Robinson Cano, a phenomenal infielder from San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic, was signed by the New York Yankees in 2001. He made his debut in the pinstripes in 2005 and was the runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year. In the following year, Cano was an All-Star and Silver Slugger after batting .342. He played solidly for the next three seasons and helped the Yanks win the 2009 World Series. Although it was Cano's ultimate accomplishment in baseball, his best individual years were yet to come.
From 2010 to 2013, Cano was New York's best player, winning four Silver Sluggers and two Gold Gloves. He had at least 27 home runs and 94 RBIs in all those seasons. Cano kept his OPS well over .880 over this stretch and was also a perennial All-Star. Despite being a proven superstar, Cano left New York for Seattle in 2014.
Cano remained an upper-tier player for Seattle, earning All-Star spots in three of his first four years and finishing fifth in MVP voting in 2016 when he had 39 home runs and 103 RBIs. However, Seattle was going nowhere, and Cano was traded to the Mets. But at over 35 years old, he was clearly in decline. After an oft-injured 2019, Cano was much better in 2021, batting .316 in the shortened season. However, he lost the entirety of 2021 due to a PED suspension, which raises questions about his performance. Cano limped back with brief stints in New York (NL), San Diego, and Atlanta before quietly exiting the Majors after the 2022 season.
Cano's stats (2,639 hits, 335 HR, 1,306 RBI & 68.1 bWAR) make him worthy of the Hall of Fame. However, the fact that he was suspended twice for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) may prevent him from being inducted as no two-time or even one-time PED-suspended player has come close to being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.