Segura credits Cano for bounce-back year: 'It was a new me'
Jean Segura and Robinson Cano have never teamed up to play the middle infield together, but their history runs deeper than just being on the diamond.
Segura, the Seattle Mariners' biggest offseason acquisition, was at FanFest on Saturday, and he said that after everything he's been through, he feels playing alongside his friend will be the start of something special.
"I think you guys know what I've been through my last couple years," Segura said, according to MLB.com's Greg Johns. "I lost my son. I got hit in the face by Ryan Braun. There were a lot of problems, a lot of family issues.
"But last year I was a new player. It was a new me."
In 2013, his first full season in the majors, Segura was an All-Star with the Milwaukee Brewers. That season, he slashed .294/.329/.423 with 44 stolen bases, 12 homers, 10 triples, and 20 doubles, while scoring 74 runs.
The following year, everything took a turn for the worse. He was hit by an errant bat in the dugout, and later on, his nine-month old son died after a sudden illness.
While they weren't teammates, Segura said Cano was always there by his side. Off the field, he provided him with counsel and the presence of friendship when he needed it.
On the field, he helped transform his eventual teammate into an offensive juggernaut. Last year, his only one with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he rediscovered his bat, slashing .319/.368/.499 with 20 homers, 33 stolen bases, and a National League-best 203 hits.
"I thank Robbie for helping me to keep doing what I do in the field," he said. "I always talk to him about it, how I can be a better player, how I can be better on and off the field.
"Thank God I made those little adjustments, offseason hitting-wise, and it worked."