Robinson Cano: Undervalued In 2016?
By Brad Kelly
On the surface it appears that considering Robinson Cano‘s season, .287/21 HR/79 RBI/.334 OBP, as underwhelming would be silly, but those owners who picked him know that his season wasn’t a smooth ride.
Cano’s 1st half was absolutely brutal, especially coming from a perennial top two round pick. His limped to the break with a, .251/6 HR/30 RBI/.290 OBP line, and was on the verge of being a drop candidate. But for those who watched have watched Cano all these years, there was clearly something wrong. His enthusiasm seemed to be sapped from him and he just seemed to be battling something.
We heard rumblings during the season that he was battling a stomach virus or core issue. But we really didn’t know the extent of it until he announced he was having sports hernia surgery. We now had an answer to what nagged at him all year and owners should keep that mind in 2016. Whether it be rest or medication, vintage Robinson Cano did surface the 2nd half the season in 2015.
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He saved his season and rewarded owners who stayed patient with him, with a,.331/15 HR/49 RBI/.387 OBP line. This allowed him to end the season with a respectable line, and if you asked a majority owners they would be surprised how decent his season wound up.
This is where I think astute owners can take advantage of. The initial thought by most will be that Robinson Cano struggled in 2015 and pretty much on the decline. However, if we look at his great second half and his corrective surgery, Cano seems prime to get back to his usual production. There some other encouraging signs buried in his peripherals.
With the addition of Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano was able to see an uptick in his Runs production, he also had a 7 HR uptick thanks largely to 3% increase in his LD rate. As a fantasy owner it was nice to nice Cano begin to drive the ball again. While his .300+ is a bonus, I would gladly sacrifice that for him to climb back into 25 HR territory.
2016 could be just the year were you can steal Robinson Cano in the mid rounds as he has lost the top round allure. Yet, the production is still evident and there is still premium value to have. These are the types of players that can solidify your lineups as other owners have basically taken him for granted. Look for Cano to remind everyone why he can still be the second basemen in baseball in 2016, with the bonus of coming at a discounted price tag.