Coming off his second PED suspension, former Yankees and Mariners slugger Robinson Cano finds himself hanging on for dear life, trying desperately to resurrect his career in the minor leagues. Now playing for Triple-A El Paso, top affiliate of the San Diego Padres (who DFA’d him after a listless 12-game stint earlier this year), Cano got ahold of one in Sunday’s rout of Oklahoma City, swatting a mammoth, 448-foot blast to the right-field party deck at Southwest University Park.
The 39-year-old, who launched a solo homer earlier in the game (which began Saturday but was suspended due to rain, resuming the following afternoon), knew the result as soon as it left his bat, taking a moment to admire his handiwork before finally beginning his trot around the bases.
Showing up a pitcher like that might get you thrown at in the majors, but that justice system likely doesn’t apply to Cano, an accomplished veteran who, if not for a late-career PED scandal, would probably be headed to Cooperstown.
While Cano’s steroid use will forever tarnish his MLB legacy, credit the eight-time All-Star for swallowing his pride by accepting a minor-league demotion that other, similarly established stars might not have. Cano probably didn’t envision himself wearing a SpongeBob jersey with 8,000 fans in attendance at this late juncture in his career, though he seems to be making the most of his opportunity in El Paso, submitting a productive .333/.375/.469 batting line in 18 games for the Chihuahuas.
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