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Mark Canha

Arguably The Most Underrated Athletic

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It seems as if the Athletics’ lineup is loaded with underappreciated hitters. How many really appreciate the excellence of third baseman Matt Chapman, shortstop Marcus Semien, first baseman Matt Olson or center fielder Ramon Laureano – four of the most valuable players in the game? If that group’s not truly getting its due, it’s no surprise outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha is also relatively anonymous on the national stage. After all, he’s a 30-year-old who has changed hands on multiple occasions since the Marlins chose him in the seventh round of the 2010 draft, and he’s just now amid the best season of his career. But what a season this has been for Canha, who’s quietly helping guide the Athletics toward their second consecutive playoff berth.

After joining the Miami organization, Canha found his way to Oakland back in December 2014 after the Rockies chose him in the Rule 5 Draft. The Rox immediately traded the Northern California native to his stomping grounds for right-hander Austin House and cash considerations. Now, it’s safe to say that’ll go down as yet another shrewd move in a career full of them for A’s executive vice president Billy Beane. House never pitched in the majors, while Canha emerged as a useful part-timer for the A’s even before his breakout this season.

The right-handed Canha debuted in the bigs in 2015, the season following his trade to Oakland, and immediately became a solid producer for the club. By measure of wRC+, Canha was an above-average hitter in two of four seasons from 2015-18. He totaled 2.0 fWAR in 411 plate appearances just a year ago on the strength of what was then a personal-best line of .249/.328/.449 (113 wRC+) with 17 home runs. Valuable contributions, to be sure, but Canha has taken it to another level this year and helped the A’s to yet another contending season. His output has been especially important for a team that has been forced to overcome long-term injuries to fellow outfielders Laureano and Stephen Piscotty.

As marvelous as Chapman, Semien, Olson and Laureano have been this year, no Athletic has been stronger at the plate than Canha. His whopping 149 wRC+ easily outdoes the rest of his teammates’, and ranks 11th in the league among those with 300 or more plate appearances. Some of the names in Canha’s company include Fernando Tatis Jr., Pete Alonso and Carlos Santana. Not bad for someone whom the majority of baseball fans have probably never heard of.

But what’s behind Canha’s prodigious .278/.392/.550 line and his 23 home runs in 375 trips to the plate? A massive increase in walks is the most obvious source. Canha entered the season with a lifetime walk rate of 6.6 percent in 1,127 PA. The number has skyrocketed to 13.3 this year. He’s swinging at far fewer pitches than before, especially outside the strike zone, which has led to more free passes.

Walk uptick aside, it’s not as easy to find reasons for Canha’s sudden outburst. Compared to last season, he’s hitting fewer line drives, more groundballs, more infield flies and, per FanGraphs, making less hard contact and more soft contact. All of that should lead to less power, yet Canha’s ISO (.272) is 72 points above last year’s figure and 88 points better than the mark he entered 2019 sporting. It helps, of course, that Canha has gone to left field more. He came into the year with a pull percentage of 44.3, which has leapt to 53.7 – a number that ranks sixth in the majors.

Canha’s also capable of doing damage against both right- and left-handed pitchers, but he hasn’t necessarily wowed Statcast when he has made contact this season. His average exit velocity (88.7 mph) only ranks in the league’s 42nd percentile, while his hard-hit rate sits in the 53rd range. Canha has posted a .393 weighted on-base average that’s among the best in the game and easily trumps his .356 expected wOBA. However, the latter figure still falls into the game’s 77th percentile.

While Canha’s offense has been his calling card this year, he has also helped the A’s cause on defense, having amassed double-digit appearances at all three outfield spots and at first base. The overwhelming majority of Canha’s work has come in the outfield, where he has used his above-average speed to combine for 4 Outs Above Average, a pair of Defensive Runs Saved and a 0.6 Ultimate Zone Rating. The entire package has been worth 3.7 bWAR and 3.1 fWAR, all for a salary of just over $2MM. Canha has been one of the most cost-efficient players in the game this season, then, and that’s all the more crucial for low-budget Oakland. With another two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, Canha could continue as one of the club’s premier (and perhaps most underrated) players for at least a little while longer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Athletics Designate Kendrys Morales For Assignment

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The Athletics have designate first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales for assignment, manager Bob Melvin announced Monday in an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link, with audio). His spot on the active roster will go to Mark Canha, who has been activated from the injured list.

“Unfortunately, we had to let him go,” Melvin said of the decision to designate Morales. “I’ll tell you what, this guy, maybe he didn’t put up great numbers, but this is a terrific teammate. Yesterday, he didn’t play, and there’s a lot of speculation about him going away, and all he’s doing is rooting for every guy we have on every pitch. … Unfortunately, we don’t have room for him right now, and somebody’s going to pick him up. I know that, but boy, we really enjoyed our time with him. He’s a real pro.”

It was indeed a struggle for Morales, 35, during his limited time with the A’s. Oakland acquired him in late March after losing Matt Olson to a hand injury, and Morales saw pretty regular playing time at first base and DH. However, in his 126 plate appearances with the organization, he hit just .204/.310/.259 with one home run.

Morales drew his share of walks and didn’t strike out at a high clip, but the veteran slugger wasn’t able to produce enough at the plate for the organization to consider retaining him as a bench bat now that Olson is back in the lineup. With Olson and Canha both healthy and Khris Davis entrenched at designated hitter, there’s not much of a role in Oakland for Morales at this point.

The Athletics will have a week to trade or release Morales. Though he played the field in Oakland, most clubs will look at him as a pure DH option, so he’s likeliest to land with an American League club. The Indians have been mixing at matching throughout their lineup all season and parted ways with Hanley Ramirez already, while the Twins are evaluating Nelson Cruz for a potential injury. Morales could also latch on with a non-contender who hopes to bring in a veteran leader that can mentor a younger, developing core of players.

Athletics Notes: Davis, Canha, Rodney, Bullpen, Mateo

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Some items from Oakland…

  • Khris Davis has been hampered by a left hip contusion, though manager Bob Melvin told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and other reporters that the team hopes to have Davis back in the lineup for Friday’s game.  Davis suffered the injury crashing into the wall to make a catch in foul territory on Sunday, which necessitated an early removal from the game.  He attempted to return on Wednesday, though was removed in the fifth inning once his hip again caused discomfort.  While this abbreviated appearance means an IL stint couldn’t be backdated three more days, it doesn’t yet appear as though the problem is serious enough for Davis to miss much more time.
  • Mark Canha is slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Friday and is expected to be activated from the injured list next week. (MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos was among those who reported the news.)  A sprained right wrist sidelined Canha on April 29, though he’ll likely end up missing only slightly beyond the minimum 10 days.  Canha was off to a solid start prior to the injury, hitting .200/.377/.375 over his first 53 plate appearances of the season.  As Gallegos notes, Canha’s return could mean the end for Kendrys Morales on the Oakland roster, as Davis’ health issues may have given Morales only a brief respite now that Matt Olson is back from the IL.
  • Pitching is the main focus of Slusser’s latest fan mailbag piece in the Chronicle, as the A’s continue to deal with uncertainty in both their rotation and bullpen.  Slusser figures the A’s will look to add a reliever or two if the team is in contention at the trade deadline, though in terms of in-house names, Oakland isn’t likely to part ways with Fernando Rodney any time soon.  Four of Rodney’s 15 appearances this season have resulted in multiple runs allowed, including an ugly outing on Sunday that saw him allow four runs in just a third of an inning in a walkoff loss to the Pirates.  Rodney has an 8.78 ERA and a 6.1 BB/9 over 13 1/3 innings for the Athletics this season, though Slusser says the A’s will give Rodney time to get back on track in lower-leverage situations.
  • Sonny Gray took the mound for the Reds against the A’s on Wednesday, leading The Athletic’s Julian McWilliams (subscription required) to look back on the trade that sent Gray from Oakland to the Yankees back in July 2017.  Specifically, the piece looks at Jorge Mateo, who is off to a .340/.378/.578 start in 156 Triple-A plate appearances after struggling at the Triple-A level in 2018.  That lost year knocked back from his previous status as a top-100 prospect in baseball, though it might have ended up being something of a needed “wake-up call” for Mateo, McWilliams writes, as scouts had questioned Mateo’s effort level and focus.  “At some point in time he’s going to be in the big leagues, whether it’s this year or next year. He’s a really talented kid,” Melvin said.  Mateo has played exclusively at shortstop and second base over the last two seasons, potentially tabbing him as a replacement for Marcus Semien (who is scheduled for free agency following the 2020 season).

AL Injury Notes: Ohtani, Yankees, Red Sox, Athletics

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The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani won’t make his season debut during their homestand from April 30-May 5, manager Brad Ausmus told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and other reporters Sunday. The two-way star is still on the mend from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on his right elbow last October, which will keep him from pitching this season but won’t prevent him from helping the Angels’ offense. Los Angeles entered Sunday with a middle-of-the-pack offense, though designated hitters Albert Pujols and Kevan Smith have only combined for average hitting to this point relative to their position. Ohtani was far better than that as a rookie in 2018, when he slashed .288/.361/.564 with 22 home runs and 10 steals over 367 plate appearances.

  • The injury-ravaged Yankees may have to start dipping into the Double-A level to fill their roster at this rate, as a couple more of their players – infielders DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela – left Sunday’s game against the Giants with ailments. LeMahieu departed with right knee inflammation, while Urshela exited after Giants reliever Nick Vincent hit him in the left hand with an 88.5 mph pitch. Luckily for New York, X-rays came back negative in both cases, though LeMahieu will undergo an MRI on Monday (via ESPN.com, Jon Heyman of MLB Network and Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News). LeMahieu and Urshela have handled third base with aplomb in place of Miguel Andujar, who’s one of 13 Yankees currently on the injured list.
  • Red Sox infielders Dustin Pedroia and Eduardo Nunez are set to embark on rehab assignments, manager Alex Cora said Sunday. Meanwhile, fellow banged-up infielder Brock Holt was scratched from his Triple-A rehab game Sunday because of right shoulder soreness (links via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com). Pedroia landed on the IL on April 18 with yet another left knee injury, but he’s “a lot better” now, according to Cora, who announced he’s likely to play with Double-A Portland beginning May 2. Nunez, down since the 19th with a mid-back strain, will go to Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday and could be back in Boston by May 6, Cotillo writes. Holt has been on the IL since April 6 with a scratched right cornea, and there’s no word on how serious his shoulder problem is. When healthy, Pedroia, Nunez and Holt have posted pitiful production this year, which helps explain why Boston second basemen have recorded the AL’s worst fWAR (minus-0.9).
  • Athletics first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha suffered a wrist sprain Sunday and may require a stint on the IL, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Slusser notes the A’s could recall Skye Bolt or Dustin Fowler to replace Canha, who has hit .200/.377/.375 with a pair of HRs in 53 trips to the plate this year.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: American League

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The deadline for players and teams to exchange arbitration figures passed at 1pm ET yesterday, meaning over the next few hours, there will be a landslide of settlements on one-year deals to avoid an arbitration hearing. We’ll track today’s minor settlements from the American League in this post. Once all of the day’s settlements have filtered in, I’ll organize them by division to make them a bit easier to parse.

It’s worth mentioning that the vast majority of teams have adopted a “file and trial” approach to arbitration, meaning that once arbitration figures are exchanged with a player, negotiations on a one-year deal will cease. The two parties may still discuss a multi-year deal after that point, but the majority of players who exchange figures with their team today will head to an arbitration hearing.

As always, all salary projections referenced within this post are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and we’ll also be updating our 2019 Arbitration Tracker throughout the day…

Today’s Updates

  • Yankees 1B Greg Bird will make $1.2 MM next season, per Bob Nightengale on Twitter.
  • The controversial Roberto Osuna will make $6.5MM next season, per Feinsand. Teammate Jake Marisnick, who again scuffled in ’18 after a promising 2017, will make $2.2125MM.
  • Per Mark Feinsand on Twitter, A’s lefty Sean Manaea $3.15MM in what’s sure to be an injury-marred 2019.
  • Hard-throwing reliever Mychal Givens will make $2.15MM, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), with additional incentives for making the All-Star team or placing in the Top-3 for the Rivera/Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards, added MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter).
  • The Mariners agreed on a $1.95MM deal with outfielder Domingo Santana, per MLB.com’s Greg Johns (via Twitter). Santana is the second and last of the Mariners’ arbitration-eligible players.
  • The Angels agreed to contracts with a pair of players yesterday, per Maria Torres of the LA Times (via Twitter). Reliever Hansel Robles signed for $1.4MM. Robles threw 36 1/3 innings of 2.97 ERA baseball after the Angels claimed him off waivers from the Mets in June. Luis Garcia, acquired via trade from the Phillies this winter, signed for $1.675MM.
  • The Tigers and reliever Shane Greene settled on $4MM, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter).
  • The Yankees reached an agreement with Sonny Gray for $7.5MM, per Nightengale. Gray, of course, has been involved trade rumors most of the winter, but for the time being, he stands to play a role in the Yankee pen while providing insurance for the rotation.
  • Didi Gregorius has also come to an agreement with the Yankees on a one-year, $11.75MM deal in his final season before free agency, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (Twitter links).
  • New Yankee James Paxton signed for $8.575, per Nightengale (via Twitter). Paxton is under contract for the 2020 season as well.
  • The Houston Astros came to an agreement with Collin McHugh for $5.8MM, per Nightengale (via Twitter). McHugh could be moving back into the rotation after a stellar season in the pen, either way this will be his final season of arb eligibility before hitting the open market.
  • Jonathan Villar comes away with $4.825MM for what will be his first full season in Baltimore, per Nightengale (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates

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AL Notes: A’s, BoSox, Canha, Royals, Heimlich, Tigers, Jays, Rangers

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The banged-up Athletics will turn to veteran Edwin Jackson to fill a spot in their rotation, but they’re on the hunt for more starting depth, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Athletics have had discussions with the Red Sox, who are seeking outfield depth and have “unsuccessfully asked” the A’s about Mark Canha, according to Slusser. The 29-year-old Canha has been effective this season, his last pre-arbitration campaign, with a .250/.322/.452 line and nine home runs in 208 plate appearances. It’s unclear which pitcher(s) the A’s requested in their discussions with Boston, though Slusser adds that the teams could revisit talks in the coming weeks.

More from the AL:

  • The Royals are considering a pursuit of controversial pitching prospect Luke Heimlich, GM Dayton Moore announced this week (via Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star). “We continue to seek information that allows us to be comfortable in pursuing Luke,” Moore said of Heimlich, an undrafted free agent from Oregon State. Based solely on talent, the 22-year-old Heimlich was worthy of drafting – perhaps with a high selection. However, as a 15-year-old, he was convicted of molesting his 6-year-old niece. While Heimlich told Kurt Streeter of the New York Times last month that “nothing ever happened,” teams have still stayed away from adding him. Judging by the Royals’ interest, that may change, though Gregorian argues that they shouldn’t sign Heimlich. Moore, for his part, noted: “The easy thing is to wipe your hands of it and don’t even look into it or deal with it. We’re going to continue to look into it. I think that’s what good organizations do. I think that’s what good people do. And we try to be both.”
  • While Tigers general manager Al Avila revealed last week that he’d listen to trade offers for both right-hander Michael Fulmer and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, either would be difficult to acquire, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press relays. The Tigers want “premium” returns for both, writes Fenech, who regards left-hander Francisco Liriano, closer Shane Greene, shortstop Jose Iglesias and outfielder Leonys Martin as Tigers who are more likely to end up on the move by the July 31 non-waiver deadline. Greene would generate the most interest of the four, Fenech suggests, as a quality reliever who’s cheap ($1.95MM salary) and under control via arbitration through 2020. The 29-year-old righty has pitched to a 3.57 ERA with 10.19 K/9, 2.55 BB/9 and 19 saves in 22 tries this season.
  • Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson is likely to remain on the disabled list for at least another week, per Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com. Donaldson won’t return until June 29 at the earliest, which would be a month after left calf tightness sent him to the DL on May 29. The 32-year-old has been on the DL twice this season (once with a shoulder issue), which – combined with a decline in performance – has hurt his trade value and likely his stock as an impending free agent. When he has suited up, Donaldson has hit a disappointed .234/.333/.423 with five homers in 159 PAs.
  • Rangers right-handed pitching prospect Alex Speas has suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will undergo Tommy John surgery, Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram writes. Speas will miss the rest of this year and a large portion of next season as a result. The 20-year-old, whom MLB.com ranks as the Rangers’ 22nd-best prospect, pitched to a stellar 2.20 ERA with 15.38 K/9 against 6.59 BB/9 over 28 2/3 innings at the Low-A level in 2018.

Athletics Designate Jaff Decker

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The Athletics have designated outfielder Jaff Decker for assignment, per a club announcement. Oakland has recalled infielder/outfielder Mark Canha to take his place on the active roster.

Decker, 27, had earned his most extensive MLB opportunity to open the year, receiving 62 plate appearances over 17 games of action. But he has slashed just .200/.322/.260 in that span, continuing a run of rough but brief showings in the majors.

That’s not to say that clubs can’t anticipate somewhat more out of Decker moving forward. The former top-100 prospect is a .269/.370/.410 hitter in five seasons at the Triple-A level.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/15/17

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Today’s minor moves from throughout the game:

  • The Rockies have signed left-hander Steve Ascher to a minor league contract. The 23-year-old was previously with the Rays, who selected him in the 17th round of the 2014 draft. Ascher has spent most of his professional career at the Single-A level, though he did ascend to Double-A last season. In 46 innings, Ascher logged a 4.30 ERA, 7.04 K/9 and 3.52 BB/9.
  • The Athletics have announced that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Jaff Decker. To clear roster space, they’ve optioned outfielder Mark Canha to Triple-A Nashville and placed outfielder Jake Smolinski (shoulder) on the 60-day DL. Canha was off to a poor .105/.150/.158 start in 2017 after missing much of 2016 to a hip injury, and Decker (who has had prior cups of coffee with the Padres, Pirates and Rays) was batting .387/.472/.452 for Nashville.
  • Astros righty Lupe Chavez has retired, as Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle notes. The Astros acquired the 19-year-old Chavez last August when they traded Scott Feldman to Toronto. Chavez had never pitched above the short-season leagues but had generally been successful, with a 2.19 ERA, 8.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 over 107 career innings. The reason for his somewhat surprising decision to retire isn’t known.

Jerry Dipoto, David Forst On Danny Valencia Trade

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The Mariners’ acquisition of utilityman Danny Valencia from the Athletics in exchange for right-hander Paul Blackburn is likely to end the Seattle tenures of two free agents – first baseman Dae-ho Lee and outfielder Franklin Gutierrez – general manager Jerry Dipoto revealed Saturday (via Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune).

“There’s very little likelihood that both (Valencia and Lee) will fit on the same roster,” Dipoto said. “I (also) don’t think we have to go out and focus on getting a right-handed-hitting outfielder just to have one.”

Valencia expects his role with the Mariners will be “to play first base, probably some right field,” which would make both Lee and Gutierrez superfluous to the club. All three are right-handed hitters, and barring more moves, Valencia is a strong candidate to complement lefty-swingers Dan Vogelbach at first base (previously Lee’s role with now-free agent Adam Lind) and Seth Smith in the outfield (fomerly Gutierrez’s job). Valencia seems likely to see most of his action at first, as Dipoto said Saturday that August acquisition Ben Gamel is slated to start in one outfield corner and Nelson Cruz and Guillermo Heredia will join Valencia in platooning with Smith. However, given that it’s so early in the offseason, Dipoto unsurprisingly isn’t ruling out further acquisitions.

“If we see a good fit, or the ability to go acquire a player who makes us better, we’re not going to hesitate. Valencia’s flexibility allows that,” he commented.

Oakland, having traded an outfielder in Valencia, will now look to strengthen the area, GM David Forst said in the wake of the trade (per Joe Stiglich of CSNBayArea.com).
“We need major league outfielders,” Forst stated. We have to be open to any means of acquiring, whether it’s free agents or trades. It’s certainly not our history to be aggressive at the top end of the free agent market, but we have money to spend and we have some good options. Mark Canha coming back will help fill this gap.”
Canha missed nearly all of 2016 with a hip injury, but he did slash a respectable .254/.315/.426 with 16 home runs and seven steals in a 485-plate appearance 2015 campaign. Oakland also has left fielder Khris Davis, who swatted 42 home runs this year, but the rest of its outfield class is decidedly less impressive. Current options include Brett Eibner, Matt Olson and Jake Smolinski, all of whom are coming off poor seasons. Valencia was far better than those three from an offensive standpoint this past season, though he’s defensively challenged and had clubhouse issues in Oakland. Forst spoke well of Valencia, but he didn’t think the team could pass on a chance to acquire Blackburn.
“He did a nice job in our lineup,” Forst said of Valencia. “This was about an opportunity to get a young starting pitcher we really like.”

Mark Canha To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

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Athletics first baseman/outfielder Mark Canha will undergo season-ending surgery to repair an impingement in his left hip, he told the media today (links to Twitter via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and via John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group). Canha tells reporters that his season is over, as he’ll have a recovery timeline of roughly six months following the operation.

Canha, 27, was a Rule 5 success story for Oakland last season. The Rockies were the club to actually select Canha in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, but the Rox promptly traded him to Oakland in exchange for minor leaguer Austin House and cash considerations. The A’s carried Canha on the active roster all throughout the 2015 season and were rewarded with 485 plate appearances of a .254/.315/.426 batting line and 16 homers. However, the 2016 season has been another story entirely, due largely to the hip problems, which Canha has previously called a source of “excruciating” pain while batting. He was said late last week to be weighing this operation and made his decision after receiving a second opinion on the injury yesterday. Hickey tweets that the procedure will be performed next Tuesday.

Canha will presumably spend the bulk of the season on the 60-day disabled list for Oakland, where he’ll accrue Major League service time. Because he made his MLB debut on Opening Day last season and spent the entire year on the roster, he’ll finish the 2016 campaign with an even two years of service. That means he’ll be controllable through the 2020 season and will not be eligible for arbitration until the 2017-18 offseason.

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