Veterans Cano and Cruz Could Power Mariners To History
Mariners sluggers Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz have now both been in the league for a dozen years each as the head their lucky 13th season, but they’re still hitting home runs as if they’re in the primes of the careers. If they continue their power-hitting ways of 2016 in this upcoming campaign, the pair will not only make M’s history, but they will go down in baseball lore as well.
It’s not often a baseball player would say, “I’m playing the best power-ball of my career in my mid-30’s, twelve years in, in the twilight of my career.”
However, the way that Cruz and Cano bashed the ball out of the park with such consistency in 2016, you can bet they both said some variation of that last year.
This past season, Cano and Cruz joined about a dozen other MLB teammate pairs in the modern era to each blast at least 30 home runs when having played for at least 12 years.
They were the second duo in 2016 to achieve that along with Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz.
More from SoDo Mojo
If they were to both hit at least 30 home runs again this coming year (year 13), they would be the 10th duo to reach that mark that late in their careers.
They would be the first teammates to do so since 2015 when Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira did it.
From a Mariners perspective, they would be the 1st duo to do this in the 40-year Mariners history. And, only one other Mariners slugger has hit that many how runs at that stage of his career: Edgar Martinez.
Even more impressive, Cano and Cruz could be the 22nd and 23rd men in baseball history to ever hit forty home runs in their 13th year or later. That is if they both have equal or better outputs than last season.
M’s fans would love to see this kind of history made in 2017. There are already so many reasons to be excited about the Mariners in 2017. This is just one more reason to add to the long ever-growing list.