Here’s an interesting bit of text via Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record:
Yankee hitting instructor Kevin Long spoke for the franchise when he said, “We all want to see Robbie get to the next level. It’s definitely time, and he knows it.”
Cano seems ready for the challenge, showing up at 7 a.m. this week for infield drills with Alex Rodriguez. That’s a considerable lifestyle change for the historically easygoing Cano, whose friendship with Melky Cabrera may or may not have kept him from reaching superstar status.
Cano lamented his buddy’s off-season trade to the Braves, saying, “We used to go out and talk all the time. I’ve known him for 10 years.” But one member of the organization says Cano is better off on his own, spending more of his baseball-time with A-Rod.
This notion that the Melky-Cano relationship was a hindrance in terms of Cano’s overall development has been longstanding, although I’m not quite sure that I buy it. I guess it makes sense in that by having your best friend around, at all times, you choose to hang out with him throughout the season rather than other players such as Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, etc. In that sense, the loss of Melky could force Cano to spend time with other players – better players – and glean valuable knowledge from them. However, again, I think that might be overstated here in Klapisch’s article.
I guess we will have to wait and see how Melky’s absence affects Cano, but I figure any impact will be minimal.
Photo via Talk-Sports.net
Why is it that the MSM has made Cano out to be this incredibly dependent person? First, he needs Larry Bowa to kick him into gear and now he needs his best friend to be successful? I don’t doubt that the absence of a friend will have something of a personal effect on him, but Cano’s a professional baseball player and an adult. I think he’s smart enough and talented enough to not let something like that affect his play on the field. Matt Imbrogno(Quote)
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Steve S. Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 8:03 pm
It’s because he has that smooth and easy way of playing, that many mistake that for a lack of effort. I don’t, the same smoothness that makes the game look easy to him when he’s successful is the same thing that makes it look like he isn’t trying when he fails. It’s the flip side of the same coin. He’ll hear this crap his whole life, it’s just who he is as a player. By all accounts he’s a hard worker, self motivated, and is always trying to improve his game.
But the Yanks do this all the time with young players. I think the whole Joba-Hughes 5th starter thing is a charade, they just want to push both guys to get the most out of themselves. Competition should bring out the best, or if nothing else tell the Yanks something. Same with Robbie, but in his case he’s competing against himself and what he’s capable of. Steve S.(Quote)
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2 airheads before, now one airhead who has a chance to learn something other than chest bumping and super secret high five handshakes. -Leftylarry(Quote)
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An absurd notion. If Cano improves it will because he matured as a player. Melky was a very good player but the Yankees could make a deal that was impossible to turn down. Geek(Quote)
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Matt Imbrogno Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Easy now; Melky was not a very good player. Melky was the very definition of a league average player. Matt Imbrogno(Quote)
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Ramondo Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 1:36 am
Thank you for saying that! Do I miss Melky at all? NO!! Ramondo(Quote)
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Matt Reply:
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Just asking because I don’t know. When you say “very definition of a league average player,” does that mean for his age? Or is he ~3 years younger than an average player? If that’s the case, wouldn’t you project him to be better than average? I’m not familiar w/ how that works. Matt(Quote)
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Whether it’s true or not that hanging with Melky retarded Cano’s development, I wonder if Cashman believed that, at least a little, and was accordingly more open to dealing the Melkman. Tom Swift(Quote)
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You know where Robbie’s gonna clean up, though? At the clubs. Now, he won’t be hanging around Melky as much, but rather A-Rod. He’ll be like the remora to A-Rod’s shark and just clean up the scraps*.
*A-Rod’s scraps > all other Yankees full meals (non-Jeter division) Matt Imbrogno(Quote)
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Where in the world did this picture come from? Haha. Big Juan(Quote)
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I for one always wanted the two separated, Cano needs to step it up. Melky had no plate discipline, loved his fielding . Yankees could bring him back if he improves, but they were too dependent on each other. salty buggah(Quote)
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Matt Imbrogno Reply:
March 1st, 2010 at 10:11 pm
How were they dependent on each other? They’re friends, it doesn’t mean they needed each other to play well.
Cano did fine in ’05 when Melky was in the minors for most of the season and if they played together in the minors, it was briefly. The only possible time was in ’05, though Cano had just 24 games in Columbus and Melky had 31. Just because they were/are friends doesn’t mean they need each other to be good ball players.
Added note: In August of 2008 when Melky got sent down, Cano hit .290/.336/.490. Matt Imbrogno(Quote)
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CANO IS NOT GOING TO IMPROVE JUST BECAUSE MELKY IS NOT THERE NO MORE.. CANO IS GREAT PLAYER. AND HE PROVE IT EVERY YEAR. MELKEY WAS AND IS HES BEST FRIEND. DONT YOU GUYS THINK IS BETTER FOR ANY PLAYER. TO PLAY ON THE SAME TEAM WITH YOU BEST FRIEND>?. I THINK THE YANKEES MADE A BIG MISTAKE TRADING MELKEY. AND WHO THEY GOY NOW BRED GAGNER ON THE LEFT FIELD YOU GOTTA BE FOKING KIDDING ME THAT DUDE ONLY RUN FAST THATS ALL HES GOOD FOR. DONALD(Quote)
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