What happened to Robinson Cano?

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It was only two years ago when Robinson Cano was considered the best second baseman in all of MLB. Now, Cano is hitting under .250 with a minuscule two home runs and 20 RBI on the season. With Cano performing at such a low level this season, one must wonder if the 32-year-old’s career is on the decline.

When the Seattle Mariners inked Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240 million dollar deal in December of 2013, they were expecting him to continue being an MVP candidate, which he was on the Yankees, and help bring a World Series to the city of Seattle.

Unfortunately for the Mariners, who sit at 31-37 on the year, Cano has not brought his success from the Bronx with him. In his first year with the team, he hit .314 with only 14 home runs and knocked in 82 RBI. While that may look like a solid year for the average player, Cano hit .314 with 27 bombs and 107 RBI the previous year.

One explanation for Cano’s decline could be the Seattle Mariners’ home ballpark, Safeco Field.

Coming from Yankee Stadium, Cano was able to hit a majority of his home runs over the short porch in right field. Unfortunately for Cano, there is no short porch anywhere in Seattle. Safeco Field is well-known as being a major pitcher’s ballpark, and it is extremely difficult for hitters to hit a ball over the fence from left-center field to right-center field.

This season, Safeco Field is the 27th worst hitter’s ballpark according to Park Factors. Safeco’s Park Factor rate is only 0.764. Cano’s old ballpark, Yankee Stadium, is the seventh best hitter’s ballpark and has a Park Factor rate of 1.141.

While the ballpark change explains the sudden drop in the power numbers, it does not explain the drop in Cano’s batting average.

Cano has a lifetime average of .307, but is only hitting .245 this season. The last time that Cano even hit under .300 was in 2008, when he hit .271.

The only explanation for Cano’s decline is that he isn’t getting the support he needs from the rest of the Mariners’ lineup. The Mariners came into the season looking like a dark horse contender for a World Series title, as it looked as if their hitting would be much better in 2015. After adding Nelson Cruz in free agency, who has been an excellent signing so far, Seattle’s lineup looked poised to be able to blow out teams on a daily basis. Unfortunately, Cruz has been the only Mariner that has performed up to par this season.

As a team, the Mariners are hitting .233, as Cruz is the only Mariner hitting over .300. The newly acquired Mark Trumbo is hitting only .188, and has not yet hit a home run in Seattle.

With no support in the lineup for Cano outside of Nelson Cruz, he is not getting good pitches to hit and most pitchers are not giving him any pitches over the heart of the plate. This has lead to Cano being over-anxious and has made him try and force things. By doing so, Cano has continued to lose confidence in his hitting ability and has not looked comfortable while hitting all season long.

The ultimate question with Cano is if he can ever turn it around and go back to being the All Star slugger that he was in New York. The answer to that question, however, depends on Cano’s confidence. If Cano can regain his confidence at the plate, then there is no question that he will go back to being an All Star. However, if Cano keeps forcing things while hitting, then he will continue to hit well under .300 and will struggle mightily for the rest of the season.