Womack: Robinson Cano nearing Hall of Fame numbers; will voters agree?
From SABR member Graham Womack at The Sporting News on September 14, 2016:
So much of what Robinson Cano does seems to fly below the radar.
In a year where hype for the American League Most Valuable Player Award centers around Mike Trout, Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts, the Mariners second baseman has a dark horse candidacy. After all, Cano’s team is still very much in the running for a wild card spot, while he’s on-pace for 36 home runs and just shy of 7 Wins Above Replacement. If the season ended today, Cano wouldn’t deserve to win MVP, but a lot could change in the season’s final weeks.
Cano’s future Hall of Fame candidacy is quietly picking up steam as well. While he doesn’t have the automatic clout of an Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera or Ichiro Suzuki, who’d be Hall of Famers if they retired tomorrow, there’s a chance Cano will finish his career with 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. If the soon-to-be 34-year-old sticks to his career averages of about 180 hits and 20 home runs, give or take, he’ll get his 3,000th hit somewhere around age 38, his 400th home run sometime before he turns 40.
Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/robinson-cano-nearing-hall-of-fame-numbers—will-voters-agree/1i5g5esdyzkaj1uudumk42dzhq
Originally published: September 14, 2016. Last Updated: September 14, 2016.