Jose Cano Is Not A Good Pitcher

Robinson Cano blasted his way past Adrian Gonzalez Monday night to capture the 2011 Home Run Derby crown. It was quite the show. Cano hit a record breaking 12 home runs in the final round including the 472-foot winner with four outs to go. Some writers suggested this was Cano's coming out party or whatnot. Although I thought Cano was a long shot to win, it's not like he's been flying under the radar. Cano is a Yankee after all and has had an ISO over .200 for the past two seasons and .199 in 2009. I don't think a Home Run Derby championship was needed to get a 25-30 home run per season second baseman playing in New York some attention.

The other angle played up in every post/article/conversation about Cano's victory is, of course, that he had his father pitching to him during the competition. Jose Cano surrendered home run after home run to his son. I would have preferred to see Jose throw one high and inside just to remind Robbie who's the boss (it was Angela) but what do I know about parenting. The closest I've come is using my 4-year-old nephew to try to pick up women in the park. It was a really cool story though. Then we all needed to be reminded that Jose Cano was a former Houston Astros pitcher. Which is true.

The elder Cano pitched 23 innings in 1989. He gave up 24 hits, 13 runs, 2 homers and walked 7 for a 5.09 ERA. I'm pretty sure giving up 32 homers to his son will be the much fonder baseball memory. Either way, I felt it was my duty to point out that Jose Cano is/was a lousy pitcher. If you include his Home Run Derby performance, by my math, his MLB career ERA would be around 900.

We still have a soft spot in our hearts for Jose here. At last year's All Star game festivities, he asked occasional Off Base editor Derwood to take a picture with him. Derwood is the short white guy not wearing the "Team Cano" shirt if any of you were confused.

Kevin Long Has Big Plans For Robbie Cano

Yankee hitting instructor extraordinaire, Kevin Long, is either quite full of himself or delusional in his optimism for Robinson Cano. Or he's a super genius. Cano is coming off of his best season in 2010 finishing third in the AL MVP voting. It was a monster season by all accounts for a second baseman as he hit 29 home runs and put up a .320/.381/.534 line. But Long apparently thinks Cano is capable of 40 jacks...

"I wouldn't be surprised if Cano hit 40 home runs," Long said. "He hit 29; could he hit 40? Why not? It's a big number - and not something that's a goal - but could he do it? I don't think there's anybody standing here that thinks he can't."

Asked if he thought he could go deep 40 times this season, Cano laughed and answered quickly.

"No chance; maybe if you put an extra half-season," Cano said. "To be honest, that's not in my mind. I don't think I'm a home run hitter; most of my home runs are line drives. I don't want that kind of thing in my mind. If I hit it, thank God, but it's not on my mind."

Well, PECOTA is more inclined to believe Cano than Long projecting a bit of a regression for the second bagger. It has Cano coming back to Earth a little bit hitting a mere 20 homers and a .300/.346/.476 line which would still make many teams jealous. But if Cano hits 40 bombs, Long needs a raise.

If you're wondering why I'm writing a post about a hitting coach, it's because I now have a horse in this race. Brandon Wood reached out to Kevin Long for hitting advice this off season and I recently flushed some cash down a toilet to sponsor his Baseball-Reference page.

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Offbasepercentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy is Giomar Guevara and he's here to wish Sweet Lou a happy retirement. I think, I don't understand the Spanish.

Hey kids, I'm back with another uplifting version of Jobu. Let's see how many games I can get through before I mention a relief pitcher melting down. I'll set the over/under at 0.

Braves 16, Cubs 5. Jason Heyward and Omar Infante crashed Lou Piniella's retirement party by both slugging a pair of homers. Heyward went 4-4 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI and 2 walks. Infante went 4-6 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. Justin Berg relieved any doubts Piniella might have had about retiring as the pitcher threw 1.1 innings giving up 5 runs on 5 hits and a walk. For those keeping score at home, I made it through half of a game so I hope you took the over.

Yankees 10, Mariners 0. Robinson Cano led the offensive onslaught of the Bronx Bombers against the hapless M's. Cano went 2-5 with a home run and 6 RBI. CC Sabathia tossed 6 shutout innings while striking out 8 for his 17th win of the season. If CC can sink his ERA below 3.00 and hit 20 wins, I bet he undeservedly wins the Cy Young.

Phillies 6, Nationals 0. Roy Oswalt threw 7 shut out innings on 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8. See, I occasionally mix in some good pitching with the ugly. The explosive Nationals' offense led by Roger Bernadina and Adam Kennedy couldn't get much momentum going so they comfortably remain the third worst team at scoring in the National League. Chase Utley: DNP.

Royals 3, White Sox 2 (10). The 2 teams that strikeout the fewest combined for 19 yesterday. Zack Greinke struck out nine in 8 innings while John Danks, Bobby Jenks and Scott Linebrink teamed up to strikeout 10 Royals. Wilson Betemit hit his 8th home run of the season and owns a .346/.425/.577 line. Somewhere Derwood shakes his head in confusion.

Jose Cano Welcomes Derwood to Anaheim

ANAHEIM - I walk into the Anaheim Marriott, and who is in the lobby, waiting to take a picture with me? Robinson Cano's father, Jose.

"Derwood! Come over here and take a picture with me," Jose will say from now on when I tell the story.



As of 12:22 p.m. PST, my early attempts to get Robbie and my father together for a photo have been unsuccessful.


* UPDATE - 1:38 p.m. PST *

Finally, Mr. Cub and Mr. Sparta Little League 11-Year Old All-Stars meet

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Gene Tenace



Yankees 4, Mariners 2. With apologies to Andy Hawkins, the Yankees finally have their first true ace since Ron Guidry. C.C. Sabathia went eight innings, his sixth consecutive start pitching at least seven (all NY wins), and Robbie Cano and Alex went deep, the last of which was a two-run go-ahead tater in the bottom of the eighth to avoid a horrifying three-game sweep.

Indians 6, Bluejays 1. OK, this is starting to get a little ridiculous. Five consecutive wins for the Tribe? Did Rachel Phelps take away the hot water in the clubhouse again?

Astros 6, Padres 3 (10). Luke Gregerson doesn't walk many hitters. He recently had a 110-batter stretch without issuing a free pass and walked just four in 39 1/3 IP heading into Thursday's game. Then Humberto Quintero and Oswaldo Navarro happened. The pair drew consecutive, two-out walks in the 10th off Gregerson and Michael Bourn followed with a triple to lift the 'Stros.

Athletics 8, Orioles 1. Trevor Cahill pitched seven innings of one-run ball to beat Baltimore for the second time this season. Cahill is unofficially the 407th pitcher to pull off that feat in 2010.

Curveballs for Jobu

Curveballs for Jobu is Off Base Percentage's daily trip around the ballparks.

Today's honorary bat boy: Dane Iorg



Yankees 8, Dodgers 6 (10). Sunday's game was a strange one for me as a Yankees fan. I went through a wide range of emot...anger and object-throwing as LA basically took a five-run lead on bunts and a home run by Ronnie Belliard. Not a pleasant beginning of the night in the Derwood bunker. Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw pitched well-7 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 0 BB-and a 6-2 deficit in the ninth looked like a 10-2 deficit with the way the Yankees had been hitting and with Jonathan Broxton (no runs allowed in last 14 appearances) sweating on the mound. But then it happened. After Mark Teixeira struck out looking on ball two, Alex singled and Robbie Cano doubled, 6-3. Jorge Posada followed with one of the best at bats I've seen him have in a long time-fouled off pitches and didn't bite on pitches Jorge usually bites on-singling to right to chase Cano to third. Curtis Granderson polishes off another great at bat with a walk and the bases are loaded. What followed made me feel like a proud father whose sons were all raised by different men and then started pro baseball careers and whom I've never actually met. Rookie Chad Huffman served a 1-1 pitch into right field to score two and cut the lead to 6-5, then fellow rookie Colin Curtis had the best at bat of the night, capping a 10-pitch trip that included four straight stay-alive foul balls with a 3-2 count, with an RBI-groundout to first. 6-6. Any fan who didn't have the MUTE button on all game could hear the air being sucked out of half-empty Dodger Stadium. Mariano Rivera pitched two scoreless innings, half of the LA team was ejected for arguing balls and strikes, Cano launched a two-run home run off George Sherrill's goatee in the 10th, and the Yankees secured one of the more satisfying victories I've witnessed in 30 years as a fan. Now, what happened to that hole puncher I destroyed in the 3rd?


Oh, I'm sorry, were other games played Sunday?


Royals 10, Cardinals 3. What the hell is going on in Kansas City these days? Bruce Chen allows two earned runs in five innings for the win, Crazy Kyle Farnsworth throws two shutout frames and Wilson Betemit homers and drives in three as the Royals win a series against St. Louis. Silly times.

Rangers 10, Astros 1. Can you put in a request to play Houston or is the schedule already set in advance? Texas stayed hot, winning its 16th in 18 games, and Josh Hamilton continued his torrid run. The left fielder hit the second longest home run in the history of the Ballpark at Arlington, and during his current 21-game hitting streak, he's hitting .465 with nine home runs.

Orioles 4, Nationals 3. Somebody break up the Baltimore Orioles! That wasn't a contraction joke. Baltimore had its third consecutive come-from-behind victory against Washington and won its fourth consecutive game. Parade scheduled for Tuesday morning. How many times a day do you think Jim Riggleman thanks Stephen Strasburg for being alive, 500? Because without Strasburg, Riggleman would be managing the Medferd Bobcats, a fictional team I just made up.