A new season in the Major Leagues? 3,000 hits? "God is the one who knows"says Robinson Canó, who returns to play the Caribbean Series with the champion of his native Dominican Republic, this time, the Tigres del Licey.
Canó, 40, had a difficult 2022 in Major League Baseball (MLB), in which he paraded through three teams, the New York Mets, the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves, without consolidating in any. He had missed the previous season due to a doping suspension.
"It wasn’t like one, like a player used to playing every day, wants to; but always grateful to God. He has given me more than I deserve in life"says the second baseman, eight times All Star in the big tent and World Series champion with the New York Yankees in 2009, in statements to the press at the La Rinconada stadium in Caracas, Venezuela.
He had just 33 appearances, with 15 hits and four walks in 104 plate appearances.
Canó, in 17 MLB seasons, is batting .301 with 2,639 hits, 572 doubles, 33 triples and 335 home runs. He collects 1,306 RBIs and 1,262 runs scored.
Pieces to be champions
Winter baseball has been an oasis for Canó in troubled times in the Major Leagues.
Player of Estrellas Orientales in the Dominican league, the infielder has become a regular reinforcement in the Caribbean Series and won the 2021 edition championship with Águilas Cibaeñas and the runner-up in the 2022 edition with Gigantes del Cibao. He now returns with the Licey.
"I think we have the pieces to do a good job."comment.
Canó’s performance in the Caribbean classic has been solid: he hit .417 with eight RBIs and three runs scored in seven games last year and had hit .368 in six games the previous year.
"The important thing is to get on base and do my job when I have people in scoring position.".
Things did not start well, however, in this Caribbean Series: Licey lost 5-4 against the Cañeros de Los Mochis, from Mexico. Canó went 4-1.
distant goal
There is a goal that seems more and more distant for Canó: to reach 3,000 hits in the Majors. His age and his downturn threaten him.
"Very few have. God is the one who knows. You have to have the chance to play again first"he humbly acknowledges when a journalist asks him about it.
The figure has been reached by just 33 baseball players in the history of the Major Leagues, the last of them the Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera, in 2022, with the Detroit Tigers. Only seven have been Latin American: Albert Pujols (3,384), Adrián Beltré (3,166), Alex Rodríguez (3,115), Rod Carew (3,053), Rafael Palmeiro (3,020), Roberto Clemente (3,000) and Cabrera himself.
"My congratulations to Miguel. I have always been a great admirer of Miguel’s career. We all know the kind of player he is.".