It was a great moment for his father, Jose Cano, who had been pitching to him during the Derby. It was a great moment for David Ortiz, the American League team's captain, who had invited Cano to enter the Derby. And it was even a great moment for his teammates Jose Bautista and Adrian Gonzalez, who could console themselves with losing by knowing that Cano had just put on the best finals performance in Home Run Derby history.
But, was it a great moment for Cano's team, the New York Yankees? Should the Bronx Bombers be worried that Cano might have used up a little too much firepower to win?
Past champs of the contest have bore the stigma of having "used up" all of their power to win the derby. The best example of this would be Bobby Abreu.
As a member of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005, the right fielder entered the contest with 18 home runs at the break. Abreu then put on a show, mashing a record-breaking 41 home runs to win the Home Run Derby. Problem was, he only hit six for his team the rest of the season.
Yahoo actually did a little research in preparation for this year's go-round and found that players that enter the derby on average see their slugging percentage drop during the second half of the season.
Yankees fans may argue that power is not a big factor in Cano's game. He hit a career-high 29 homers last season and is roughly on the same pace this year with 15 at the All-Star break.
His first half and second half power numbers are nearly identical, to boot. In his career, Cano has hit 66 home runs in the first half of the season. In the second half, he's hit 65.
But history is history, and the cautionary tale of Bobby Abreu lives large in the minds of many fans.
What do you think? Should the Yankees be worried about Robinson Cano?
Should the Yankees be worried about Robinson Cano after his Home Run Derby victory?
