Bold Prediction Time

Last year I predicted that Mike Mussina would post a 1.25 WHIP, 150K and 180IP.

Moose went 1.22, 150K, 200IP.

I'm tempted to follow Moose's lead, record a great season and retire.

Then I get thinking about Robbie Cano.

Robbie burst onto the scene in 2005 hitting .297/.320/.458.  At 22, he showed a lot of promise; at the very least he would be an adequate 2B for a few seasons, and if Mattingly's batting title prediction ever came true it would be a major coup for a guy who was passed over by the D-backs in the RJ trade.

His 2006 showed a lot of the good and bad in his bat.  He hit .342 in an injury shortened season but walked only 18 times (.365 OBP).

A lot of us predicted a big fall off for Robbie in 2007, but he responded with what seemed to be his best season yet- a full 160 games, 39BB, .306/.353/.488.  Sure his slugging and OBP went down, but the added patience really made me hopeful, especially considering his BABIP dropped from .363 to .331 and his LD% dropped from 19.9% to 16.9%.

The fall off came in 2008 when Robbie's BABIP dropped  50 points to .286 even though his LD% rose to 19.4%.

Cano caught a ton of flack for laziness on the field and off, for partying too much, and for being impatient at the plate.  While laziness may have been a factor on certain plays, bad luck seems to be Robbie's main sin.

So a rebound seems to be in order.  The challenge is to predict how far.

Bold Prediction:

.325/.375/.500