% rate, has a career-worst .130 ISO and his UZR and UZR/150 are both negative.



Who had "super shitty" in the office pool?

[Edgy MD]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Tonight will be the 80th game of the season, so we're just about to the halfway point. Cano's counting stats: .223 / .270 / .361 (an Ordoñez-ian .631 OPS, 70 OPS+). He chips in with 4 homers, 16 doubles and 16 ribeye steaks. All that equates to -0.5 fWAR. He's striking out at a career-worst 19.5% rate, has a career-worst .130 ISO and his UZR and UZR/150 are both negative. Who had "super shitty" in the office pool?

You're ignoring the way he plays the game.

[Guest 41Forever]

There are people in my office who move faster to a plate of new donuts on the counter than Cano moves to first base.

[Edgy MD]

Question for Your Consideration: Does Brodie Van Wagenen have a blind spot with regard Robinson Canó, a client of Roc Nation Sports, a partner of Creative Artists Agency? Or alternatively, did he feel a professional obligation to bring Canó home, based on some handshake promise he has made he had made in his prior job?



Secondary Question: If you answered YES to either of the questions above — but particularly if you answered YES to the first of those questions — does Mickey have an unthinkably red ass from having to write Canó's name into the third slot in his lineup each night, in order to placate his boss/allow his boss the comfort that can be found in the validation of his illusions?



Tertiary Question: Is this (the massive red ass) why Mickey went nuts on a media member without any real provocation?

[A Boy Named Seo]

1) Blind spot, for sure. Professional obligation, no. I just think he made a shitty evaluation based on his zero experience as a General Manager. It's fine for him to sell the line that a 36-year old dude is still gonna be good for 5 years when you're an agent...



2) I don't know. BVW wants him in there, for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if Mickey was also blindly stubborn and foolishly loyal to "a veteran" to "get him on track".



3) I think Mickey's out of his depth.

[bmfc1]

1) Both can be correct. He definitely "loves" his clients and believes in them. Brodie Van Ego saw how good Cano was post-suspension and knew how much Cano wanted to return to New York so he saw this as an opportunity to help a former client and his new employer. He also might have caught wind of the NL getting the DH which mitigated the age factor.

2) I am sure that Brodie is dictating the lineup (perhaps literally) and I don't think that Callaway cares. He's employed for another day and, in his mind, can blame the record on someone else.

3) Having said that, BVW might have sent mixed messages about using Diaz. That, and the absence of a lefty and anyone else he could trust might have upset Mickey (which Mickey handled so well).

BONUS: Boy was I wrong about Cano. I saw him a lot in Spring Training and he was outstanding (26 for 59) and I drafted him very early in my fantasy league. Sadly, after his 1st AB as a Met, it hasn't worked out.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I think Brodie is here as the salesman for Fred's obligation to Omar, who's the guy who really believes in Cano and who is actually making the baseball decisions, this time without needing to put on a public display of his own incompetence the way he did when he was the actual GM. Cano is Omar's guy. Omar is Fred's guy. Brodie is Jeff's guy. Mickey is just the manager.



Omar wants Cano to bat 3rd and play everyday because he has "talent."

[Edgy MD]

Related, but varying theories, with varying levels of speculation. All within the realm of possibility.



I have to say I'm at least a little surprised that Mickey could redass his way into the doghouse like that. The out-of-control manager is just a dying breed. How many hothead managers have the Mets ever even had? Dallas Green. Maybe Yogi a bit. Casey could go nuts but it was almost always part of his working the game.



I realize that Nimmo's absence makes kicking Canó out of the lineup that much harder, but relegating Can-Can to pinch-hitting until further notice would be so sweet that I'd have to brush my teeth.

[Guest 41Forever]

Headlines can be tough to write sometimes, but this one for the top story on Metsblog seems off: Robinson Cano heating up for Mets at the right time



Um, Metsblog, the "right time" was probably May and June when we still had a shot.



This would only be the right time if there was a chance the Mets could trade him.







https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/robinson-cano-heating-up-for-mets-at-the-right-time/309082806https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/robinson-cano-heating-up-for-mets-at-the-right-time/309082806

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I can't believe that shit.



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