At least 1 hit in 17 of his last 19, 5 multi-hit games in a row, a Josh Hamilton home run binge over the last couple weeks, and Robinson Cano is back to being Robinson Cano. After a suspect start to the season, Cano is now hitting .316 with 20 home runs and 50 RBI. Basically, he’s back to being that sleepwalking machine in the middle of the lineup whose swing uncoils like one of those catapults from Lord of the Rings. When Cano is rolling like he is, the only other guy I can think of who gets the bat through the zone at a comparable speed is Griffey.

Is it too early make an argument for Cano as the MVP? Well, yes, but considering I made a case for Jeter being the MVP like 4 games into the season, I think I’ll go for it again. Due to the afore mentioned slow start, he doesn’t have the numbers at this point to make a strong push, but continuing at the pace he’s on will definitely put his name toward the top of the list. One thing is for certain, however, and that is Cano being the most valuable Yankee. For the past month or so, Cano has carried this inconsistent offense with clutch hitting and surprising power. He obviously can’t sustain this tear forever, but the Yankees need to ride his production until the recent pitching woes are remedied. On that note, David Phelps looked like a boss yesterday and his performance resurrected my man-crush for him as a back-end rotation guy.

P.S.- 100% worth it outing myself as a Lord of the Rings fan for that perfect catapult imagery. Seriously, get some Yes-Mo bullshit on The Return of the King war scene and I guarantee the thing has similar torque to Cano’s swing.