Brian Roberts will never be Robinson Cano, but he doesn't have to be.
Roberts, 36, was signed to a one-year, $2 million contract with the Yankees last off-season. Yankees' manager Joe Girardi named Roberts the team's starting second baseman on Monday, a move that seems too premature.
"That is the plan, for him to be our second baseman," Girardi said on Monday. "I know he hasn't played a full season in the last few years, he's obviously a guy who has some age on him too, but my plan is to run him out there every day."
The Yankees have other options at second base should Roberts catches the injury bug again. Kelly Johnson, former Rays and Blue Jays infielder, signed as a free agent this off-season. He provide more power than Roberts, having hit 16 home runs and driving in 52 runs in 118 games for the Rays last season. Johnson, 31, is a younger option compared to Roberts and might prove to be more effective.
The team also has Eduardo Nunez, a talented and young infielder. At age 26, Nunez is a product of four Major League seasons, batting .267 and stealing 48 bases in 270 games. He has a wild, but powerful throwing arm. A move to second base might prove effective for Nunez and the club.
Girardi shouldn't have announced his decision this early. Roberts, a two-time all-star, is a proven Major Leaguer. However, he is too injury prone. The man can't play forty games before suffering a prolonged injury.
The only positive to this situation for the Yankees is that second base is a non-issue for a club filled with issues. Will Derek Jeter remain healthy? Will Mark Teixeira return to form after his wrist injury? Will Jacoby Ellsbury hold up in the outfield? Will Masahiro Tanaka be the pitcher who went 24-0 in Japan last season. These are the important issues for the Yankees.
Roberts is replacing a future Hall of Famer in Cano. The Yankees may never seem that type of production at second base again. Cano averaged 196 hits, 28 home runs and 103 RBI over his last five seasons in the Bronx. He hit .314 and slugged .530 over those five seasons. Roberts, or whoever, replaces Cano should not be expected to produce those types of numbers.
"Robbie is such a special player, I'm not going to go in and be Robbie," said Roberts. "Nobody will be. Our goal is to put nine guys on the field to win a game. My goal is to try and help us do that.... I'm sure there are going to be people who are going to want to look out there and say, 'He is not Robbie.' I'm not going to be Robbie and I'm not going to try to be. I'm going to be Brian Roberts and hopefully that is good enough."
How many Yankee fans remember Miguel Cairo? He was the team's starting second baseman in 2004, the year before Cano made his MLB debut. Cairo hit .292, smacking 17 doubles in 122 games for the 2004 Yankees. He had some clutch hits as well, including a game-tying double on July 1, 2004 in the 13th inning when the Yankees were at home against the Red Sox. The Yankees were down 5-4 in the 13th. Ruben Sierra was at first, singling after getting two strikes on him. Cairo hits a double into right-center field, allowing Sierra to score from first.
Roberts needs to be like Cairo, a solid, productive hitter. He doesn't need to play like Cano because, quite frankly, who can play like Cano? Yankee fans need to accept the fact that Cano is gone. He's not coming back. Brian Roberts is your second baseman right now. He's not Robinson Cano.
For all intents and purposes, Roberts is the next Miguel Cairo.
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