Mariners Analysis: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not

Jul 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz (23) is congratulated by infielder Robinson Cano (22) after scoring a run against the Oakland Athletics in the sixth inning at O.co Coliseum. The Mariners defeated the Athletics 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Robinson Cano

Robbie Cano, what do ya know, it’s glad to see you back to hitting the ball! There is no denying that he has been absolutely terrible this season, and that is putting it mildly, but I am starting to see signs of life that he just might be turning the corner!

If you recall, I wrote this article chronicling Robinson Cano’s struggles so far in 2015. Well, he is starting to do some of those things that I said he needed to do, and his numbers are skyrocketing because of that. In his last week, he sports a much more Cano like stat line, hitting .416 (10-for-24) with two doubles, a home run, and three RBIs. In that span he has three multi hit games in six games, and has moved his batting average on the season from .238 to .252.

It’s quite simple on how Cano is turning things around, and it is because he is hitting to all field again. If you recall on his home run, he absolutely stung a James Shields offering, taking a pitch outside of the strike zone, and placing it in the left center field seats. Immediately when he hit it I jumped for joy, as that was the Cano swing of old that we had grown so accustom of seeing. He let the pitch get deep, got his hands extended, and threw the bat head at the ball, not trying to do too much with it. Because of this, he was able to get the barrel on the ball, and with his strength he muscled it out of the ballpark.

I don’t need to tell you guys how big it would be for the M’s to get him going, as you all know just as well as I. But, I think that based on what I saw, Cano is going to have a great July and a much better second half of the season.

Next: Stock Down: Kyle Seager