New York Yankees Editorial: The Bronx is Boiling — The Curse of Robinson Cano

Apr 24, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) gloves a ground ball in the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

CANO WAS LAZY ON DEFENSE.

Maybe. Maybe he just played the game effortlessly. I can’t really say. I don’t know what went through Robbie’s head every time the ball came to him. What I do know is that he was not at all bad defensively, and that’s exactly what the Yankees have been in the infield since Cano left.

His last two seasons in New York saw Robbie commit 12 combined errors. That is four less than Chase Headley has committed this season, but no one gets angry that the Yankees pay this guy $13-million a year to do so and not even back up his poor play with his bat.

It is all relative, folks. People want to attack Robbie Cano for taking $24-mill a year from another team for proving he was one of the best second basemen in the game, but no one wants Headley’s job on the line. This is a guy making $13-million. That’s larceny for what he has done thus far in New York. But I digress.

Cano won two Gold Gloves in his time in New York. The second baseman’s range factor was higher than the league’s average for seven of his nine seasons in New York. Four of his nine seasons he finished with a better fielding percentage than the league average and in four of the seasons he fell short, he did so by .002 of a point.

Cano was an above average second baseman during his time in New York. He had a plus Defensive Runs Saved six out of his nine seasons with the Yankees and is a +20 for his career. Jose Altuve, who many consider the best second baseman in baseball right now, has finished in the negative, well below average for the past three seasons to put that in perspective.

Next: Cano should have never left