"I think it's always been somewhat projected that he would move up in the lineup," Joe Girardi told the Daily News. "He's got so much ability and tools, but with young players, sometimes you want to ease him in. To me, Robbie's not a young player anymore, even though he's young on this team."
Cano put up a .320 average with 25 homers and 85 RBIs last season. In 516 of his 656 career starts, he has hit sixth or lower. In 2009, he filled the No. 5 position in 50 games for 214 at-bats, hitting.299 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs. Although he has produced better numbers lower in the batting order, the Yankees are counting on the 27-year-old to find his swagger and be a strong successor for Matsui.
"He still has a little bit of a ways to go as far as the strike-zone discipline," Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long said in the Daily News. "We've hit him at the bottom of the order, but at some point, we have to try him in a different spot. This might be the year.
"What makes me feel like he can do it this year and maybe not last year? His maturity. When Robbie puts his mind to something, he's pretty good at fixing it. That's going to be his approach. He's walked a couple times this spring. It's not the season, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do."
As a middle-of-the-order hitter, Cano will have to produce consistently. Last season, he hit .207 with runners in scoring position (111th in the AL among batters with at least 100 plate appearances). The former No. 5 hitter, Matsui, hit .303.
Cano is ready for the opportunity.
"You want somebody hitting behind A-Rod so they can pitch to him, so I'm going to have to step it up early in the season," Cano said. "I know what I went through last year, so for Girardi to put me fifth, that means that he trusts me. He thinks I'm ready."
Curtis Granderson was another possibility to follow Alex Rodriguez. Granderson has a slightly better RISP with .242, but his average is not as high as Cano’s. Last season with the Tigers, Granderson hit .249. Cano also has a lower strikeout rate, which will be critical for a batter in the middle of the lineup.
"Power is not so important to me," Girardi explained. "It's the ability to hit for average. I think Robbie has matured as a person and as a player. I like what I see. His work ethic is tremendous."
Cano likely will be followed by Jorge Posada, Granderson, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner, strategically switching up lefties and switch-hitters at the bottom or the order.
"Nothing is etched in stone," Girardi said. "We're doing some things to move some guys around, but Tuesday [against the Astros] is going to be pretty close to what it is."
