New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano has been the model of consistency since making his major league debut in 2005 with the Yankees. Over the time he spent in the Bronx and Seattle (14 seasons), the Dominican native played in an average of 148 games per year — and that includes his suspension-shortened 2018 season (80 games).

Cano’s .304/.355/.493 slash line, 2,470 hits, 311 home runs, and 1,233 runs batted in coming into this season only tell half of the story, though. The time he spent with the Yanks included a nearly unprecedented run of success while playing alongside a handful of legendary players.

The experience and championship pedigree that Robinson Cano brings with him to a largely unproven Mets team is invaluable. His bat and fielding skills aren’t too shabby either.

Despite his .441/.476/.610 Spring Training line (63 plate appearances), and his rocket of a homer against Nationals starter Max Scherzer on Opening Day in Washington (the Mets will face Mad Max again on Sunday at Citi Field), Cano fell int0 a bit of a slump over his first week (.188/.212/.313 with eight strikeouts over his first 33 plate appearances).

In Saturday’s thrilling win over the Nats, Cano went 2-for-4 and tied the game in the eighth with the second of back-t0-back home runs with rookie slugger Pete Alonso. Later in the inning, Michael Conforto drilled a two-out double, Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch and Keon Broxton knocked in the game-winner with a well-placed base hit to right field.

As it turns out, according to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News, the 36-year-old Cano had a hand in that sequence unfolding, as well.

“During Broxton’s eighth-inning at-bat, Cano noticed Broxton was swinging for the fences,” Thosar tweeted. “He shouted from the dugout and told him to stay inside, hit it to right field. Broxton listened, got the go-ahead hit.”

Cano shared his thoughts on the scenario with Thosar after the game.

“We just needed one more [run], we didn’t need three,” Cano said. “Even if one of my teammates said something from the dugout, they can see better from the outside than me at the plate. When you listen, good things can happen.”

From this standpoint, one can only assume general manager Brodie Van Wagenen had Cano’s leadership qualities under the pros column when weighing whether to mortgage away a substantial prospect in Jarred Kelenic in the deal to acquire Cano and right-hander Edwin Diaz.

It was a gamble, no doubt. Let’s hope that wager ends up paying off.