MLB 2017: Top ten second basemen

2. Robinson Cano, Seattle Mariners

Three years into his massive $240-million deal in Seattle, Robinson Cano continues to have one of the sweetest swings in baseball. The spacious dimensions of Safeco Field have not slowed him down, and he hit 39 home runs last year, which topped his old career-high from the launching pad in the Bronx. Despite battling nagging injuries in his second year with the Mariners, Cano has continued to put up excellent numbers.

Cano hit the All-Star break in 2015 with a .251/.290/.370 line, looking uninspired. It was later revealed that he was playing through a double hernia. Since that dismal half of baseball, Cano has batted .308/.363/.535 with 54 home runs. His defense has also rebounded as his health returns. Safeco Field has not hurt him too much, and Cano has actually slugged 14 points higher in his new home than Yankee Stadium with ten more home runs in four fewer games.

There were questions about Cano’s ability to carry a team in Seattle, and he admitted to signing there because the money was highest. Everything is trending in the right direction entering year four of the megadeal. On the back end — years eight through ten — Cano’s offense and defense may fall off a cliff, but for now, he is an elite second baseman, worth every dollar he is paid.