Has there been a better second baseman in Major League
Baseball from the time Robinson Cano arrived in 2005? Probably not. At the end of each calendar year, baseball
writers submit their Hall of Fame ballots for the following year and we hear
the results in the middle of January. Names that appear on at least 75 percent
of ballots earn election to the Hall. On Monday, if those same writers casted
ballots of up to ten active players, the current limit on how many players they
can vote for, Robinson Cano’s name would almost certainly appear on at least 75
percent of them.
What a difference 24 hours can make. Yesterday, news broke
that Cano will be suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s
joint drug agreement. The Seattle second baseman reportedly tested positive for
furosemide, which is essentially a water pill that created a diluted sample to
remove excess water and salt from the body. Cano’s explanation in a statement
he released yesterday was that the substance was given to him by a licensed
doctor in the Dominican Republic and he was unaware that it was banned. However,
speculation grew instantly that such a diuretic could be used as a means of
masking something bigger and that Cano was taking it to avoid testing positive
for a performance-enhancing drug, which explains why said diuretic would be
banned in the first place.
Immediately, questions arose as to what yesterday’s news
does for Cano’s Hall of Fame chances. Should Cano return in August as the same
player he’s been his entire career, and continues to be that player in 2019 and
beyond, this may be easier to overlook for some voters when Cano is eligible
for the Hall. Let’s assume that Cano calls it quits when his massive contract
with Seattle expires in 2023 following his age 40 season. That may be on the
conservative side too given Cano’s been a durable player in his career having
appeared in at least 122 games in each of his previous 13 years and at least
150 games in the last 11 seasons. However, under that assumption, Cano would
play the remainder of 2018 after he returns, and then another five full
seasons. Sitting at 2,417 hits right now, that would seem to be plenty of time
for him to reach 3,000 hits. Since Cano’s rookie season in 2005, only Adrian
Beltre and Albert Pujols rank better in Wins Above Replacement than Cano, as
Brian Kenny referenced on MLB Now yesterday.
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| Jeffrey Becker/USA Today Sports |
Beltre and Pujols are first ballot locks and there’s no
doubt that Cano’s performance credentials are worthy of entry. But, imagine
what the discussions will be about the Hall of Fame and drug users if Cano is
elected? While it’s possible this is the only black mark for the Dominican second
baseman, by the time Cano is or is not elected, the list of potential Hall of Famers
with checkered pasts concerning drug tests will only be longer. There are
already several that have dropped off the ballot by failing to earn five
percent of the vote and there’s another wave that gets just enough to stay on
each year but will never get close to the necessary 75 percent. Ivan Rodriguez’s
induction last year was the latest in terms of players who entered Cooperstown despite
a cloud of doubt surrounding steroid usage.
If we’re continuing to operate under the assumption that
2023 will be Cano’s final season in the big leagues, that means he would not be
eligible for the Hall of Fame until 2029. That gives us at least 11 years of
waiting before we know how this will impact Cano’s candidacy. I’m of the belief
that if he does avoid any further violations and returns at the same level he
was performing at before the suspension, he will reach 3,000 hits and earn
election. But, that will only further the never-ending debate regarding
performance-enhancing drugs and the Hall of Fame. While there’s over a decade
until this question is answered, don’t think the discussion is going away.
Photo: https://nesn.com/2018/05/mlb-rumors-robinson-cano-suspended-80-games-for-violating-drug-policy/
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