Player Data: Age: 33 (2/15/1989), B/T: R/R

Primary Stats: 140 G, 542 PA, 462 AB, .266 BA, .367 OBP, .403 SLG, .770 OPS, 123 H, 13 HR, 61 RBI, 48 BB, 28 HBP,  97 SO

Advanced Stats: 122 OPS+, 128 wRC+, 17.9% K%, 8.9% BB%, .309 BABIP, .343 xwOBA, 2.8 fWAR, 2.4 bWAR

2022 Salary: $13 million

Grade: B

2022 Review

Mark Canha was a breath of fresh air in the middle of the Mets lineup in his first season in New York. While he didn’t have the flashiest of statistics, it’s the little things that he did well.

From leading the major leagues with 28 HBP’s to working long at-bats seemingly each plate appearance, Mark Canha did whatever he could to get on base.

The .367 OBP was among the highest of his career, and his 17.9% K% was the lowest of his career. There is no question that Mark Canha was a difficult out, and that helped the entire lineup’s mentality of getting starting pitchers out of the game early.

The Mets brought in Canha, along with Starling Marte and Eduardo Escobar, to change the dynamic of the Mets offense. Billy Eppler strategically chose players that get clutch hits, and put up good at-bats. Canha hit .275 with a .377 OBP and .417 SLG with runners in scoring position in 2022. He also drove in 49 of his 61 runs in those spots.

Canha was also brought in to try to improve the left field position that has been subpar for years. Dominic Smith was the primary left fielder in 2021, and did not live up to his incredible 2020 season. In 2021, Smith had a .244 BA, .304 OBP, and a.363 SLG. He only hit 11 home runs and 58 RBI. During his 2021 season in Oakland, Mark Canha had a .231 BA, .358 OBP, and a .387 SLG. Not major improvements over Smith, but combining those with the 17 home runs and 61 RBI was enough to earn him the starting job on the Mets.

The Mets didn’t sign Canha to be a guy that hits .300 (even though he was hitting .356 as late as May 2), or hits 30 home runs. The Mets brought Mark Canha to New York to grind out at-bats, bring a positive atmosphere to the clubhouse, and bring a veteran presence to the club.

Defensively, Canha did his part. While he only had an OAA (outs above average) of 0, that was on par with his career numbers. The highest OAA he ever had was in 2021, where he had 1. For comparison, Dominic Smith put up a -10 OAA in 2021. Therefore, having someone with even a 0 OAA is quite the refreshing sight for a team that hasn’t excelled defensively in the outfield over the past few seasons.

2023 Outlook

Canha is under contract for the 2023 season and has a team option for 2024. As of right now, he will likely be the starting left fielder for the Mets in 2o23.

However, there are a few different scenarios that could change that.

First and foremost is the biggest question mark of the off-season for the Mets: Aaron Judge. If the Mets sign Aaron Judge, they will need to figure out where they want to play him. That will also then throw into play whether they bring Brandon Nimmo back or not. If the Mets sign Judge and re-sign Nimmo, then who knows what the outfield will look like. Out of Judge, Nimmo, Marte, and Canha, Canha would likely be the odd man out. However, would the Mets throw Judge in the DH role? Maybe Mark Canha?

These are all questions that Billy Eppler will have to tackle this winter, and they will impact the future of the Mets greatly.

As of right now, Mark Canha is slated to be back out there in left field for the Mets come 2023, and will likely be grinding out at-bats right in the middle of the batting order as he did so well in 2022. If he can do what he did in 2022, and maybe even improve those numbers a little bit, he will continue to be an important piece of the New York Mets lineup.