NY Mets: Is Robinson Cano still in the Hall of Fame discussion?

Following New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano’s second PED suspension, it’s safe to say his case for the Hall of Fame has taken a massive hit.

Of all of the disappointment in the 2020 season for the New York Mets, a bright spot was the play of Robinson Cano. The trade back in the 2018 offseason looked a bit better with the bounce-back seasons of Edwin Diaz and Cano. He slashed .316/.352/.544 in the shortened season with 10 home runs and 30 RBI. He was also one of the few Mets who hit well with runners in scoring position as he was a .300 hitter in those situations.

In a year where they lacked consistency, Cano was always someone the Mets relied upon to come through. And now this. Cano is suspended for the entirety of the 2021 season without pay. This hurts the Mets but also frees up a lot of money to help them improve their roster. With many holes to fill and other options on the roster already who can play second base, this might be a blessing in disguise for the Mets. But for Cano, this is a pretty devastating blow. He cost himself $24 million dollars, and he cost himself any sort of chance at a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Robinson Cano has slashed .303/.352/.544 in his career with 334 home runs and 1,302 RBI. He also has 2,624 hits, just 376 away from the coveted 3,000 milestone. I’d figure if he stayed healthy for a little over two full seasons he’d reach that mark. But now, I’m not so sure. The same can be said about his Hall of Fame case.

As a second baseman, Cano is undoubtedly one of the best at the position in history. Craig Biggio was elected into the Hall of Fame back in 2015 and is a career .281 hitter with 296 home runs. He does have over 3,000 hits, but that’s pretty much the only advantage he has over Cano who has also won two gold gloves in his career. Cano has a higher batting average, more home runs, RBI’s, a higher WAR, the list goes on.

Had Cano never been caught using PED’s, I would bet he would be a Hall of Famer one day. Even after he was caught the first time, he performed pretty well. He hit over .300 in 2018 after being reinstated, a shaky and injury-riddled 2019, but then had a good year this year.

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But obviously, that can’t be trusted due to this news. Being caught twice has to mean there is no logical chance Robinson Cano ever gets his spot in Cooperstown. As one of the best second basemen ever to play this game, that is truly unfortunate.