No matter how hard Robinson Cano worked in other areas of his game, Yankees’ hitting coach Kevin Long is still bothered by the fact that his former second baseman continuously jogged to first base on routine ground balls.
“If somebody told me I was a dog, I’d have to fix that,” Long told the Daily News. “When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and that’s your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to.”
Long even said that he was “pretty sure” that captain Derek Jeter talked to Cano, who signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Mariners in the offseason, a number of times regarding the issue. Still, Cano made excuses, saying that “his legs didn’t feel good, or he was playing every day and needed to save his energy” when asked by Long why he wasn’t hustling.
“To me there was no acceptable answer,” said Long.
