Robinson Cano offers insight into feud with former coach Andy Van Slyke

Alec Brzezinski

Robinson Cano offers insight into feud with former coach Andy Van Slyke image

Robinson Cano has shed some light on an incident that led to former Mariners coach Andy Van Slyke blasting him last year.

Speaking on the Brock and Salk Show on Seattle radio station KIRO, Cano detailed a discussion he had with Van Slyke last season regarding shortstop Brad Miller.

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Cano told hosts Brock Huard and Mike Salk (via mynorthwest.com) that he'd asked Miller to take some pitches while batting so players hitting behind him could get a better look at pitch movement. That was when Van Slyke approached Cano.

"Andy came into my locker. 'Hey, I wanna talk to you.' I said, 'Oh, yeah, go ahead, Andy, what's up?' He was like, 'I'm gonna play the bad guy.' I said, 'Bad guy of what? What happened?' (He said) 'I know you talked to Miller, but I mean, you know, he's a guy that you cannot say anything.'

"I said, 'I didn't say anything to him. I just said what is good for the team.' He said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it, but when it comes to hitting don't talk to him.' I said, 'That's how you feel like it, perfect.' After that day. ..."

The interview with Cano will air Friday morning.

Last November, Van Slyke blamed Cano's play for the firings of general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Lloyd McClendon. Cano had a slash line of .287/.334/.446 in his second year with the Mariners after hitting better than .300 for six straight seasons.

"It doesn't always work out because in Seattle, we had (Nelson) Cruz, who's probably the most dominant hitter I've ever personally seen for four months, and Cano was hitting in front of him," Van Slyke told a St. Louis radio station. "You would think Cano would've had a terrific year, but he had probably the worst single year of an everyday player I've ever seen in 20 years at the big league level.

"He was just the most awful player I've ever seen."

Cano left the Yankees to sign a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Mariners 2014. He hit 14 home runs and drove in 82 runs in his first season in Seattle. He followed up in 2015 with 21 home runs and 79 RBIs, which prompted Van Slyke to say Cano "couldn't drive home Miss Daisy if he tried" last season. 

Cano, who played hurt much of the season, was understandably surprised after hearing Van Slyke's comments.

"We get along and I don't know what happened, but the thing is, like I said, I don't pay attention to his comment," Cano said.

Alec Brzezinski