PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. _ Nothing is coincidence in a major-league clubhouse, so the new tenant for David Wright's corner locker at First Data Field didn't arrive there by accident. The only person it could be was Robinson Cano, who moved in Sunday, carrying with him expectations that he never really had to shoulder during his nine years in the Bronx.
Starting at the age of 17, Cano was groomed to be Derek Jeter's double-play partner, with the Yankees correctly predicting he would grow into one of the sport's most lethal bats at the second-base position. But in nine years wearing pinstripes, a stretch that included seven playoff appearances, five division titles and one World Series title, Cano was annually surrounded by an All-Star cast, financed by baseball's highest payrolls.
"They teach you how to be a champion from the minor leagues," Cano said Sunday.