Two of the biggest disappointments for the Mets in 2019 came in one fell swoop: closer Edwin Diaz and second baseman Robinson Cano who were acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a blockbuster trade.
A risky move no doubt, but for both of them to flop as mightily as they did was unprecedented.
Going into 2020, the hope, or more so, the need, is for both of them to rebound. But let’s focus on Cano specifically for now, a guy who hit his entire career. Can he find success in 2020?
Let’s take a look at his numbers from the past season.
The 37-year-old appeared in 107 games, which was the second lowest amount of games since debuting in 2005. Cano was plagued with hamstring and quad issues in 2019, which may have contributed to his poor offensive output.
Overall on the year, Cano hit .256/.307/.428 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. He also had a .308 wOBA, 93 wRC+ and a .280 BABIP. These numbers are extremely alarming, especially for a guy who has compiled over 2,500 hits and is a .302 career hitter.
The silver lining, however, is that Cano hit .284/.339/.541 in the second half of the year, and launched nine of his 13 home runs.
Delving a bit deeper into his numbers, some of Cano’s advanced stats are in line with his career numbers. His barrel rate, exit velocity, launch angle and hard hit percentage are pretty much along the lines of what he’s done since the Statcast era began.
The second baseman did see dips in his walk rate, xSLG and xwOBA and his strikeout rate did spike a bit.
Regardless, Cano is signed through 2024. His numbers at the end of the year are a hopeful sign he still has some life left in his bat, but he is also going into the 2020 season as a 37-year-old.
With the Mets having playoff ambitions, the contributions (or lack thereof) from Cano will be a vital piece in making the postseason or not.
