The Unsung Hero

With order restored in the AL East, aka the Yankees holding a nine game advantage over the Red Sox, Yankee fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief and begin to reflect on the dramatic turnaround in the standings. While many people point to the acquisition of Bobby Abreu as a major catalyst, and with good reason, the return of All-Star Second basemen Robinson Cano is often overlooked. At just 23 years old Cano has emerged as one of the premiere hitters in baseball and a rangy, strong-armed second baseman. After hurting his hamstring in late June, Cano spent over a month on the DL and in Tampa rehabbing his bum leg. Since returning, Cano has put up tremendous numbers.

Starting on August 8th when Cano returned to the lineup against the White Sox his average is over .368 with fourteen doubles, five homeruns, and 29 RBI in 28 games. To put that in perspective, if he kept that up over the course of a season he would swat 29 homeruns, drive in 168 runs, collect 81 doubles, while hitting at an amazing .368 clip. Now obviously it can not be expected to keep up such numbers, it is perfectly reasonable to believe that Cano could hit at an average of .330 with 25 homeruns and 85 runs batted in over the course of a season. Even with the collection of stars around him in the lineup, few can outshine that kind of production.