Fools and Gold

Ever hear of the "Sophomore Jinx"? That's a baseball phenomenon wherein a young player who came up and set the world on fire as a rookie finds that the big leagues are tougher in the second season. This occurs because the league has made adjustments and they do not for whatever the reason adapt quickly enough to these adjustments. Typically, they adapt in the third season and go on to have stellar careers [although Mark Fidrych and Joe Charbonneau were unable to do so].

Robinson Cano, now in his third season, is undergoing just such a season. Off to a terrible start, he is finally up above .220, but it's been a struggle. Robbie has poor plate discipline but gets his hacks [kinda reminiscent of Manny Sanguillen, really] - really sweet swing. Doesn't like to walk, so his on-base average is lower than it should be.

I liken this season for him to a sophomore jinx in that the league finally understands that he will swing early and often, and that to begin with a strike can have fatal consequences. The league consensus is to begin out of the strike zone but not too much; entice Mr. Cano to swing at a bad pitch for a strike one count, or [even better] hit the ball fair but without good wood on it for an easy out.

How Robbie will succeed: Here's hoping Bobby Abreu is contagious. With good plate discipline, Cano would begin seeing better pitches to hit, and his on-base average would rise markedly [both because of the increased batting average, but also because of more bases on balls]. His power numbers would also go up; waiting on his pitch would result in better contact and harder hit balls. He can achieve this, if he wants to badly enough. Then and only then would I move him up in the batting order. Right now, he's not ready.

That's the gold portion.
Fools. Can you believe that people are already giving up on Cano? These are the same people that were willing to run Mike Mussina out of town, and relatives of the same mob who booed Roger Maris. Classy, assclowns. Have patience and it will be rewarded. Have impatience and it, too, will be rewarded. Fools.