Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Mets
2019 Salary: $24 million
Robinson Cano also takes his customary spot at the top, but is doing it in a new uniform this year. The gap between him and second place is interesting to note, as well. Dustin Pedroia is the league’s second-highest earner at the keystone, making $15.125 million this year with the Boston Red Sox.
It’s easy to see the concerns here — Cano is entering his age-36 campaign and is still fresh off last year’s PED suspension. The 80 games he played in was the lowest single-season total of his career. He had never played in fewer than 122 games during a single year, which happened all the way back in 2006. On the flip side, though, Cano’s body might be as fresh as it’s ever been since debuting with the New York Yankees in 2005.
As a ground-ball-heavy hitter, Cano’s rate of contact within the strike zone and his quality of contact will both be important stats to watch. His 92.3% contact rate on strikes was among the top-30 in baseball for players with at least 300 plate appearances last year, while his 41.5% hard-hit rate was a single-season career high.
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