Not your usual "Cano will break your heart" story

AP photo in NY Times

From NY Times' Tyler Kepner sees payoffs in sticking with the much discussed Robinson Cano:

• "Canó never exactly struggled in the minors, but he never quite took off, either. He was skinny, (Kevin) Long said, and his strike-zone judgment was lacking. Canó was confident, but he never hit above .280 in his first three seasons and tended to lapse in the field.

“His defense has gotten a lot better,” said pitcher Sean Henn, who came through the farm system with Canó.

“As bad as it may sound, he tended to get a little lazy in the minor leagues, because some of his at-bats he took onto the field with him. But now, you’re talking about one of the best second basemen in the league.”

• Canó made three errors at Shea Stadium last May 19, but he did not make another for more than two months.

Similarly, he slumped at the plate early, hitting .249 through May 29. He sharpened his strike-zone discipline and hit .332 thereafter....

• Cashman said Canó’s contract, which guarantees him $30 million over four years, would be a good value if Canó simply stayed at his current level of performance. But the Yankees believe he can become better, and he is eager to show them....Canó has exceeded the Yankees’ expectations before. They are happy to dream of how he may surprise them again."

• From NY Times article by Tyler Kepner, "Now Batting, the Best Deal the Yankees Never Made," 3/02/08

I'm glad Cano is on the team and that he won't be a 24/7 trade rumor for awhile. In the past couple of years certain other teams assumed Cano belonged to them--that the Yankees would automatically give up a good, young, inexpensive (at the time) player. You'd think people would catch on that's not how the Yankees do things these days. (sm)

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