Former Seattle Mariners' Star Continues to Lead the Race For Batting Title in Mexico
After another lifeless offensive performance from the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night, it seems like a fun time to point out that former M's star Robinson Cano is currently running away with the quest for the batting title down in Mexico.
The 41-year-old Cano is currently hitting a whopping .452 in the Mexican League, which is 30 points higher than next on the list. He's played 57 games for the Diablos Rojos, also adding 12 homers and 61 RBI. The Mexican League features former major league players like Trevor Bauer (Cy Young winner), Yasiel Puig (All-Star) and Luke Voit (home run champion).
¡CANÓ-NAZO! ☄️ ¡ADIÓS! #VamosD17BLOS - @infinitum pic.twitter.com/JLBQdGMw7A
— DiablosRojosMX (@DiablosRojosMX) July 3, 2024
This is the first season for Cano in Mexico after he played most recently for the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Series. He hasn't played in the big leagues since 2022.
Known nationally for his 2005-2013 tenure with the New York Yankees, Cano also spent five years with the Mariners from 2014-2018, signing a 10-year, $240 million deal with the Mariners before the 2014 season. Though his era with the Mariners didn't yield any trips to the playoffs, it was a generally a fun one as Cano paired with Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager, Hisashi Iwakuma and Felix Hernandez.
Cano was traded to the New York Mets in the deal that also sent Edwin Diaz to New York after the 2018 season. His contract was the biggest deal in franchise history prior to Julio Rodriguez signing a contract extension during the 2022 season. Cano was traded for a package headlined by prospect Jarred Kelenic, who is now with the Atlanta Braves.
All in all, with the M's, Cano was highly productive. He made three All-Star teams and hit .296 with 107 homers in those five seasons. The M's haven't been able to find any answers at second base since he left, cycling through Adam Frazier, Kolten Wong, Jose Caballero and Jorge Polanco in an attempt to try. Polanco has been a disaster this season and is still hitting under .200 at nearly 90 games into the season.
While Cano was excellent, it wasn't all great for him in Seattle. He was suspended during the 2018 season for PED use and only played 80 games. The Mariners won 89 games that year and just narrowly missed the playoffs and fans were left to wonder what would have happened had Cano been eligible to play the whole season.
Lifetime, Cano is a .301 major league hitter who also played for the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres. On the international stage, he represented the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
The Mariners will play the Orioles on Thursday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT.
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