Griffin Canning

Griffin Alexander Canning

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 170 lbs.
• School University of California, Los Angeles
• High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School
• Debut April 30, 2019

• Born May 11, 1996 in Mission Viejo, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Griffin Canning made his major league debut with a start for the Los Angeles Angels against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 30, 2019. He gave up 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings, striking out 6, and was not involved in the decision. Griffin had just 28 games of minor league experience at the time, having been a 2nd round pick by the Angels in 2017, out of UCLA, not making his professional debut until the following year. He was 1-0, 1.56 in 3 starts for the AAA Salt Lake Bees at the time of his call up and finished 5-6, 4.58 with 96 strikeouts in 18 games (90 1/3 innings) in the bigs.

On June 23, 2021, he was forced to play left field for the Angels through an unusual set of circumstances. Playing the San Francisco Giants at home, the Angels had elected to have P Shohei Ohtani bat for himself, a defensible decision given he was tied for the major league lead in homers at the time. But after he left the game after pitching six innings, they had to use a couple of pinch-hitters when his turn to bat came up, leaving their bench short as the game headed into extra innings. In spite of the tiebreaker rule being in place, the game kept going, and disaster struck when C Kurt Suzuki had to leave with an injury in the top of the 12th inning after taking a foul tip off his mask. Manager Joe Maddon got creative, moving LF Taylor Ward, who had not caught professionally since 2017, to catch, and sending Canning to play left. Maddon had no one left on the bench and figured Canning was the most athletic of the remaining pitchers. He did lay a successful sacrifice bunt when his turn to bat came up in the bottom of the 12th, but Juan Lagares was later thrown out at home and the game continued into the 13th, when the Giants exploded for 7 runs to put the game away. He started 13 games in 14 appearances on the mound that year, finishing at 5-4, 5.60 but made his final appearance on July 2nd before missing and extended stretch of action.

He missed the entire 2022 season with a stress fracture in his lower back, but came back strong in 2023. In a season during which the Angels, once again, struggled to find reliable starting pitching, he made 22 starts in 24 appearances and finished at 7-8, 4.32, with 139 strikeouts in 127 innings. This may not seem too impressive, but he was in effect the Angels' second most-effective starter after Ohtani when no one was sure whether he would be able to contribute anything that season given how much time he had missed. 2024 was more of a challenge, however, as the Angels had the worst season in franchise history, finishing last in the AL West and setting a team record for losses - and he went just 6-13, 5.19 as one of the team's regular starters. He did set personal marks for most starts (31) and innings pitched (171 2/3) in a season, but otherwise it was a major disappointment. On October 31st, the day after the end of the World Series, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in return for veteran OF Jorge Soler.

He never actually played for the Braves as he became a free agent on November 22nd, when Atlanta did not tender him a qualifying offer and he signed a one-year deal with the New York Mets on December 19th. He then got off to a great start with his new team in 2025, going 7-3, 3.77 in his first 16 starts. However, his last appearance of the season came on June 26th after which he was sidelined by a ruptured Achilles' tendon. He never came back and became a free agent again after the season. On February 14, 2026, he signed with the San Diego Padres although it wasn't clear whether he would be ready for the start of the season.

Notable Achievements

• AL Gold Glove Winner (2020)

Further Reading

• Rhett Bollinger: "'I'm really proud of him': Canning finishes season on high note", mlb.com, September 28, 2023. [1]
• AJ Cassavell: "Canning, Márquez join mix for a spot in Padres' rotation", mlb.com, February 14, 2026. [2]

Related Sites

• Griffin Canning on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• 2015 UCLA bio