Yennier Cano. Remember him? He is the flame-throwing right-hander who had a cup of coffee with the Minnesota Twins in 2022 before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles for All-Star closer Jorge Lopez.
Lopez was so-so for the Twins in the second half of 2022 and he’s been pretty darn good so far in 2023, but Cano has been almost perfect this season.
The 29-year-old has made 12 appearances out of the Baltimore bullpen and allowed two hits, zero walks and zero runs in 16 innings. He has a 0.00 ERA and a 0.13 WHIP (walks, hits per innings pitched).
Yennier CanĂł, Dirty 91mph Changeup…and K Stare đź‘€
Olson doesn't look pleased. pic.twitter.com/Zpvn0HP21L
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 7, 2023
According to Baseball Savant, Cano’s sinker this season drops 9.5 inches more than the average sinker thrown at similar velocities by MLB pitchers.
His sinkers average a vertical drop of 32.8 inches from the time the ball is released from his fingers to the time it reaches the catcher’s mitt.
Related: Uh oh. Did the Twins let another future superstar get away?
Check out his Baseball Savant numbers. Everything in red in the chart below means he’s among the best in baseball. It basically means nobody is making good contact off him.
Cano really struggled in 2022 once he got the call to the big leagues, but his Double-A and Triple-A stats from 2021 gave everyone a glimpse of what he’s capable of because he struck out 86 batters in 69.2 innings with a 3.23 ERA.
Still, it’s not like the Twins got a bum deal.
Jorge Lopez has a 1.20 ERA for the Twins in 15 innings this season. He’s allowed just two earned runs, and they came on one swing of the bat by Eloy Jimenez in Minnesota’s 10-inning loss to the White Sox on May 2.
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