(Jose Cano)
GROWING UP
Robinson Jose Cano was born on October 22, 1982, in San Pedro de Marcoris in the Dominican Republic. The infant went several weeks without a name as his parents, Jose and Claribel Mercedes, argued about options. Jose was a pitcher in a professional league, and his hero was Jackie Robinson. Initially, Claribel was against naming her son after the baseball pioneer but finally relented and the youngster became "Robinson."
Robinson did not see a lot of his father early in life. Jose spent much of his time trying to hook on with a big league club in the U.S. In 1987, he joined the Houston organization, posted a 15–3 record for Osceola, and was named MVP of the Florida State League. Jose made it to the Astros for six games in 1989 but did not stick. He continued to pitch professionally, playing for two Taiwanese teams in the 1990s. Jose finally retired in 1999 at the age of 37. By that time, Robinson had developed into one of the best young players in the Dominican Republic. He was strong and quick, with good instincts and mechanics in the field and a smooth, flat swing that put a charge into the baseball.
(Jose Cano)
Robinson also spoke excellent English, the result of three years living in New Jersey. He spent seventh, eighth and ninth grades in the Newark school system, attending Barringer High for one year. Robinson went to the Pedro Apostol School in San Pedro when the family moved back to the Dominican Republic. There he was the star of the school’s baseball and basketball teams.
In San Pedro, the best ballplayer on the team always took the field at shortstop. Though not as quick and wiry as other local products, including All-Stars Tony Fernandez and Julio Franco, Robinson handled himself well at the position. Interestingly, his favorite player was not a shortstop. In fact, he wasn’t even a Dominican. The man he most admired was Bernie Williams, a Puerto Rican. There was something about the way Williams carried himself and played the game that struck Robinson as being special.
Of course, Robinson also learned lots about baseball from his father. What interested local scouts most about Robinson was his hitting. It didn't hurt that his dad served as his batting coach. Jose understood the difference between a good hitter and a bad one. He ironed out flaws in his son’s swing as soon as he spotted them. Needless to say, having an active professional pitcher throw him batting practice had an extremely positive effect on Robinson’s baseball IQ. In January of 2001, Robinson inked a deal with Carlos Rios, a scout for the Yankees.
Robinson played all but two games of his first pro season with Tampa of the Gulf Coast League. He joined fellow prospects Dioner Navarro and Bronson Sardinha under the tutelage of manager Derek Shelton. Robinson earned time at second, third and short. He batted .230 but led the club in RBIs.
