Robinson Cano vs. Dustin Pedroia

[Bleeding Green]

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Pretty funny. That's actually a quote from Pat Murphy, Pedroia's coach at ASU.

Oh, that makes sense too. 8)

As for the power:

Cano IsoP: .155
Pedroia IsoP: .123

Pedroia isn't some little singles hitter.

[34Celtic]

Cano's average is back up to .303. I don't know what his BABIP is and frankly....I don't give a crap

[studcrackers]

im sure if you gave BABIP a chance you 2 would be the best of friends. (it told me it has a crush on you)

[nykgeneralmanager]

It took Cano about 2 months, but this is the Cano that everybody saw his rookie year and last year. He has always been a 2nd half player according to his splits, but he was extra bad earlier in the season. Now, EVERYTHING off his bat is a line drive again, it's just a matter of it being in the gap or directly at a fielder. He had 42 hits in July to lead the league and hasn't missed a step now that August is here. Combine that with the gold glove caliber defense that he is providing and the question in this topic becomes a joke.

[The Rondo Show]

Pedroia is hitting .322 with a 30/36 K/BB ratio (yeah, that is in the correct order, too), a .400 OBP and rock solid D (don't know what "rate2" or whatever says, but I haven't bought into them since I've seen them say Alex Gonzalez was a below-average shortstop for the Sox last year). This comparison is certainly not a joke right now, even if you'd take Cano.

Do you believe Robinson Cano is a .900+ OPS type of guy? That is really the only way this can be viewed as a "joke" with how Pedroia has performed.

[nykgeneralmanager]

Maybe calling it a ''joke'' was a bit far fetched, but when Cano is hitting the way he usually does, he is one of the best pure hitters in all of baseball. He's just got a beautiful swing to hit the ball through the left side, down the lines, shoot it in the gaps, etc. It's almost like he just picks where to put the ball sometimes. And while his OBP isn't very high, he has already set a career high in walks with 2 months to go. I know it isn't saying much because of how little he walked in his first 2 seasons, but it can't be denied that it shows improvement. And if he continues to improve in that area and does in fact hit 20-25 home runs on a regular basis, he can become an elite player thanks to his MUCH improved defense.

[studcrackers]

maybe its just coincidence but it seems like everytime ive seen Cano play defense he manages to screw up at least 1 play a game.

[nykgeneralmanager]

maybe its just coincidence but it seems like everytime ive seen Cano play defense he manages to screw up at least 1 play a game.

Must be a coincidence because he recently snapped a streak nearly 60 games without an error. And it isn't like he just makes routine plays and avoids errors, he is pretty spectacular out there and is one of the smoothest in all of baseball in turning the DP.

[holdupstop23]

Did you really cal Cano a gold glove 2nd baseman? You cant be serious.

[nykgeneralmanager]

Did you really cal Cano a gold glove 2nd baseman? You cant be serious.

Yes I did and I can be serious. Stats don't lie, you can't give me a handful better 2B in the AL. You watched Cano maybe 5 times this year when the Yanks played the Mets, and that 3 error game is sticking out in your mind. But what you say isn't taken too seriously as it is, so I'm actually glad you think he is a sucky fielder.

[cmaff051]

Did you really cal Cano a gold glove 2nd baseman? You cant be serious.

Yes, go look at his defensive metrics and watch him everyday instead of taking 1 game (that infamous game at Shea) and trying to say that is the defensive infielder that he truly has. He has games where he just has mental blocks, but he is remarkably consistent otherwise.

[studcrackers]

yea his defensive stats are pretty impressive and nykgm it probably was just coincidence and i havent seen him play much this year. in years past though he seemed to make a couple careless plays or errors though.

[nykgeneralmanager]

yea his defensive stats are pretty impressive and nykgm it probably was just coincidence and i havent seen him play much this year. in years past though he seemed to make a couple careless plays or errors though.

Yeah he was always too careless and nonchalant out there. When Bowa arrived, he REALLY took Cano under his wings because he was the infield coach and obviously the other infielders are pretty established (Jeter, ARod, etc.). He worked with Cano every single day on not just footowork and the basics, but drilling it into Cano's head to concentrate on every second of every play. Now those mental blocks for Cano are far and few between, and the potential he has defensively has begun to show. The other day when Cano made a great grab against the White Sox, Bowa went to the top step of the dugout and bowed down to Cano and laughed. The relationship between the two of them is great and Bowa has really rubbed off on Cano in a positive way.

[nykgeneralmanager]

All of the defensive statistics like UZR, rate2, range factor, etc. show that Cano has arguably been the best 2B in the AL (Ellis is one you could argue for) and one of the best in all of baseball...heck he has been better than Orlando Hudson, which would shock people. That's why I wish people like holdupstop wouldn't be so judgemental because he saw Cano's worst defensive game of his career or because of the ''careless'' reputation Cano built in his first year and a half in the majors. He has shown significant improvement, even more than I hoped for and expected.

[nykgeneralmanager]

Watch Baseball Tonight later if you want to see what Cano can do in the field. I'm not sure there is one other 2B in baseball that has the range to get to the ball on the SS side of second base and the arm strength + accuracy to throw accross the body to get the runner in plenty of time like he did tonight.

[cmaff051]

Watch Baseball Tonight later if you want to see what Cano can do in the field. I'm not sure there is one other 2B in baseball that has the range to get to the ball on the SS side of second base and the arm strength + accuracy to throw accross the body to get the runner in plenty of time like he did tonight.

Should be the #1 Webgem tonight. Those people who say Cano is a bad fielder or doesn't have range clearly haven't watched him enough.

[Dirty Water]

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Yes I did and I can be serious. Stats don't lie, you can't give me a handful better 2B in the AL. You watched Cano maybe 5 times this year when the Yanks played the Mets, and that 3 error game is sticking out in your mind. But what you say isn't taken too seriously as it is, so I'm actually glad you think he is a sucky fielder.

I still have yet to see a defensive statistic that measures a players true defensive ability.

[nykgeneralmanager]

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I still have yet to see a defensive statistic that measures a players true defensive ability.

That's fair. My only answer to that is to get the MLB package and watch Cano on a daily basis to appreciate what he can do in the field.

[cmaff051]

Robinson Cano OPS+ - 126
Dustin Pedroria OPS+ - 117

[cmaff051]

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Hunh? No. BABIP is a rather telling stat when it comes to predicting whether a seemingly high batting average in a small sample size is more design than luck/randomness. Case in point: Robbie Cano 2006.

Whoops. He must have had a lot of luck two years in a row. Maybe he is just a good hitter??? Just maybe???