Seattle Sports Insider

Robby Cano as 2B for 10 years?

hold up, blue, can'cha see I'm relaxing here

Posted by

3/3/18

During the Angels' broadcast yesterday, Robinson Cano posted an attention-grabbing public service announcement. An Angels' caster asked him when he was going to be ready to move over to 1B or DH. I signed a 10-year contract TO PLAY SECOND BASE, Cano informed us all.

At SSI we had been wondering whether the transition would begin this year in spots, and that was before Dee Gordon came over from the NL. Cano has six (6) more years on his Seattle deal, and he's 35 now. The thought of Cano playing 2B next year was already rather alarming, and here we are talking about Cano at second six more years.

......

The next play, a left hand batter came up and the Mariners shifted, as the M's are wont to do. (The impression at Fangraphs are that the Mariners are still hicks, obviously uninformed compared to, say, Fangraphs readers. Bill James posted a Twitter poll the other day: How many Havard graduates are smarter than you are? The top answer was "maybe 25%," and the second answer was the next-most-arrogant reply "half," with these two answers totalling 60%. Meaning James' readers as a group consider themselves smarter than the average Harvard graduate. Scary thing is, that's possibly true.)

Back to topic: fans in other cities don't realize it, but the M's are cutting-edge in Dipoto's analytical department and incidentally, the M's are at or near the top of the league in shifts. Just as the announcer informed us that Cano was 2B to stay, a shift appeared on the TV screen. (Fangraphs gives a mere +2.5 runs positional adjustment for 2B, suggesting already that perhaps the position isn't critical defensively. Dr. D wonders whether this number -- which Fangraphs arbitrarily changes every few years -- will continue to drop for 2B's, as the impact of shifts grows ever higher.)

Dr. D hasn't looked at it statistically, but ... how much could a 2B's range possibly matter here? If there are players 10 yards to his right and left, how often does a "marginal" ball come into play? I'll bet a few of you guys could play a little 2B, 5 yards back on the grass, with players standing a few yards to your R and L.

So with 30% of hitters being left handed, and many other plays limiting the relevance of the 2B's range (such as when Juan Gonzalez comes up), could 2B be the new 1B/LF? The place you "hide" an aging veteran?

......

Robby Cano has a cannon arm for a 2B, allowing him to play deep. He has soft hands and an excellent turn; I'll bet you he fires DP's out by an eyelash, that a 2B with a weaker arm cannot. He is known for his range up the middle; he can charge over like a linebacker, swirl, and laser-shot the runner down from well behind 2B.

Fangraphs had Cano rated solidly plus the last two years, at +4 runs saved compared to the average second baseman. Dewan had him at -4 runs last year but +7 the year before.

.....

Obviously if you can get a MOTO hitter playing up the middle, you benefit from the "position scarcity." You already have your 2B Yahtzee slot filled and your #3 lineup Yahtzee slot filled, and you haven't even touched your 1B or DH or LF. At times it can almost play like having two DH's.

Anyway, I guess our 2B position is set for years here. I didn't expect that, but ... Cano is already well on-par comparing to other players already in the Hall:

HOF Monitor = 155 of 100 (likely HOF'er)
Hall of Fame Standards = 46 of 50 (avg HOF'er)

Robby is already the 8th-best career second baseman, and 35 is reasonably young for a first ballot HOF'er. Sometimes we look over there and forget about our mini-Edgar on the infield.

ZEN BEAUTIFIC, Dept.

We used a word last year to describe Cano that Blowers picked up on: UNHURRIED. The first law of aikido is to relax, don't hurry, mirror your opponent's speed without effort. Ichiro was that way too. You bang a ground ball at Cano, he's got it covered, and he's not rushing. He moves quickly without hecticness. It's very Zen.

.......

Just so's y' don't hafta check: Robby is .333/.333/.455 to start the camp, and had the GWRBI against the pesky rodent Angels Sunday. We'll relish it in the game notes.

Enjoy,

Dr D

Blog:

Zen

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Robinson Cano

Comments

Cano at 2nd

As I said when Dee was acquired, there's only 1 second baseman in the game I'd pick over Cano right now. Add in that with his 1st HR this year he's moving into 2nd place all time at the position, with only 76 left to tie 1st and it's not difficult to me to wait. Leave him there until he proves he can't or shouldn't be. That's certainly not where he's been recently and if the nagging injuries from the last couple years aren't as detrimental or common this year we might be wondering what the fuss was in just a few months. Watching him range to his left behind 1b he often looks pretty elite too. He's just automatic with almost everything he gets to as well. Guys with more range can make more mistakes and be worth less.

We were all planning for needing a Cruz replacement 2+years ago too. The decline will come. Wake me when it does, I say. Until then there's bigger fish to fry.

There does seem to be lesser importance of range when shifting, so I think there's something to that. I hadn't realized FG was statistically reducing 2b defensive impact. Cano happens to be especially nearly perfect for shifting anyway.

Cano would not surprise me by clearing 40 HR this year for the first time while having a general resurgence or continuing along similar to his Ms career. He's one that would surprise me if he fell off a cliff. If he's still hitting 90% of his already lesser Ms career in 2 years but with lesser range he's still probably top 10 in the league at his position. 4 years and 6 are harder and harder to guess at but his eventual replacement might not even be drafted yet if it's that far out.

For now I'm unconcerned by what may transpire. Just hoping he has the low % resurgence with the bat and spends those 6 years making his M's numbers much more competitive with his Yankees numbers. If the choice for his HOF cap doesn't seem so automatic in the end we probably won't care what position he finished them at. Nor May he.

I love Cano more the longer I watch him

I'm not sure I'd say second base has become unimportant defensively yet. Even in the shift the second baseman does things a first baseman is not asked to do. But I see no evidence than Cano can't handle any of those things.

As you wisely pointed out, Doc, he has soft hands, is better going to his right than his left, and has a strong accurate arm. The fact that he is quick with his throws when necessary means he can play further toward the foul line in the deep shift than average for that shift (in fact, the Mariners' typical shifted position is much further over than normal statistically) which means the first baseman can stay close to the bag and remove doubles from the equation entirely, and has a better chance to just stay on the bag to receive the throw on a grounder his way.

But the main thing I wanted to say is that I've started laughing a LOT when he is in the spotlight. There was a play last night with one of the Angels' faster young prospects running out a tough little grounder up the middle. Cano gets over there and I didn't even see the ball into his glove...it looked like it bounced off of him and magically zinged over to first, a perfect rocket toss behind him, nailing that pesky rodent Angel minor leaguer by a quarter step. Giggles ensued.

That RBI single got a similar response. Angels broadcasters prefaced his at bat by pointing out that he was maybe being a bit quick in the first two at bats, looked like he was having trouble seeing the ball, so they expected him to try to go up the middle or the other way. Parker winds and Cano, with perfect, calm intention, waits...waits...waaaaiits...and places the ball into left field. Angels broadcasters had nothing to say but tip your cap...nothing you can do, that's why he's so special."

More giggles.

Love this guy...One of the few Mariners that never makes me nervous.