Freddy Sanchez + 10 singles into home runs = R Cano

Freddy Sanchez is better than you think!

#1

Cano is 25, Sanchez is 30

It would be great if folks made loads of spurious assertions (like #1), and other folks actually responded to each one in a po-faced manner (like #2).

Also, I like how:

"2006 Batting Champion + A bunch more power" is somewhat supposed to equal "Insult!"

I think Cano, is worse than most people think. I think he is a good player, not a star level player.

Are there any players rated exactly correct by everybody?

Are there any players rated exactly correct by everybody?

Neifi!

Some time in the next three years Cano will probably be the best position player on the Yankees. He's probably the second or third best right now. I don't know if that's how people rate him.

Some time in the next three years Cano will probably be the best position player on the Yankees. He's probably the second or third best right now. I don't know if that's how people rate him.

So your saying at some point in the next 3 years Cano will be better than A-rod? Pass.

Are there any players rated exactly correct by everybody?

Yes, every player is rated exactly correctly by me.

As good as Cano has been, he still isn’t a great or fully developed player.

Actually, he is. It just seems like he isn't because he plays in the same division with Pedroia.

So your saying at some point in the next 3 years Cano will be better than A-rod? Pass.

The difference between the two isn't that great thanks to defense. If A-rod turns in another 135 OPS+ at some point and Cano hits around what he hit in 05 for a full season, he'll be the better player.

The difference between the two isn't that great thanks to defense. If A-rod turns in another 135 OPS+ at some point and Cano hits around what he hit in 05 for a full season, he'll be the better player.

Cano picks up 5-10 runs on position. He is not a tremendous defensive player, it's unlikely he can make up the difference, especially when their likly offensive production is vastly different.

Geez, everybody should have the Yankees' problems. Ian Kinsler might be the best ballplayer on the Rangers right now, all things (experience, durability, consistency, potential) considered. Kinsler is not as good a hitter as Cano, they're maybe about even as fielders, and Kinsler is four months older. IOW the guy that some are saying is not as great as he's made out to be might be the best player on some other clubs.

He is not a tremendous defensive player

From TFA:

His 2007 season, rated a +17, was above average

His ZR had him around 10 runs above average. Is he Adam Everett? No. Is he a much better defender than A-rod, who is right around average defensively? Yeah. You and I don't agree on his offensive ceiling, so I'm not expecting you to agree with me. But as long as I don't believe Cano has had his best season by 24, which I don't, there's no reason to not expect him to start matching up with A-rod soon since A-rod will be 32 next year and Cano will be 25. I do not think Cano will ever have a season like A-rod had last year, but 04 and 06 are part of A-rod's performance record too. I think it's likely that Cano exceeds A-rod once in the next three years.

From watching Cano play, I don't doubt he is average defensivly. I don't doubt he is slightly above average. I do doubt he is signifigantly better than A-rod after positional adjustment.

I do doubt he is signifigantly better than A-rod after positional adjustment.

Then we're going to disagree.

The difference between the two isn't that great thanks to defense. If A-rod turns in another 135 OPS+ at some point and Cano hits around what he hit in 05 for a full season, he'll be the better player.

It's certainly possible if A-Rod has another off year and Cano puts up a OPS+ over 125, although A-Rod's basestealing/baserunning probably puts him somewhere between .5 and 1 win better than Cano, which would cover any positional adjustment. Really just evidence of how damn good A-Rod is rather than an indictment of Cano, who I like a lot.

Actually, Cano is just as good as I think!

can we all just agree that Andy Stankiewicz is the best middle infielder the yankees have ever had? I would have said Wayne Tolleson, who was certainly better than Cano and that Jeter guy, but a mustache injury in 1988 derailed what should have been a hall of fame career.

I remain an Enrique Wilson fan.

Where do you guys see Cano developing? 25+ homerun power? 75 walks? I'm not dissing him, I actually think he's a fantastic ballplayer.

Where do you guys see Cano developing? 25+ homerun power? 75 walks?

In their dreams.

He could hit 25 homers in a year, that would hardly shock me. But I think he's more a 15-20 HR guy, with 40 2B.

And I love Cano, but if he walked 75 times in a season I'd be floored. He still doesn't have 75 walks in his career.

All that, plus excellent defense, means he's my guy for best AL second baseman over the next ten or so years.

PECOTA has Cano overtaking A-Rod in value in 2011. That sounds about right to me.

I can see Cano at 27 have a better year than ARod at 34.

Where do you guys see Cano developing? 25+ homerun power?

I don't know about the "+" part, but he did hit 19 in 2007. Could he hit 6 more this year? Sure, why not.

All that, plus excellent defense, means he's my guy for best AL second baseman over the next ten or so years.

Pedroia farts in your generale direction.

Why doesn't Petunia actually have a single season where he is more valuable than Cano before he starts treating me like a Japanese fan with the nerve to enjoy a baseball?

kevin, you are the best thing to happen to BTF since Jack O'Keefe's letters

And clearly Cashman didn't want to sign A-Rod to a big extension, or he would have done it before the opt out.

If you count intangibles, Pedroia is already better than Babe Ruth.

Where do you guys see Cano developing? 25+ homerun power?

I can see it, easily. There is power in his swing. I don't know where this comes from, but my image of Cano in 8 years is of a very muscular, Ruben Sierra-like man, playing first or DHing. And a bulked up slow Cano will hit 30 homeruns in his best years.

The 75 walks I have no idea about. But if he progresses like I think he will the walks will go up, if only because he will be pitched more carefully.

Actually, Cano is just as good as I think!

No, the headline was talking to me.

The 75 walks I have no idea about. But if he progresses like I think he will the walks will go up, if only because he will be pitched more carefully.

Cano makes contact too easily to walk 75 times. He's more likely to hit .360 to get his OBP up among the great hitters than he is to walk 75 times.

The 25 HRs I see coming at some point, I don't know how consistent it will be though.

Career stats

Pedroia:
Home: .334 .391 .482 .873 OPS (299 ab)
Away: .265 .335 .365 .700 OPS (310 ab)

Cano:
Home: .296 .329 .468 .797 OPS (767 ab)
Away: .330 .361 .508 .870 OPS (854 ab)

Pedroia at Yankee Stadium
.273 .351 .394 .745 OPS (33 ab)

Cano at Fenway Park
.359 .389 .563 .952 OPS (103 ab)

The reason Pedroia is even in this discussion (which, granted, is being stoked by a deranged man who dreams of being sandwiched between Pedroia and Ellsbury) is that he's playing in a ballpark that forgives his piddling power and rewards him with an significant number of doubles he has no business getting. Fenway Park, ironically, was probably made for Cano. He'd be an MVP candidate if he played 81 games at Fenway...

The reason Pedroia is even in this discussion

He's not, there's no need to make it a serious comparision.

The reason Pedroia is even in this discussion

He's not, there's no need to make it a serious comparision.

Yes but the Cano/Petunia threads have been fun :-)

At least Kevin hasn't tried arguing that Petunia > Wright in awhile....

Where do you guys see Cano developing? 25+ homerun power?

I don't know about the "+" part, but he did hit 19 in 2007. Could he hit 6 more this year? Sure, why not.

What he said. Also, some of it is probably based on amateur scouting... Cano really stings the ball. Unlike some high average guys who slap and spray the ball around, Cano can and does drive pitches on a regular basis.

...

Can we just say Cano is underrated by Sox fans and overrated by Yankee fans and leave it at that?

Can we just say Cano is underrated by Sox fans and overrated by Yankee fans and leave it at that?

No. I'm a Sox fan and will happily acknowledge that Cano is much more valuable than Pedroia is (and I love Pedroia).

We're still right about Nomar over Jeter, though, right? Right? Come on, you guys remember Nomar. Twitchy fella? Married to that Mia Hamm.

We're still right about Nomar over Jeter, though, right? Right? Come on, you guys remember Nomar. Twitchy fella? Married to that Mia Hamm.

WERE right, past tense, NoMAH was more valuable than Jeter before he started getting hurt.

Can we just say Cano is underrated by Sox fans and overrated by Yankee fans and leave it at that?

No, we can say that Cano is underrated by Kevin and overrated by Yankee fans.

Seriously, there are two important questions here. What is Cano's upside, and what is he likely to do. People sometimes confuse the two. Cano has a terrific upside - he might turn into one of the best players in the league. On the other hand, there are lots and lots of examples of guys as good as Cano at the same age, and who don't really develop much. What is Cano likely to do? Personally, I think Cano is very good now, but I wouldn't put even money on him developing much further. At the same time, I would put money on him having a terrific year at some point.

I'm pretty high on Cano, I could see him besting 30HRs within 2 years. Course, I was also a fan of this guy.

WERE right, past tense, NoMAH was more valuable than Jeter

thanks to the steroids.