Cano Batting Third (or Fifth)?

From Tyler Kepner (NY Times):

I spoke Monday with the hitting coach Kevin Long, who spent six days with Cano in the Dominican Republic this month. Long told Cano to prepare to possibly hit third or fifth next season. The lineup almost certainly will not include Bobby Abreu or Jason Giambi, and that puts more emphasis on Cano.

Wow, that’s some interesting information. Here’s Kepner’s lineup, assuming that Cano actually does bat in front of A-Rod (Kepner acknowledges that the final decision is up to Girardi, of course).

1) Johnny Damon, lf
2) Derek Jeter, ss
3) Robinson Cano, 2b
4) Alex Rodriguez, 3b
5) Jorge Posada, c
6) Xavier Nady, rf
7) Hideki Matsui, dh
8) Nick Swisher, 1b
9) Brett Gardner, cf

Now, this is really intriguing stuff. If Cano bats in front of A-Rod, he’ll likely see some better pitches, but it could also be frustrating since pitchers know that Cano is likely to swing at bad pitches (he’s capable of hitting a ton of low balls, so he goes after them). If he continues that swing-happy trend that we saw in 2008, then opposing pitchers can toss him a ton of bad pitches, knowing that he’ll swing at them and make a weak out, and then they’ll be content with facing A-Rod and no one on base (and if he connects, a solo homer isn’t too bad). The situation is like Cano’s swing before the revamp—-it’s complicated.

While moving Cano in front of A-Rod may help Cano, I don’t really see how it’ll help A-Rod too much. I for one am appalled by the Yankees in their total disregard for the 5-hole. Doesn’t A-Rod deserve better protection? I feel like the Angels, seriously. Giambi was really nothing more than an aging, decrepit hitter who was still capable of taking advantage of bad pitchers and some really bad mistakes (he couldn’t hit good pitches to save his life). He could barely muster a positive outcome with RISP. That’s the guy we saw in the 5-hole last year and although I like Jorge’s versatility, he’s just not the guy I’d like to see in the 5-hole. The Yankees need a better mix of power, patience and high average hitting in that spot and Mark Teixeira fits the bill. I know it’s not that easy since the Yankees may not sign him, but I’d probably go with Matsui in the 5-spot instead of Posada. He demonstrated what he could do in that role, last year, hitting damn near everything until his legs gave out (.309/.398/.456). He’s probably got less power than Posada, despite being younger, but at least we (fans, coaches, everyone) know he’s a professional hitter than can produce in any given situation.

If I were the manager, I’d slot Nick Swisher in the 3-spot. He saw 4.51 pitches per plate appearance last year, which was extremely high (it was actually Swisher’s career high in that area). Compare that to Bobby Abreu’s 4.29 P/PA, his lowest number since 2002 (that figure has steadily declined since 2006). Swisher has a good amount of pop and would fit well in the 3-hole (he could hit 30+ homers). He’s not fast but he’s a great baserunner, better than Cano (by far). So you won’t get steals, however, you’ll see a guy who can go from first to third when the situation calls for it, and, also, let’s not forget that Bobby Abreu was dreadful on the basepaths in what was likely his final season with the Yankees. In the end, Long telling Cano that he’ll hit 5th or 3rd seems nice as a confidence boost or a statement of necessity as the team currently stands, but I just don’t see it as being a feasible spot for him unless they’re sold on trying to get him in front of an established, patient guy (Cano in front of Posada could work). Here’s how I would reconfigure Kepner’s order (with the current squad).

1) Johnny Damon, lf
2) Derek Jeter, ss
3) Robinson Cano, 2b Nick Swisher, cf
4) Alex Rodriguez, 3b
5) Jorge Posada, c Hideki Matsui, dh
6) Xavier Nady, rf Xavier Nady, rf
7) Hideki Matsui, dh Jorge Posada, c
8) Nick Swisher, 1b Robinson Cano, 2b
9) Brett Gardner, cf

I juggled Nady and Cano, in my head, for a bit. The reason I thought Nady should start in the 6-hole is because of his play in the first half. In the past few years, his power has really come through in the beginning of the season. Wedged in between Matsui and Posada could really help him out, especially since he, like Cano, isn’t one of the most patient guys around. Cano is sort of stuck in his spot, but unless he can really prove himself as the season progresses, I’d keep him in the bottom part of the order. My final comment is that if the Yankees sign Mark Teixeira, the offense would be exponentially better. He’s everything the Yankees have ever wanted for A-Rod protection (while both of them are still young and as A-Rod ages, Tex will continue to produce). If I were the Yanks, I’d try and lock up CC, try and lock up Pettitte and then figure out the final rotation spot with Ben Sheets or an in-house option. Burnett and Lowe are not necessary to this team, but CC is the definitive guy, right now.