Injury-prone Angels starter soaring to new heights

Griffin Canning's career is comprised of some highs, but a lot of lows.

The former second round pick out of UCLA has been bit by the injury bug early and often throughout his career. Canning's MLB debut came in 2019, but after 90.1 innings pitched he was shut down due to lingering elbow inflammation. During a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, Canning pitched well on the mound and went on to win a Gold Glove.

The major setbacks began in 2021. Canning struggled on the mound, and ended up getting optioned to AAA Salt Lake. He ended up missing the last couple months of 2021 and the entire 2022 season due to a lower back stress fracture.

Griffin Canning is eating innings and providing reliability

2023 was not looking any more promising, as he opened up the season on the Injured List with a groin strain. Even with missing 14 games (2-3 starts) in late-July and early-August, Canning posted the best year of his career. Canning's 2023 season contains his most win probability added, strikeouts per 9 innings, and FIP (fielding independent pitching) of his career. Of the 8 qualified Angels pitchers in 2023, including a guy named Shohei Ohtani, Canning lead the team in strikeout to walk ratio. In 127 innings pitched, Canning punched out 139 batters and only walked 36.

Canning's 2024 season has more than proven his career is back on the right track. With a little under a month to go Canning has thrown 150.2 innings, by far the most of his career. That in of itself is a major positive. In the past couple of years, Canning has cemented himself as a reliable starter on a team in major need of such a player. Canning ranks second on the team in innings pitched this year, and he has thrown 37 more innings than the 3rd ranked pitcher.

While the totality of Canning's 2024 season is spotty (he leads the league with 84 earned runs), Canning is closing the season strong. 2 of his last 3 starts have been remarkable to watch. On 8/22, Canning tossed 6.0 innings while allowing only 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 0 walks, while punching out 6 Blue Jays. After a subpar performance against Detroit, Canning stymied the league's best team on 9/4. Facing the Dodgers (albeit with a lot of run support), Canning made it through 6.2 innings, struck out 7, allowed 1 run, while scattering 4 hits, and posting his best game score of the season.

In 2025, Canning will be entering his last year of arbitration before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Canning may or may not be a part of the Angels' future, but his past couple of seasons have been a bright light amidst a sea of darkness for the Angels franchise.