In today’s NY Post, Kevin Kernan argues that the Yankees have fallen from the $240-million star Robinson Cano to the .157 average of Stephen Drew.
In the article, Kernan says “Cano is not off to a great start this season, but his average is about 100 points higher than Drew’s average.”
Not off to a good start?
At nearly the 1/3 mark of the season, Cano has been HORRID! Robinson Cano‘s numbers through 49 games:
195 AB, 2 HR 16 RBI .251 Avg and .295 OBA
And his numbers were very recently even worse — Cano had only 1 homerun until Saturday night when he hit his second. With the season almost 1/3 old, Cano is on pace for a full year of:
6 HR 51 RBI .251 and .295 OBA
Stephen Drew is at:
153 AB, 5 HR, 15 RBI, .157 Avg, .225 OBA
Interestingly Drew, in less at bats, has more than double the homeruns and almost as many RBI’s despite batting at the end of the Yankee lineup, while Cano bats in the middle of the Seattle lineup!!
Not Letting Facts Get In the Way
Kernan is obviously not letting the facts get in the way of his story — he may have written the story without actually looking up how Cano was doing. It is unlikely that Cano’s offense would have helped the Yanks over what Drew has given them this year at all.
Moreover, Drew makes $5 Mil a year on a 1-year deal; Cano is making $24 mil a year and more importantly, he’s on contract for 8 more years after this one. Cano is 32; his worst years are ahead of him.
The Interstate
Also not stated by Kernan is that hitting is down across baseball since the start of increased PED testing to start the 2014 season; we’re back in the 1970’s again when middle infielders battled with the Mendoza line and were ‘on the interstate’. So it’s unfair to smash Drew’s average without that context, that Kernan doesn’t bring up.
With defense being equal — they are both good defenders — Drew is not costing the Yankees as much as Kernan makes it seem; and Cano is certainly not worth $19 million more than Drew (and over $200 million owed over the next 8 years)!
Thank heaven for Stephen Drew! And the Yankees may slip in good-hitting rookie Jose Pirela as the regular 2nd baseman at some point. Pirela was the 2nd baseman in spring training until he ran into the outfield wall as the centerfielder in one game; he is back now.
The Yankees face Cano and Seattle tonite. Lineup:
1. Brett Gardner CF
2. Chase Headley 3B
3. Alex Rodriguez DH
4. Mark Teixeira 1B
5. Brian McCann C
6. Carlos Beltran RF
7. Didi Gregorius SS
8. Stephen Drew 2B
9. Ramon Flores LF
P. Michael Pineda (6-2 3.36)
On the mound for Seattle — Felix Hernandez (8-1 1.91)
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