re: ATL Thread: 7/13 vs Metropolitans

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Wash on Cano

“Because he still has desire. He still has passion. He still knows he can play,” Washington said of Canó, who was released by the Mets in May and was with the Padres’ El Paso affiliate on a minor league deal after struggling briefly with San Diego’s big-league team. “And he’s not about stealing money. He’s about being a part of something where he can be productive. That’s his mindset.

“He’s not young anymore. So all that wisdom and knowledge that he has now, he’s using it and he’s passing it on. All you’ve got to do is listen to him talk. So that’s why he went to Triple A. He knew he could still play, he just needed to start getting some consistent at-bats so the juices could start flowing and the mind start working right.

“And now he’s got his mind where he wants it. Now he’s just got to go ahead and, when he gets a chance to play, just make sure he doesn’t try to impress nobody and just be Robinson.”

“He can play,” Washington said of Canó. “The way they like to describe people in the game today, maybe his range is not what it used to be, but if he gets to a ball, he knows how to make a play. He’s intelligent. And in today’s game, we set the defense up and put you where you’re supposed to be. So, he can do the job. Snit’s just got to take care of him and make sure we don’t run him into the ground, you know what I mean?


But he can still produce. He’s still got his mind, man. You talk to that guy, you’re talking to a champion. I’m serious. He’s been around, man. He’s been on some pretty god**** good teams, when he had to keep his mouth shut (as a younger player). And he learned a lot. He’s a very smart guy, man. He’s aware. He understands the game.”

With that in mind, Washington was asked if the Sunday trade the Braves made to get Canó — acquired from the Padres for cash considerations, which was $1 — could be a nice addition to the Braves.

“Oh, it’s going to be a nice addition,” Washington said. “We know we don’t have Robinson Canó at 24, 25 years old. But we’ve got Robinson Canó.”

“Yeah, he ain’t about stealing money,” Washington said. “He could have took his $46 million and went home. But that’s not what he’s about. He’s a class act, man. I managed two All-Star Games with him in it, when he was with the Yankees at the time. Him, Derek Jeter, and anybody else that was a Yankee, when they walked in that clubhouse, they were clean as a whistle. Everybody else had on their jeans or whatever, not them Yankees. They walked in that son of a ***** representing.”

And that brings us to Canó in the Braves’ clubhouse. He was assigned a locker just a couple of stalls down from Ronald Acuña Jr. And from listening to Washington, that either was intentional or a potentially helpful coincidence for the young Braves superstar.

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