SEATTLE -- Prestige in a major league clubhouse is often represented in real estate. In the home clubhouse at Safeco Field, Robinson Cano's three-locker sprawl is situated in the coveted corner of the room. The largess of his baseball living space connotes his place as the Seattle Mariners' leader.

Cano is at a different stage of his career than when he was in the Bronx. Though he was a five-time All-Star with the Yankees, he was rarely on top of the marquee or the undisputed star of the team. Even in what he describes as his greatest time as a Yankee -- the 2009 championship season -- he was somewhat of an afterthought as Alex Rodriguez hit game-winning home runs, CC Sabathia dominated on the mound and the Core Four picked up its fifth ring.

Trivia Tuesday This week, in a shocking format change, Robinson Cano himself is now one of the possible choices in all five of Jayson Stark's questions. So take the quiz! Don'tcha know Robinson Cano? »

In one corner of the old Yankees clubhouse in 2009, Derek Jeter had his two lockers. In another, A-Rod owned his two stalls. Cano was a single-locker guy.

“There, I was just another guy,” Cano said, that trademark grin still big and bright. Yet with a 34th birthday arriving in October, he looks a bit older up close.

With the Yankees, Cano was never really “another guy,” mind you, but he was never really the guy, either. That honor -- or in some cases, dishonor -- always fell to Jeter, the Yankees' captain, or Rodriguez, the Yankees' lightning rod.

While the 2016 Yankees rebuild with the hot-hitting Gary Sanchez wearing Cano’s old No. 24, Cano is trying to find his way into October from the front of the line. After struggling with a hernia in 2015, Cano is back to being an All-Star.

Besides smashing 28 homers, he is as fluid as ever at second base. His old manager, Joe Girardi, marveled as he scouted Seattle’s pitching when a classic Cano stop up the middle flashed across the screen. For years, Cano would glide behind second and then either casually throw to first or, when needed, show off his rocket arm.

These days, the $240 million man is doing more than just playing above-average baseball. He is taking the lessons he learned in the Bronx and passing them down the Mariners clubhouse.

“I learned good things over there, and I can pass along to these guys,” Cano said.

To use an old A-Rod pet phrase, Cano is now “big brother,” using the tutelage he gained next to Jeter and Rodriguez to try to end baseball’s longest postseason drought, a 15-year slump. The Mariners last made the playoffs in 2001, the season after Rodriguez left for his $252 million contract in Texas.

Robinson Cano says he learned to keep an even keel from Yankees captain (and former double-play partner) Derek Jeter. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

On Tuesday, Cano and the Mariners will continue to try to knock out the Yankees' slim playoff chances and boost their own. On Monday, even with Sanchez hitting two more homers, the Mariners beat the Yankees 7-5, pushing New York (63-61) five games off the wild card. Seattle (67-57) is just one game back.

While the atmosphere around the Mariners is decidedly un-Yankees like, with its booming music in the clubhouse and Cano wearing his hat backward during warm-ups, Cano is always whispering little tidbits that he gleaned by wearing pinstripes in October.

“When he speaks, everyone listens,” Mariners’ first baseman Adam Lind said.

Cano, like A-Rod did for him, is offering guidance to young players. He is teaching his double-play partner, 22-year-old shortstop Ketel Marte, how to go about being a pro, according to Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto.

On Sunday night, Cano included 27-year-old reliever Ariel Miranda and 22-year-old closer Edwin Diaz in a dinner at a local steakhouse with Dellin Betances, Sabathia and Ron Berkowitz, Cano and Sabathia’s Roc Nation publicist.

From Jeter, Cano learned to be the same guy every day, no matter if you are doing well or poorly in the field or at the plate. That consistency stands out over a long season.

“To me, the biggest thing with Robinson is understanding the length of a 162-game season and how it all works,” Dipoto said.

While in the Bronx, there was a constant lament that Cano didn’t always run hard to first, but behind the scenes there was no question about his pregame work ethic. As a Yankee, he was constantly taking extra batting practice, perfecting his swing five hours before first pitch with a drill that used a screen in front of home plate, forcing him to pull the ball.

In Year 3 in Seattle, he has finally brought that home run stroke to Safeco. His 28 home runs this year are closing in on the 35 he combined for in his first two seasons as a Mariner.

"The first thing I learned from Jeter is to be the same no matter if you're doing good or bad. It is kind of like play hard every day and don't take anything for granted." Robinson Cano

From the first day of spring training, Cano has made life easier for the Mariners' first-year manager, Scott Servais. Servais met with Cano, Nelson Cruz and Felix Hernandez -- the three Mariners leaders -- telling them it is “your team.”

“I said, 'I need your guys' support,'" Servais said.

Servais wanted to create a “football-type” atmosphere, which he admits could turn off veteran players. Instead of Cano rolling his eyes, he jumped into Servais’ “get to know” each other spring training meetings.

Every day, the Mariners would interview two or three players in front of the team, and Cano would be there with everyone else, embracing the camaraderie.

“That’s what I’ll be forever indebted for him for,” Servais said. “To him, Cruzy and Felix and that group and just giving me opportunity.”

During meetings about game situations, Cano would make his voice heard -- with Servais’ support -- on how to handle defensive plays and alignments.

“When you have veteran players with star quality and they embrace the new leader, the new manager and the younger players who don’t have quite the same status see that, it really does a great deal,” Dipoto said.

Cano's transition into a leader didn’t just start this year. When Cruz struggled in his first week as a Mariner in 2015, batting .208 in his first six games, Cano saddled up next to him.

“He was there to support me,” Cruz said.

Cruz said when a young guy struggles, Cano looks over from his neighboring locker and says: "Let’s go talk with this guy. Let’s go help him out."

Cano is the center of attention in Seattle. In a lot of ways, he is somewhat of combination of Jeter and Rodriguez for the Mariners. Like Jeter, the Mariners organization, from the front office to the players, looks to Cano for the consistency of his effort.

“The first thing I learned from Jeter is to be the same no matter if you are doing good or bad,” Cano said. “It is kind of like play hard every day and don’t take anything for granted.”

Like A-Rod, Cano has the excessive talent and contract, but he also has the desire to work hard every day.

“The biggest thing with Alex was to work out every single day and keep yourself in shape,” Cano said.

These are the little winning messages that Cano gives his teammates. Turns out, you can take Cano out of the Bronx, but you can’t take the Bronx out of Cano.