Post by johnnyyankee on Mar 24, 2007 9:51:32 GMT -5
Even their names have some catchy similarities with the Ro and the Ca, but it's that all that may be similar? According to this article, Joe Torre believes that there is a lot more than to compare. Please read this article, taken out of www.answers.com which is quite interesting and judge for yourselves. Please read:
Baseball News / News / Cooperstown Confidential -- May 26, 2005 on: May 30, 2005, 12:49:33 PM
Cooperstown Confidential
May 26, 2005
By Bruce Markusen
Regular Season Edition #4
Cano And Carew
Yankees manager Joe Torre took some heat over the internet last week when he compared rookie second baseman Robinson Cano to Hall of Famer Rod Carew. A few of Torre’s critics, who are on the lookout for axes to grind with the more traditional Torre, belittled the Yankee skipper for making the link between the two, given that Carew won seven batting titles while Cano was rated only a B-level prospect by some scouts. Well, the criticism of Torre is off base here. Torre said that Cano “reminded” him of Carew, “but with more power.” Now there are certainly different ways to interpret the spoken word, but that doesn’t sound to me like Torre is making some kind of quantum leap and saying that Cano will become as great a hitter as Carew. The word “remind” makes me think that Torre is speaking in terms of his physical appearance and his swing, and not that he necessarily expects Cano to become the Hall of Fame player that Carew was. It comes down to this: there’s quite a difference between Torre saying that Cano “reminds” him of Carew as opposed to saying that he expects Cano to “become the next Carew.”
Torre has actually used these kinds of comparisons in the past, whereby he creates a depiction of a current player by talking about who that player reminds him of physically or stylistically. Cano’s build is lean and lanky, similar to that of Carew. Cano also has a very smooth swing at the plate, which is probably what influenced Torre the most in making the Carew remark. A few years ago, Torre talked about the swing of a young Ricky Ledee and how it reminded him of the hitting style of Billy Williams. On another occasion, Torre and former Yankee coach Don Zimmer compared Alfonso Soriano to Hank Aaron, not by saying that they expected Soriano to hit as many home runs but in terms of the similarity in the strength and quickness of their wrists. (And that’s a comparison that was also sounded by several major league scouts.) I think Torre uses these comparisons as a way of conjuring up a mental image for the fans and media (and not to create an undue set of expectations) so that they might have a better idea of how a young player looks in the way that he plays the game. If anything, Torre’s method shows a respect for baseball history and for the strengths of the young player in question. That’s a good thing, and not something meant to create an unreasonable or impossible expectation…
Yankee batting coach Don Mattingly also made a comparison involving Cano during spring training, but that analogy didn’t create as much of a firestorm as Torre’s comments. Mattingly said that Cano’s swing and style at the plate reminded him of Ruben Sierra during the latter’s younger days. In terms of statistical output, that’s probably a better gauge of what Cano may be able to do; he’s not likely to win the seven batting championships that Carew garnered with the Twins and Angels, but might be capable of putting up offensive numbers similar to those of Sierra… While Cano doesn’t have the hitting ability or footspeed that Carew had in his prime, he does have one advantage over the Hall of Famer. Cano is a very good defensive second baseman—he’s twice been named the best defender in his league during his minor league days. And if we can be forgiven another comparison, Yankees broadcaster Jim Kaat has said that Cano’s slick sidearm throwing style reminds him of Manny Trillo during his hey day with the Cubs and Expos. (Trillo’s submarine throws on double-play takeouts served as a powerful deterrent to baserunners contemplating a “high” slide into second base.) With his arm and range, Cano likely won’t have to switch positions as Carew was asked to do in the midst of his career with the Minnesota Twins. In 1976, the Twins moved Carew, a subpar defensive second baseman, to the less demanding position of first base, where he played for the remainder of his career.
****************************************************I was quite lucky to have seen Carew play and the way he slapped the ball to all fields does remind me of him when I see Cano do the same. This kid has all the tools to be another hitting machine as Carew was and his two full seasons (almost 2) has shown great promise for him to be a great hitter. Eveyone has seen his great glove at second base which at times made some people believe that he was just another Soriano, which of course has proven everyone wrong. He is a very good fielding second baseman and he may just win a few Gold Gloves before he retires, and a few Batting Titles. Only time will tell!
Baseball News / News / Cooperstown Confidential -- May 26, 2005 on: May 30, 2005, 12:49:33 PM
Cooperstown Confidential
May 26, 2005
By Bruce Markusen
Regular Season Edition #4
Cano And Carew
Yankees manager Joe Torre took some heat over the internet last week when he compared rookie second baseman Robinson Cano to Hall of Famer Rod Carew. A few of Torre’s critics, who are on the lookout for axes to grind with the more traditional Torre, belittled the Yankee skipper for making the link between the two, given that Carew won seven batting titles while Cano was rated only a B-level prospect by some scouts. Well, the criticism of Torre is off base here. Torre said that Cano “reminded” him of Carew, “but with more power.” Now there are certainly different ways to interpret the spoken word, but that doesn’t sound to me like Torre is making some kind of quantum leap and saying that Cano will become as great a hitter as Carew. The word “remind” makes me think that Torre is speaking in terms of his physical appearance and his swing, and not that he necessarily expects Cano to become the Hall of Fame player that Carew was. It comes down to this: there’s quite a difference between Torre saying that Cano “reminds” him of Carew as opposed to saying that he expects Cano to “become the next Carew.”
Torre has actually used these kinds of comparisons in the past, whereby he creates a depiction of a current player by talking about who that player reminds him of physically or stylistically. Cano’s build is lean and lanky, similar to that of Carew. Cano also has a very smooth swing at the plate, which is probably what influenced Torre the most in making the Carew remark. A few years ago, Torre talked about the swing of a young Ricky Ledee and how it reminded him of the hitting style of Billy Williams. On another occasion, Torre and former Yankee coach Don Zimmer compared Alfonso Soriano to Hank Aaron, not by saying that they expected Soriano to hit as many home runs but in terms of the similarity in the strength and quickness of their wrists. (And that’s a comparison that was also sounded by several major league scouts.) I think Torre uses these comparisons as a way of conjuring up a mental image for the fans and media (and not to create an undue set of expectations) so that they might have a better idea of how a young player looks in the way that he plays the game. If anything, Torre’s method shows a respect for baseball history and for the strengths of the young player in question. That’s a good thing, and not something meant to create an unreasonable or impossible expectation…
Yankee batting coach Don Mattingly also made a comparison involving Cano during spring training, but that analogy didn’t create as much of a firestorm as Torre’s comments. Mattingly said that Cano’s swing and style at the plate reminded him of Ruben Sierra during the latter’s younger days. In terms of statistical output, that’s probably a better gauge of what Cano may be able to do; he’s not likely to win the seven batting championships that Carew garnered with the Twins and Angels, but might be capable of putting up offensive numbers similar to those of Sierra… While Cano doesn’t have the hitting ability or footspeed that Carew had in his prime, he does have one advantage over the Hall of Famer. Cano is a very good defensive second baseman—he’s twice been named the best defender in his league during his minor league days. And if we can be forgiven another comparison, Yankees broadcaster Jim Kaat has said that Cano’s slick sidearm throwing style reminds him of Manny Trillo during his hey day with the Cubs and Expos. (Trillo’s submarine throws on double-play takeouts served as a powerful deterrent to baserunners contemplating a “high” slide into second base.) With his arm and range, Cano likely won’t have to switch positions as Carew was asked to do in the midst of his career with the Minnesota Twins. In 1976, the Twins moved Carew, a subpar defensive second baseman, to the less demanding position of first base, where he played for the remainder of his career.
****************************************************I was quite lucky to have seen Carew play and the way he slapped the ball to all fields does remind me of him when I see Cano do the same. This kid has all the tools to be another hitting machine as Carew was and his two full seasons (almost 2) has shown great promise for him to be a great hitter. Eveyone has seen his great glove at second base which at times made some people believe that he was just another Soriano, which of course has proven everyone wrong. He is a very good fielding second baseman and he may just win a few Gold Gloves before he retires, and a few Batting Titles. Only time will tell!