WHY ROBINSON CANO IS NO JOKE

Now in his 7th season with the New York Yankees, in my opinion, Robinson Cano has become one of the most reliable, consistent Yankees in our lineup, especially in 2011. Not only has he been putting together All Star caliber numbers and statistics, Cano has become a leader in that clubhouse.

Listen, we all know who our Captain is and there is no discussion needed on how amazing Derek Jeter is as a player and as a leader. In fact, check out Casey's piece: WHY DEREK JETER'S OUR CAPTAIN, but, if there was such a title as a team "Lieutenant" or "Captain-in-Waiting" I would look towards Robinson Cano. Look no further than this season for proof of Cano's worth to this team. Heading into today our Yankees were just one game out of first in the AL East. This despite injuries to our studs like Jeter and ARod. Not to mention the drama of "Posada-gate" and the AJ Burnett nightmare, but game after game Cano was the glue that held this team together. He has quietly put together solid numbers at the plate and played an effortless, almost flawless, second base.

Now, I think most Yankee fans will agree that Curtis Granderson is not only the Yankees MVP this season but probably the AL MVP. In fact, we at BYB have begun the Granderson MVP campaign already. Check out WHY THE 2011 AL MVP PLAYS IN THE BRONX. But when you look up at the box score every night it seems that Cano is either 1-4 or 2-4, with 1-2 runs scored and throw in an RBI or two. And most of his hits are for extra base hits. He's just a consistent hitting machine.

Since numbers don't lie, I broke down his stats per month. Check it out..

• April: .320 AVG. - 8 HR's - 21 RBI - .340 OBP

• May: .250 AVG. - 3 HR's - 16 RBI - .305 OBP

As you see, May was not a great month for Cano but despite the low average he played a great 2nd base and still managed 16 RBIs for the month in 28 games.

• June: .303 AVG. - 3 HR's - 14 RBI - .367 OBP

• July: .311 AVG. - 2 HR's - 17 RBI - .359 OBP

• Aug.: .340 AVG. - 7 HR's - 27 RBI - .368 OBP (thru August 29th)

So like I said, Cano's numbers will not blow you out of the water and I am not campaigning for the AL MVP, all I am trying to point out is his consistency and to be sure we don't overlook what this guy has done, so far, for the 2011 Yankees. His batting average continues to climb as does his runs batted in and on base percentage. And, probably the most important numbers are the ones with runners in scoring position (RISP). As we have all witnessed with our own eyes this season, it seems that the Yankees are leaving an unusually high number of runners on base. If we aren't hitting a home run, then they are not scoring. But not so for Cano. Check out his stats this season with runners in scoring position:

• .308 AVG. - 7 HR's - 74 RBI - Of his 39 hits with RISP, 15 have been for doubles along with 2 triples.

So of Cano's 40 hits with RISP, 24 have been for extra base hits. Now, that's getting it done, and there is still a lot of baseball to be played. Keep it Robbie, we love you in Yankeeland!


--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com
Twitter: @MikeyBlu23

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