Cano honoring son with custom cleats for Players' Weekend
BALTIMORE -- In 2023, Orioles reliever Yennier Cano picked up a pair of new titles: 1. All-Star, an appropriate reward for the right-hander’s breakout rookie season; and 2. Dad, which will forever be the most important role for the 30-year-old native of Havana, Cuba.
Cano’s wife, Arianny Despaigne, gave birth to the couple’s son, Cristopher, on March 7, 2023. His first year of life featured a trip to Seattle for the All-Star red carpet last July, as well as a family photo on the Camden Yards field following Baltimore’s American League East championship celebration last September.
It’s no secret that Cano is a proud father. That will become even more apparent during MLB Players’ Weekend, which is set to take place Friday-Sunday.
As the Orioles continue their AL East series vs. the Red Sox in Baltimore, Cano will be donning a special pair of cleats for the weekend matchups. His footwear will feature his son, Cristopher.
Miami-based artist Marcus Rivero designed custom cleats for Cano that feature a drawing of the O’s righty and Cristopher walking onto the Camden Yards field on the top of the right cleat. It was inspired by a real father-son photo taken during the team’s family day earlier this season.
The cleats also feature cartoon farm animals from “La Granja de Zenón,” a popular animated series with a YouTube channel that has more than 40 million subscribers.
Although Cano’s cleats showcase some of those characters, there’s one difference: The top of the left cleat instead reads “La Granja de Cano,” which translates to “The Cano Farm.”
“My son loves watching these cartoons every day, and every time he watches them, he gets really happy and he starts dancing at home,” Cano said via O’s team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I thought, ‘That’s a great idea.’”
Cano received the cleats in a package on Thursday, and before he wears them, his wife had one request: She would like to take a picture of Cano with both Cristopher and the cleats.
“So that when he grows up, he can always look back at that photo and see the cleats that his dad wore,” Cano said. “For me, it’s an honor, and I’m really excited, just because I’ve never been able to do something like this and never been able to wear something with my son on it. So that will be really special.”
If Cano gets into a game this weekend, he’ll look to continue his strong sophomore season for Baltimore while wearing the fancy footwear. Through 55 appearances, he has a 2.81 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 48 innings while serving as one of the Orioles’ primary setup men.
Perhaps one day, Cristopher will follow in his father’s footsteps. He’s certainly getting well acquainted with baseball at a young age -- even if he may not realize how impressive his dad has been over the past two seasons for the O’s.
“He does watch me play, but I don’t think he really understands what’s going on yet,” Cano said. “However, I give him baseballs and he starts to throw them now. That’s pretty much it, though.”