Mariners Robinson Cano Plays Just One Winter League Game

Felix Hernandez wasn’t the only A-list Mariners player to get in some winter league reps this past month. Robinson Cano also opted to play back in his home country of the Dominican Republic, even if it was just for one game.

Cano’s time in the Dominican Republic playing for his hometown team, the Estrellas Orientales, doesn’t really qualify for as a tune up. It was more treating his countrymen with the gift of his presence on his trip back home.

Last year, Cano also played some winter league matches because he was testing a newly healed broken pinky toe.

Back then, his performance had some meaning to it, having broken his toe just two months earlier, the two hundred and forty million dollar man was looking to take a step in the direction of recovery for the 2016 season.

This time around, Cano was fully healthy, with nothing to prove. Coming off one of his best seasons of his career, he set a personal-best for home runs belting thirty-nine throughout the year. He also added over one hundred RBI for only the fourth time in his illustrious MLB employment.

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So when he took the field inside Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal, the least Cano could have done was put on a show, the same show he treated Mariners fans to in 2016.

Instead, he crumbled under the pressure of being Mr. healthy big shot. It was almost like he wasn’t even there.

Playing the role of DH, Cano wasn’t playing any defense. He did have a couple shots at the plate but failed miserably.

In the first, the Mariners star second baseman stepped into the batter’s box and grounded out. He repeated the result in the fourth frame.

In the sixth, he managed to get the ball up into the air, but still couldn’t find the deep outfield grass, popping up to the opposition’s third baseman.

Finally, in the eighth inning, Cano hit the ball softly to the pitcher to finish off his 0-4 night with three groundouts.

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It must have been great for the fans and Cano’s family and friends to see him suit up for his hometown club, but I’m sure it was also upsetting to watch one of their own and one of the MLB’s biggest stars have such an awful night.