The Angels are set to promote top pitching prospect Griffin Canning, the team informed reporters including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). He’s expected to start on Tuesday.
Canning will debut just before turning 23 in early May. A 2017 second-rounder out of UCLA, the righty was tabbed as a consensus top-100 leaguewide prospect entering the current season following a strong showing last year.
After working hard in his final collegiate campaign, Canning slipped a bit in the draft and then waited to make his debut. The patience has paid off thus far, as he ran through the Halos system in his first year as a pro.
Though his results took a step back upon reaching Triple-A, the overall effort was impressive. Canning threw 113 1/3 frames of 3.65 ERA ball with 9.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9, with all but 8 2/3 of those innings coming in the upper minors.
Canning isn’t necessarily seen as a budding ace so much as a polished, highly capable hurler with a deep arsenal who is as good a bet as anyone to become a quality MLB starter. The Angels obviously didn’t need to see more after watching him allow just one earned run and post a 17:2 K/BB ratio in 16 innings over three starts to open the year back at Salt Lake City.
Of course, the Angels are also responding to need at the MLB level. The club is in last place in the AL West and is still waiting for a variety of injured players to filter back to the roster. If there’s to be a postseason run this year, it may take some inspired showings from players that opened the year on the farm.
He was my first round pick in my 2017 mock draft (I think it was 31st overall)!
One of my top 5 favorite prospects in the game and I’m really happy it worked out for him.
Agreed. I was hoping the Angels would be in the race this year and he’d be the main piece of a potential Stroman/Sanchez deal.
Are you high? Or delusional?
I think a guy in the bottom half of the leagues top 100 list is a fairly reasonable price depending on the secondary pieces for a top of the rotation arm.
Another one who I watched play at Inland Empire last season, along with Rengifo.
thats one electric and fast-rising prospect duo. curious to see how both do in the Majors.
How long until Jo Adell arrives?
He’s hurt for another 3-4 weeks. Probably September call up
another prospect who took the Buehler route – missing the first pro season and then making up for lost time the next year by soaring up the system.
Is this a reference to the third paragraph? What did it mean exactly: waiting to make his pro debut? It reads like the org said ok come start pitching for us and he’s like nah I’m gonna wait a while. I assume that isn’t what it means.
Canning did not pitch immediately after being drafted, his heavy college workload the deciding factor. The thought was that there was no clear benefit in seeing him throw (on top of his UCLA work) and arm rest would benefit him in the long run.
Angels future rotation for 2020
1.Skaggs
2.Ohtani
3.Canning
4.Heaney/Wheeler/Cole
5.Barria
Wheeler or Cole depending on what they do in free agency
Don’t forget to add a sixth starter to the mix now that Ohtani will be back.
Tropeano and Meyer
Meyer should be a reliever. Perhaps even a closer.
Um, Cole would def be the #1 if the Angels sign him.
Felix Pena is on par or better than Barria
Tommy John surgery incoming
Don’t jinx it please , Maybe Canning can be the next ace to come through the system.
I thought griffin canning was only a minor league promo like mustache contests and Star Wars night. Glad to see that MLB is getting into the fun stuff.
Griffins are critically endangered, and yet the Angels are promoting the canning of these majestic creatures. This is appalling.
another TJS candidate
When the Halos bring up Canning and get some of their starters back (Tropeano, JC Ramirez, Heaney, Meyer), they should consider converting some of them to full time relievers. They already put Felix Pena and Chris Stratton in the bullpen. That would give them even more multi-inning relievers instead of just playing the lottery on pitchers that are already groomed for relief work.