PEORIA, Ariz. -- Robinson Cano is in his third spring training with the Seattle Mariners. He's batting .333 when it comes to Opening Day serenity.
Two years ago, after Cano signed a 10-year, $240 million contract and moved on from New York, former New York Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long gave an interview that was complimentary overall, but lamented Cano's tendency to jog out ground balls. Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon fired back, and a cross-country brouhaha broke out.
This spring, Cano arrived at the Peoria Sports Complex and responded to an offseason radio interview in which former Mariners coach Andy Van Slyke skewered him on multiple levels. When Van Slyke wasn't blaming Cano for costing McClendon, hitting coach Howard Johnson and general manager Jack Zduriencik their jobs, he observed that Cano "couldn't drive home Miss Daisy if he tried.''
After violating the "what happens in the clubhouse, stays in the clubhouse'' credo, Van Slyke might be challenged to land another big-league coaching gig anytime soon. But if his rip job further motivates Cano to reclaim his status as an MVP candidate and the game's pre-eminent second baseman, his blunt assessment will have served a purpose.
Over 11 big-league seasons, Cano doesn't have to apologize for much. He ranks 22nd among MLB second basemen with 2,015 hits, and he's poised to pass Bill Mazeroski, Bobby Doerr and others on his way to the 16th spot by season's end. Last year, he joined Jeff Kent, Dan Uggla, Craig Biggio, Joe Gordon, Rogers Hornsby, Bret Boone and Ryne Sandberg as the eighth second baseman to hit 20 or more homers at least six times.
Unless Cano simply forgets how hit at age 33 and drops off the map entirely, he appears to be a lock for Cooperstown.
A reflection on the 2015 season confirms that Cano is held to higher standards than most. He led MLB second baseman with 79 RBIs and was second to Minnesota's Brian Dozier with 21 home runs last year, while ranking fifth in OPS (.779) and seventh in runs (82), doubles (34) and wins above replacement (3.4) at the position. But his season was generally regarded as a major disappointment.
Beyond the numbers, Cano played through a personal setback and injuries that would have prompted a lot of players to take an extended break. In a July interview with USA Today, Cano revealed that his paternal grandfather died in March, and he was still dealing with the fallout from a stomach parasite he had contracted late in the 2014 season. He spent the final 10 weeks playing through a core muscle injury and underwent surgery to repair two sports hernias in October.
If former coaches aren't always in his corner, Cano's teammates certainly have his back. They reflect on the 2015 season and profess astonishment that he was able to perform at the level he did.
"I couldn't even imagine the stuff he played through [while] not telling anybody,'' said Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager. "Absolutely, without question, most guys would have gone on the DL, but he toughed it out. That was pretty remarkable.''
Outfielder Nelson Cruz, Cano's Dominican countryman and best friend on the team, concurs.
"To see him go out there with a hernia and not complain, that shocked me,'' Cruz said. "It had to be painful. He's very tough and he likes to compete. He wants to be with the team.''
On his second full day at Mariners camp, Cano was already in the spirit of things. He arrived early for team medical testing before doing some morning work in the cage. After an extended workout in 90-degree heat, he grabbed a quick bite to eat and spent the late afternoon filming a commercial with hitting coach Edgar Martinez.
That left no time for interviews, but Cano had already dispensed with the big stuff on day one. During a give-and-take with the Seattle media, he brushed off Van Slyke's critique, disputed a November New York Daily News report that he's unhappy in Seattle, and pronounced himself "98 percent'' healthy after a summer of maladies.
"There were times when I couldn't sleep,'' Cano told reporters. "I'm the kind of guy, I don't like to look for an excuse. It was a hard time for me, and only my family knows that. There was a day I told the trainer, 'I can't do this anymore. We've got to find a way.' My bat felt like it was 40 ounces. Sometimes I would run to first base and I would be so tired. Thank God I'm healthy and I'm back.''
Several scouts who watched Cano labor through the first two months last season questioned his body language and effort and said he showed a level of disengagement that manifested itself in baserunning gaffes and questionable defense. Even before the Daily News story, the buzz was rampant in baseball circles that Cano regretted his decision to leave New York.
But Cano steadfastly denies that he's unhappy in the Pacific Northwest, and it appears that his health issues played a significant role in his 2015 travails. After the Daily News story broke just before Thanksgiving, Cano reached out to new Seattle GM Jerry Dipoto with a different take.
"I asked him directly (if he was unhappy),'' Dipoto said, "and he told me, 'No, quite the other way around.' He was embarrassed so much that he called me.''
Dipoto, who replaced Zduriencik in late September, dove in head-first over the winter, revamping the roster in a flurry of moves to try to put the Mariners on a more competitive footing in the AL West. He added outfielders Nori Aoki and Leonys Martin, first baseman Adam Lind and catcher Chris Iannetta to the lineup; acquired starters Wade Miley and Nate Karns in trades; re-signed Hisashi Iwakuma and overhauled the bullpen with the additions of Steve Cishek and Joaquin Benoit.
While Dipoto didn't solicit Cano's input before making his additions, he texted Cano periodically to inquire, "How are we doing?'' He has quickly come to appreciate Cano's baseball acumen and willingness to spitball ideas.
"My perception, just from visiting with Robbie, is that he knows baseball inside and out,'' Dipoto said. "He knows the league and he knows our club, and he can talk about each player in a detailed way and tell you how each one of them helps win a game.
"He's mild-mannered and generally even-keeled. I can't see him getting too high, and I can't see him getting too low. He smiles when it's appropriate to smile. I'm sure there's a time in his life when he'll get angry, but I don't know what that face is going to look like. He seems not to be dialed in a very volatile way.''
Then again, Cano is clearly disappointed that the Mariners have failed to make the playoffs in his first two seasons and regressed from 87 wins in 2014 to a 76-86 record a year ago. His monster contract, high profile and New York pedigree will make him a lightning rod until Seattle makes the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
"He definitely gets a lot of unfair criticism and stuff he doesn't deserve,'' Seager said. "I guess that happens when you come from New York and get the big contract and everything. But he handles everything so well. He does a lot of things that take pressure off a lot of other guys in here, and he's been a phenomenal teammate to everybody. That's the stuff within the clubhouse that doesn't get out.''
Cano's return to full health suggests better things are in store in 2016, but the road from spring training through Game 162 will be fraught with expectations and the occasional flareup. He knows by now that it comes with the territory.