Jose Sarduy

The fun factor of watching him bat is balanced by the sheer pleasure of a deep, strong rotation, now very possible, even probable. People are saying shoulda got Felix … it wasn’t going to happen or it would have. And the people saying get Fielder now … are ignoring the economic realities of adding a $20,000,000 plus DH forever.

We can’t own everyone! (I know some will say ‘Why not??’ but really…) Kuroda, by the way, costs us more like $14 million given our cap penalty. The Steins opened the wallet for this, in a year when BoSox are rebuilding.

I agree that Phil is likely to pen now, if Garcia can hang in as #5, and can see Cash eating most of AJ’s salary to get a serviceable DH from the NL. In a year one or two of the baby starters may arrive.

This was a very good deal. Ninja country, yes.

103 ERA+, lots of Ks, few walks, excellent WHIP, but also lots of fly balls and HRs. He’s only 23. That means he is still of the age for the Yankees to somehow unlearn all of his pitching ability. On the other hand, Pineda was not bound by the Yankees organizational innings limits rules, so he managed to pitch 170 INN last year. That means 200 INN is a real possibility this year. It will take Phil Hughes until he’s 37 to get up to 200 INN.

All this is to say, I am really not confident about the Yankees ability to make good on an investment in a young pitcher, though in this case Pineda may be Yankee-proof.

As for the level of buzz about him in the Minors, check out this piece from 2003.
Seems his early years in the system were relatively quiet.

Prospect Cano progressing nicely
Shortstop on the rise has solid arm, defensive skills
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

The Yankees may or may not keep Alfonso Soriano at second base in 2004, but if Robinson Cano progresses at a steady rate, New York may have a decision to make in the next few years.
Cano, who was ranked as one of the top 10 second base prospects in the minor leagues, split time between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton in 2003. The 21-year-old batted .277 with six home runs and 63 RBIs, scoring 71 runs in 136 games.

Cano is currently playing in the Dominican League for the Estrellas de Oriente. In 16 games, he is batting .135 (5-for-37) with one homer, three RBIs, two doubles and a triple. He has scored three runs, walked three times and struck out six times, posting an on-base percentage of .220.

With Tampa, Cano hit .276 (101-for-366) with five home runs, 50 RBIs and 50 runs scored in 90 games. After being promoted to Trenton, Cano batted .280 (46-for-164) with one homer, 13 RBIs and 21 runs scored in 46 games. In the past two seasons, Cano has hit .312 with runners in scoring position.

Cano has an above-average arm, plays a solid shortstop and has solid defensive skills, finishing the 2003 season with a .972 fielding percentage.

Cano went 5-for-5 on Opening Day for the Tampa Yankees and batted .500 (20-for-40) in the opening month of the season. He was one of five Tampa players to be selected to the Florida State League All-Star Game, and he also represented the Yankees on the World Team at the 2003 All-Star Futures Game in Chicago during MLB’s All-Star Weekend.

Cano has a baseball background, as his father, Jose, had a short stint with the Houston Astros in 1989, going 1-1 in six games. Jose was originally signed by the Yankees in March 1980 but never made it to the Bronx.

Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Oh yeah, there’s still the Cuban Missile out there when he’s available, and Jorge Soler if we can stand to wait a little while. Let’s wait and see.

The Yankees stuck with him, and worked on his swing, and his fielding. Cano had a ton of raw talent, but the Yankees developed him. They worked hard to bring out his best, and it’s paying off for us in huge ways. Cano is by far my favorite current Yankee.

I can’t lie, I cursed loudly when I read about it this morning, but I just felt so invested in the kid.