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If I had a dollar for every time a sports analyst said that Robinson Cano was a future batting title winner, I'd be writing this article from the Waldorf-Astoria with a bottle of Ace of Spades "Midas" champagne. Looking at all the awards Robinson Cano has piled up in his young career, you'd think he was a Hall of Famer in the making. He's a World Series winner, a three-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger winner and a one-time Gold Glove winner who's finished in the top six in MVP voting each of the last two years. But how many of those awards did he actually deserve?
In 2009, Robinson Cano earned a World Series title with the Yankees in the way that Eric Gagne earned one with the Boston Red Sox in 2007. The New York Yankees did not win a World Series because of Robinson Cano, they won one despite him. Throughout the 2009 postseason, Cano hit .172 with one double, two triples and zero home runs.
Cano also managed to save his worst for the World Series. In the 2009 World Series, Cano hit a cool .136 with no walks, no extra base hits, just one RBI and five strikeouts. He also managed to strand an impressive 12 runners in just six games.
But what about his Gold Glove award? Surely, he deserved that. He's a human highlight real who makes everything look easy and has a rocket for a arm. Or, at least, that's what sports analysts seem to think. But the numbers tell a very different story.
Robinson Cano has a negative -39.9 UZR and has had a negative value in each of the last four years. His selection as a Gold Glove winner in 2010 is almost as comical as Derek Jeter or Rafael Palmeiro.
Well, if he's so overrated, you may ask, then why has he done so well in MVP voting the last two years? For one, he plays for the New York Yankees. The same New York Yankees that have had multiple MVP award winners in seasons where members of other teams hit for the triple crown. He also has a high average, which traditional voters seem to love and flashy home run totals.
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When Robinson Cano finished third in the MVP voting in 2010, he was sixth in the American League in WAR. That's not so bad considering that different writers value players in different ways. But last year, when Robinson Cano finished sixth in the voting, he was a comical 16th in the American League in WAR. The best part is that he wasn't even the best player at his position... or the second-best...or the third-best. Cano ranked fifth among American League second baseman in WAR.
At least Robinson Cano can hit, though. He really did deserve his Silver Slugger awards.
In 2006, Cano legitimately was the best hitting second baseman in the American League. He led all players at his position in AVG, SLG and OPS. In 2010, Cano again outpaced the competition with the best offensive season of his career. In 2011, the competition was much closer. Dustin Pedroia had a better AVG and OBP, but Cano had the better OPS, making him a fair choice.
But what about Cano's offense when it really counts? He's a career .324/.363/.530 hitter with the bases empty, and it's all downhill from there. Once runners gets on base, he's a career .289/.330/.458 hitter, and once runners get in scoring position, he's a career .274/.322/.448 hitter. His numbers with runners in scoring position and two outs are even worse.
That's the issue with Cano. He does all the flashy things that grab attention. He plays for the New York Yankees, he puts up gaudy offensive numbers and he makes strong throws. But he doesn't do the basic things that are truly valuable, like hitting well when it matters or having good range defensively.
History may be kind to Cano. In 30 years when he's considered for the Hall of Fame, voters may simply look at his offensive numbers as a whole and decide that he was one of the game's best. But those who see him play every day should know better.
The Extreme Program is back to test your skills! Do you have what it takes to earn all four Diamond Bosses? Complete Extreme Moments, Missions, Showdown, and the Conquest Map to earn progress towards rewards, including Unlockables, a bat skin, four guaranteed Diamond player items from choice packs, and the four Bosses:
- Retro Finest Kerry Wood, Chicago Cubs SP (99 OVR)
- Retro Finest Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds CP (99 OVR)
- Retro Finest Robinson Cano, New York Yankees 2B (99 OVR)
- Retro Finest Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays 3B (99 OVR)
Let’s break down the ways to earn progress in the Extreme Program.
Extreme Moments
Extreme Moments feature some of the best to ever play the game, including Ken Griffey Jr., Carlos Delgado, Aroldis Chapman, and Albert Pujols. These career-defining moments helped cement their place in baseball history.
Extreme Showdown
Get ready to face-off against “The Big Unit” himself as Randy Johnson takes the mound in the Extreme Program Showdown. Select your Showdown Squad leader from Retro Finest Kerry Wood, Retro Finest Aroldis Chapman, Retro Finest Josh Donaldson, or Retro Finest Robinson Cano, then draft your team and get ready to stare down one of the most dominant pitchers of all-time.
Extreme Conquest Map: “The Kraken”
As you probably feared, turn-based goals are a major component to “The Kraken” Conquest map. That means you need to be strategic and calculated as you move through the map, which is a departure from most Conquest maps you have played in MLB The Show 22.
Important: To complete the map, pay attention to the eight turn-based goals requiring you to conquer opponent strongholds on or before a specific turn number. To accomplish this, you will likely need to steal territories to have a shot at taking rival strongholds in high stakes and harder difficulty 3-inning games. Along the way, pick up the Kraken bat skin and Universal Profile icon, as well as more packs throughout the fierce tentacles.
Earn up to 120,000 XP in Featured Program
As you earn each of the four Extreme Bosses, collect the player items in the Featured Program for 30,000 XP each! That’s a total of 120,000 XP if you collect all four.
Not everyone will complete the Extreme Program during the Dog Days of Summer before it ends on September 1. So in future Featured Programs, the Extreme Boss collections for XP will return to help you earn XP. Keep working on completing the Extreme Program at your own pace! Remember, it’s not time-limited.
Dog Days of Summer Spotlight Moments
The Dog Days of Summer Spotlight Moments are another way to earn XP chunks towards the Dog Days of Summer Featured Program. These Moments showcase recent high OVR player items, including Headliners and August Monthly Awards, and provide 1,500 XP per Moment for a chance to earn up to 15,000 XP.
Hot Series Collection: Milestone
Earn 10,000 XP towards the Dog Days of Summer Featured Program by collecting 3 Milestone player items in the Hot Series Collection.
Double XP Days
If you’re looking to earn more XP towards the Dog Days of Summer Featured Program to unlock rewards, take advantage of Double XP Days to earn 2X XP from gameplay starting today in MLB The Show 22. Double XP Days ends on September 1.
New Topps Now Moments
Check out these all-new Topps Now Moment in the August Monthly Awards Program to earn the following player items:
- Dustin May, Los Angeles Dodgers SP (93 OVR)
- Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels SP (93 OVR)
- Oswaldo Cabrera, New York Yankees SS (93 OVR)
Collect these three Topps Now Moments player items, plus the previous 8, for a total of 11, to add Diamond Rhys Hoskins (95 OVR) to your Diamond Dynasty squad.
Headliners Packs – Set 41
Headliners Packs – Set 41 features 3-time All-Star and 2-time Gold Glove Award recipient, Retro Finest Adam Wainwright. On April 18 of his 2013 season, “Waino” became the first pitcher to earn 28 strikeouts and zero walks in the first four starts of the season since 1900. He would go on to win his second Gold Glove Award in that same season.
- The Headliners Pack – Set 41 has 1:10 odds of pulling a Diamond. This pack is available in The Show Shop for 7,500 Stubs and is limited to 5 packs per player.
- The Headliners Choice Pack – Set 41 has 1:3 odds of pulling a Diamond. This choice pack is available in The Show Shop for 25,000 Stubs and is limited to 1 pack per player.
*The Headliners Pack and the Headliners Choice pack Diamond odds have a chance to include the featured Diamond player item; however, that chance does not guarantee that the featured Diamond player item will drop from either pack.
Roster Transactions
Today’s content drop brings along with it a Roster Update focused on Transactions that aligns your MLB The Show 22 rosters with the current MLB rosters.
*Roster Updates occur weekly throughout the season, with the next Attributes Update coming Thursday, September 1.
Tags: MLB The Show 22