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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Tigers and Blue Jays knew this. They attacked the holes in his swing to shut him down in the postseason. Most of his at bats ended on pitches low and\/or away.<\/p>\n
The postseason was unfortunate for Canzone. He was terrible. The strikeout in the ninth inning of ALCS Game 7 \u2014 on a fastball up and away \u2014 dropped his October OPS to .245. The momentum he\u2019d built over four months as one of the league\u2019s best hitters was all but gone; in its place a new round of questions about his future with the club.<\/p>\n That perception is \u201cunfair,\u201d Justin Hollander said recently in an interview with the Seattle Times<\/a>. He cautioned against evaluating Canzone by his final 29 plate appearances and defended the notion the team is set on its right field platoon for next year. Few players have received more praise from Mariners\u2019 brass in early offseason media appearances.<\/p>\n I agree that it\u2019s not worth putting much stock in Canzone\u2019s (or anyone\u2019s) postseason stats. They\u2019re a small sample of PAs against a small sample of pitchers. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s any more likely to repeat that performance than Ernie Clement is to hit .411. But if we\u2019re talking sample size, Canzone\u2019s 268 PAs from the regular season aren\u2019t much to go on, either. He was much worse in similarly small samples in 2023 and 2024. His career 108 wRC+ in 638 PAs is about what he\u2019s projected for in 2026, and that\u2019s not enough to justify regular at bats with poor defense and base running.<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s not just that Canzone\u2019s performance improved last year. His performance improved and he fundamentally changed his swing. He closed his stance and got wider in the box. He started swinging harder and catching the ball further out in front. And he ditched the long, looping swing in favor of a short, flat approach<\/a>. None of those things are a eureka on their own, but a breakout performance is more believable when it lines up with a measurable overhaul.<\/p>\n The ceiling on Canzone\u2019s bat has always been well regarded. Before the 2024 season, former Mariners\u2019 hitting coach Jarret DeHart (now with the Yankees) got specific about what he liked in Canzone\u2019s swing<\/a>. DeHart talked about his mobility, his stability, and even the \u201crange in his hips.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe is incredibly talented,\u201d DeHart said. \u201cLike, he\u2019s one of the more skilled hitters I\u2019ve been around. His ability to impact the baseball and his ability to make contact \u2014 it\u2019s a unique skill set. Unique.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n