MEXICO CITY — At some point in late July, Robinson Canó completed a exercise and stepped out right into a quiet hallway at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium. He had two hours earlier than his group, the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, would face the Conspiradores de Queretaro in a day matinee, and he had a pregame routine to finish.
He wanted to eat. He wanted to stretch. And, in some unspecified time in the future, he wanted to complete an interview about why, on the age of 41, he was right here in Mexico Metropolis, an eight-time MLB All-Star plying his commerce within the Mexican League, the place the wage cap is round $475,000 per 30 days for a complete roster of 30 gamers.
“Cinco minutos,” Canó stated, as he headed off to complete one other process.
It was Saturday, and it had been an extended week. The day earlier than, the Diablos had arrived house from Leon at near 4 a.m. On Friday evening, Canó had collected two hits in an 18-11 victory over Queretaro.
Canó made greater than $260 million in his profession, together with $240 million in a deal signed with the Mariners a decade in the past. Had been it not for 2 performance-enhancing drug suspensions, he would seemingly be a lock for the Corridor of Fame. The Mexican League has lengthy been a refuge for minor-league castoffs, four-A gamers and former major-leaguers with checkered pasts. However it’s hardly ever, if ever, been a spot for a participant like Canó.
So that you may suspect that Canó spent the summer time amassing a (comparatively modest) test and serving as a (washed-up) draw for Mexican baseball followers. However that’s not what occurred. As an alternative, Canó arrived this spring and instantly grew to become the perfect hitter within the league, main the Diablos — Mexico’s most storied membership — to the perfect common season in franchise historical past.
Canó completed the common season batting .431, profitable the “Champion Bat” for the best common within the league and setting a brand new membership report — which additionally tied for the best common within the Mexican League this century. In the meantime, the Diablos completed the common season with a staggering 71-19 report, the best profitable share in league historical past. They entered Thursday with a 2-0 collection lead over Puebla within the best-of-seven first spherical of the playoffs.
Canó’s arrival coincided with a Mexican League season that noticed a report variety of former big-leaguers because of relaxed guidelines on international imports, in addition to rising funding from membership homeowners. (The Diablos additionally make use of Trevor Bauer, the previous MLB pitcher who served what amounted to a 194-game suspension for violating the league’s Joint Home Violence, Sexual Assault and Little one Abuse coverage.)
However after months of watching Canó dominate helpless pitchers, remodeling into both the Ted Williams of the Mexican League, or maybe its reply to Lionel Messi, the most important query gave the impression to be: Why?
Why was Canó, at 41, grinding like he was again at second base for the New York Yankees — scouting pitchers who peaked at Double A, serving to teammates who simply wish to survive a number of extra years, pushing himself to play 5 or 6 instances per week?
“For me, the enjoyment that I’ve is with the ability to be on the sector,” Canó says. “I like the sport. I nonetheless have that in me. I wish to preserve enjoying. I get an opportunity right here.”
In some unspecified time in the future, as his abilities light, his major-league profession ended, and he confronted his personal baseball mortality, Canó thought-about what he wish to do with all that free time.
He opted for extra baseball.
The Mexican Baseball League, or LMB, was based in 1925. And for many of its existence, it has been a waystation for attention-grabbing outsiders. Take into account the story of George Brunet, a lefty pitcher who debuted for the A’s in 1956, spent 15 seasons kicking across the majors, after which headed for Mexico in 1973, the place he pitched for one more 16 years, earned the nickname “El Viejo” (The Previous Man), tossed a no-hitter at age 42, and suffered a coronary heart assault in 1981. He returned the subsequent yr and gained 14 video games for Veracruz at age 47.
Or think about James Bell, higher often known as “Cool Papa,” the Negro Leagues star who batted .437 for Veracruz in 1940, becoming a member of a cadre of Black gamers from the period who had been welcomed south of the border.
Then there was the pitcher from the Dominican Republic, who, when his six-game major-league profession was over, got here to Mexico and loved temporary stints with groups in Mexico Metropolis and Aguascalientes. José Canó didn’t go away a lot legacy in Mexico, however he did let his younger son swing a bat on the sector in Aguascalientes when he came visiting.
Robinson Canó recalled the story of his father sooner or later in February, when membership officers from the Diablos had been visiting him in Miami and making an attempt to promote him on a summer time in Mexico. Canó’s profession stateside had been waning since 2020 when, as a member of the Mets, he had examined constructive for the anabolic steroid Stanozolol. It was his second violation of MLB’s coverage on performance-enhancing medicine, which triggered a year-long suspension in 2021. When he returned to the Mets in 2022, he batted .195 in 12 video games earlier than being launched.
Canó kicked round with the Padres and Braves, toiling briefly at Triple-A El Paso, earlier than being launched for good in August. Not prepared to hold up his cleats, he continued to play winter ball within the Dominican and invested in Baseball United, a coming startup league targeted on rising the game within the Center East and South Asia, which introduced a partnership with the Saudi Baseball and Softball Federation in March. However Miguel Ojeda, a former big-league catcher and the Diablos sports activities director, needed to supply a very totally different pitch.
Thought of by some to be the “New York Yankees of Mexico,” the Diablos Rojos play their house video games at Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium, a contemporary ballpark that price $166 million, opened in 2019 and shortly grew to become the jewel of the league. Tucked between turns of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — Mexico Metropolis’s sprawling Method One observe — the stadium’s white cover roof could be seen from its surrounding working-class neighborhood. The venue’s namesake is the Diablos’ proprietor, Harp Helu, a billionaire businessman who can be an investor within the Padres.
Ojeda emphasised to Canó that the Diablos’ house clubhouse was major-league caliber — weight room, sauna, kitchen, chef — and that the group might supply safety throughout his keep. (Most gamers dwell at a close-by lodge.) He talked about the opportunity of as much as 20 import gamers, that means the roster can be crammed with gamers with big-league expertise. “It could be an enormous growth for baseball,” he informed Canó.
Ojeda was additionally trustworthy: The Diablos have extra championships than any membership in Mexican League historical past — 16 in whole — however their final title was in 2014. Their followers had been getting stressed.
“We’ve been dominating it in the course of the common season,” Ojeda stated. “We simply haven’t been capable of win.”
Diablos officers declined to disclose how a lot they supplied Canó, however stated that Canó and Bauer had been “the perfect paid gamers within the historical past of this group.” One American participant, who requested for anonymity as a result of he was not approved to debate salaries, stated most gamers with major-league expertise had been making anyplace from $15,000 to $25,000 per 30 days, whereas Canó was thought to obtain a premium over that. The month-to-month wage cap for a Mexican League roster is roughly $475,000 — equating to a mean wage of simply lower than $15,000 per 30 days — although Ojeda stated the group had exceeded the cap and was paying a luxurious tax.
Ultimately, cash wasn’t a sticking level. “He doesn’t want the cash,” says Diablos supervisor Lorenzo Bundy. So when Canó agreed to signal, the Diablos entrance workplace and training employees emphasised one factor: The group needed to make sure that Canó was recent and wholesome for the postseason, so they’d restrict his enjoying time to a few or 4 video games per week.
However then Canó confirmed up within the spring and met with Bundy.
“I got here to win,” Canó stated.
Fairly quickly, he was batting over .400.
So Bundy put him within the lineup every day.
On a cool evening in late July, Canó stepped into the batter’s field within the first inning towards Queretaro. The temperature hovered within the excessive 50s. A mixture of reggaeton and American pop music performed. A crowd of greater than 10,000 followers spun noisemakers, blew into plastic horns and chanted “Vamos Diablos,” making a near-permanent din.
Canó confronted Wilfredo Boscan, a 34-year-old right-hander from Venezuela whose solely big-league expertise consisted of six appearances for the 2016 Pirates. Canó slapped a single to left area on the primary pitch. One inning later, he stepped up once more and blooped one other single into middle.
Canó is a little bit thicker within the midsection lately, and his arms are slower. However the lefty swing, for probably the most half, is similar one he possessed throughout 9 seasons with the Yankees.
“He’s bought a fantastic swing,” stated Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton, who managed Canó in rookie ball. “It has by no means modified.”
When Canó was enjoying for the Gulf Coast League Yankees in 2001, Shelton determined that he was “the neatest baseball participant at that age” that he had ever seen. Canó was 18 and flashy, the sort of participant who would cost laborious for a gradual curler and flip the ball behind his again. Shelton was at all times reminding Canó to make use of two arms, quoting a phrase he discovered from his personal father: “Robbie, God gave you two arms for a cause.”
Canó debuted with the Yankees in 2005, within the twilight of a dynasty, and develop into the most effective second baseman within the league. He helped New York win the World Collection in 2009, and for a second appeared like a Yankee lifer. However then got here two moments that outlined the remainder of his profession: In 2013, he fired agent Scott Boras, joined Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company and departed New York for Seattle. After which, 5 years later, he examined constructive for the diuretic furosemide, a banned substance that landed him an 80-game suspension.
Canó would end his profession with 335 house runs and 68.1 Wins Above Substitute, higher than Roberto Alomar or Ryne Sandberg, two second basemen who reached the Corridor of Fame this century. However that constructive take a look at — coupled with a second in 2020 — is prone to mar Canó within the eye of Corridor of Fame voters. Canó maintains that he has not given a lot thought to his personal case.
“I by no means paid an excessive amount of consideration or appeared deep into what it takes — what sort of numbers or no matter,” he stated. “If issues occur, nice. If not, I’m at all times going to be pleased about the years that I performed. I completed numerous issues.”
If Canó’s teammates on the Diablos are interested by his previous, it has little to do with controversy. At some point this summer time, Jimmy Yacabonis, a former big-league lefty, was figuring out within the weight room with Canó when a track by rapper 50 Cent got here on the stereo.
“Hey Robbie,” Yacabonis stated, “did you ever meet 50 Cent?”
Canó whipped out his telephone and pulled up a photograph of him and 50 Cent from his time in New York.
“He’s very all the way down to earth,” Yacabonis stated. “For a man that’s that prime profile to be that cool and that laid again round everyone, he’s an superior teammate, actually.” Earlier this summer time, Canó determined to outfit the group with customized cleats.
However what actually caught his teammates’ eye was his on a regular basis diligence. He studied opposing hitters and doled out suggestions. He was a presence within the clubhouse. If he made a mistake within the area, he would nook the pitcher for a fast debrief. He maintained a routine simply as if he was nonetheless enjoying for the Yankees.
“He’s seen one million video games and been a part of one million video games,” stated Diablos pitcher Ryan Meisinger, who final appeared within the majors with the Cubs in 2021. “If he sees one thing, he lets us know.”
Canó nonetheless has a aptitude for the dramatic. At some point after amassing two hits towards Queretaro, he ranged to his proper at second base and retired former huge leaguer Leonys Martin on a nifty side-arm throw, the sort of play he made for years in New York.
Again then, when Canó was starring for the Yankees and Shelton was teaching for Cleveland, the coach acquired a signed jersey from his former participant.
The inscription included one phrase: “God gave you two arms for a cause.”
Robinson Cano was a perennial star with the Yankees, and helped them to a 2009 World Collection win, earlier than leaving for Seattle. (Jim McIsaac / Getty Pictures)
There’s a joke contained in the Diablos clubhouse that Canó, at age 41, is the best hitter on the earth.
“It’s like ‘create-a-player’ on (MLB) The Present,” Meisinger says.
He’s Ichiro Suzuki. He’s Rod Carew. He’s the Mexican League’s Ted Williams, batting .400 and leaving his teammates in awe. When Canó heard the Williams comparability earlier this summer time, he laughed.
“Come on,” he stated. “Not even shut!”
So how does one make sense of what Canó is doing?
The competitors degree of the extent could be inconsistent. Some golf equipment — like Mexico Metropolis or Monterrey — can declare Triple-A high quality. However a lot of the league might be nearer to Double A, and Kevin McCarthy, a former Royals pitcher who performs for Nuevo Laredo, admits “you may run right into a Low-A sport right here and there.” One veteran scout says the league is crammed with “throwers and never pitchers.” Additionally it is a hitter’s paradise.
Mexico Metropolis performs their house video games at an altitude of seven,350 toes — greater than 2,000 toes increased than Coors Subject in Denver — whereas greater than a 3rd of the league performs above 5,000 toes. McCarthy additionally cited the prevalence of turf fields, which might result in extra singles on floor balls. One other long-term issue has been the league’s repute for loosely imposing performance-enhancing medicine. The league does take a look at its gamers, nevertheless.
Bundy, who has managed at Double A and Triple A, in contrast Canó’s .431 common to somebody batting round .370 within the Pacific Coast League.
“I really feel like on this league, numerous the fellows attempt to pitch to his holes,” Yacabonis stated. “However a number of the guys aren’t in a position to try this. And after they go away stuff over the plate, he’s able to hit it.”
The query of the way to perceive Canó’s numbers has even been a subject of dialog amongst Diablos pitchers, a bunch which incorporates former big-leaguers Alex Claudio, Conner Menez and Daniel Ponce de Leon.
“It’s online game numbers,” Meisinger stated. “I don’t know. We had been speaking about it within the bullpen the opposite day. He comes up with a runner on second: ‘Effectively, right here comes a double.’ I don’t actually know the way to clarify it.”
The best method to describe Canó’s summer time in Mexico?
“Enjoyable,” he says.
The Diablos had been a juggernaut. He performed at a excessive degree. The cheers from the Mexican followers had been rejuvenating.
The Diablos led the league in attendance, averaging 11,761 followers per, which was up 12 p.c from final yr and greater than 60 p.c from 2019, the final season earlier than the pandemic. They’re a heavy favourite to win their first championship in a decade. However one factor Cano observed was how a lot opposing followers cared.
“Even when the opposite group is shedding, they’re nonetheless singing,” Canó stated.
Canó isn’t one to look again — or ahead, for that matter. He may think about a return to Mexico subsequent yr. The inaugural Baseball United league within the Center East kicks off in 2025. In some unspecified time in the future, he says, he’d like to work in a major-league entrance workplace. He additionally needs to concentrate on being a dad to his two youngsters.
His profession was not excellent. However when he considers it in whole, he thinks of the World Collection championship, the successes on the sector and the experiences he had.
“I believe that everybody has their time,” he says. “So, I believe that I had my time.”
He once more talked about the reminiscence of his father enjoying in Mexico.
“That is one thing I talked to numerous mates and folks about,” he says. “You possibly can go and simply play and have enjoyable.”
(High picture: Daniel Goldfarb / The Athletic; Pictures: Carlos Santiago / Eyepix Group / LightRocket through Getty Pictures)