'I get to work and be myself': Mark Canha's unorthodox approach to hitting has fit just fine with Brewers
MIAMI – The sexy, headline-grabbing move for the Milwaukee Brewers at the trading deadline would have been to acquire slugging first baseman Pete Alonso.
Instead, they went 180 degrees in the other direction by acquiring Mark Canha, Alonso’s teammate on the New York Mets, in exchange for minor-league pitcher Justin Jarvis on July 31.
An outfielder-designated hitter-first baseman, Canha probably was best known for his penchant for being hit by pitches, and most of the hot takes labeled the move as underwhelming at best for a team that needed serious offensive help.
Yet a little less than two months later the trade is looking much better – so much so that it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Canha the most impactful position player to change teams in the frenzy leading up to the Aug. 1 cutoff.
In 46 games since switching uniforms the 34-year-old Canha is batting a robust .296 with five home runs and 34 runs batted with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .834 while switching seamlessly between right and left field, designated hitter and even first base at times.
Compare that to the .245//6/29/.725 line he compiled in 89 games for the woefully underachieving Mets, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to call Canha a completely different player with Milwaukee.
“It’s been fun and pretty smooth sailing,” Canha said of his time since the trade. “We’ve been doing really well since I’ve been here, but a lot of hard work has gone into that.
“It’s been easy to work here, I’ll say that.”
Asked what he meant by that, Canha explained he’s “a little unorthodox with how I think and do things and carry myself, and how I think about hitting.”
A response which, of course, merited further exploration.
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Mark Canha appreciates that staff listens to his approach to hitting
Manager Craig Counsell was the first to weigh in on his new player’s approach with the bat.
“Mark works a lot. That’s probably No. 1 – he takes a lot of swings, and he wants to talk about his swings,” said Counsell, whose team will try to clinch the National League Central Division title Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals at American Family Field.
“He’s focused on his lower half a lot, and he has a very creative way of talking about it, which requires a little bit of interpretation. I think he takes a deep dive on every swing into what happened. And that’s just his process.”
Canha didn’t dispute Counsell’s take.
“I just think about a lot of things mechanically,” he said. “And some people, they kind of try and steer me away from that. They get turned off because I overthink things.”
But that hasn’t been the case with Brewers hitting coaches Ozzie Timmons and Connor Dawson.
Quite the contrary, actually.
“They treat me with respect and listen to what I say,” Canha said. “Not that other people haven’t done that in the past. But I just think it’s hard for some people to wrap their head around, like, all the thoughts that go through my head.
“These guys actually listen and take to heart what I’m saying, and there’s a lot of trust that goes into that. I’m being genuine and I have all the intentions of trying to get better every day, and I want real feedback.”
Dawson, 30, is the youngest coach on the Brewers staff. As such, it’s unsurprising to learn he isn’t the slightest bit put out by or skeptical of Canha’s need to think outside the box.
Timmons, at age 53 and with a 186-game career in the majors behind him, is on board as well.
“It’s just more, like, different thoughts and adjustments. There’s not really anything he’s tied to,” Dawson said. “He’s taking different things from different resources, and he’s trying to utilize information and filter it and find something that he likes and feels comfortable with.
“He really just wants to move correctly and hit the ball hard.”
What especially appealed to the Brewers when they traded for Canha was his proficiency at getting on base.
He rarely strikes out (rate of 15.4% is in the 88th percentile in the majors and his whiff rate of 18.5% is in the 86th), rarely chases (23.3%, 81st percentile) and walks more than average (9.9%, 67th percentile).
It’s no surprise, then, to learn Counsell has employed Canha in each of the first seven spots in the lineup.
Oh yeah, and Canha also is continuing to be plunked by opposing pitchers; in just 188 plate appearances with the Brewers, he already has a team-leading eight on his ledger.
Willy Adames, in 618 plate appearances, has been hit six times.
Canha led the majors in 2022 by being plunked 25 times. He currently is tied for eighth overall at 17.
“It’s a skill,” Dawson said. “And I think it’s something that’s pretty hard to do for most hitters. It’s like, ‘Can you hold your ground?’ and he’ll hold his ground no matter what.
“It’s really impressive.”
Canha has provided big moments like his grand slam, and versatility to play multiple positions
Canha’s biggest moment to date, without a doubt, was the two-out, eighth-inning grand slam he slugged to beat the Washington Nationals at American Family Field on Sept. 16.
It’s a moment that’s been replayed over and over as Milwaukee has inched to within a game of winning the NL Central title, and one that will ensure he’ll always be remembered fondly in Brewers lore.
But Canha, like all players must do, has moved on.
“I’ve stopped thinking about that,” he said. “It was fun for a day, to revel in it. But you’ve got to move on. This game is about, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ That’s the truth, and you’ve got to turn the page and prepare for today.”
Canha also has provided Counsell with some much-needed defensive versatility, having logged 16 starts at DH, 12 in left field – most coming when Christian Yelich was out with a sore lower back – 11 in right and three at first base.
“I love it,” Canha said of all the moving around. “I take pride in my role and how I’m able to fit different places. It’s beneficial for me as a player in terms of having value to teams I’ve played for, and it’s also valuable for the teams so they can give guys a break here and there.
“I take pride in the ability to do that and I’m working hard every day to stay sharp at all those positions and also to keep hitting.”
On his third team since breaking into the majors in 2015, Canha has logged 12 games of postseason experience but precious little personal success with a .103 average, a homer and three RBI (4 for 39).
He’s eager to get back to it again with the Brewers and feels like he’s learned something along the way. The Brewers, in turn, will take all Canha can provide as they seek to win their first postseason series since 2018.
“The postseason is such a crazy, short sample size and such a burst of adrenaline and energy and intensity,” Canha said. “I think the experience helps because you’re like, ‘OK, I’ve been here before and I know what to expect.’
“But it’s baseball at the highest level and just kind of be like, ‘It’s ready to buckle up and compete.’ I’ve approached it in the past like, ‘Oh, this is just another game. Just think of it that way.’
“Now it’s like, ‘Turn it up a notch. It’s time to put a little extra focus into this and really lock it in.’”
Canha would love to be back with Brewers in 2024
The Brewers have Canha for a song for the rest of 2023, as they are paying him only the prorated portion of the veteran's minimum salary of $720,000 while the Mets pay the balance of the $10.5 million he’s owed on the contract he signed with New York.
That pact also contains an $11.5 million club option for 2024 with a $2 million buyout.
Milwaukee has plenty of young outfielders who will be vying for playing time moving forward. But nothing is settled at DH or first base, and having someone who can play four spots like Canha should make his potential return something for the team’s brass to consider seriously.
Canha, for his part, left no doubt he’d like to return.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I love it here. I think this organization just really does it, quote unquote, right. It’s just a place that has a good feel and a good idea of how to win ballgames and how to construct rosters.
“And that's all you can ask for. You want to be somewhere where you're competing and can win and you be happy where you're at and be in a situation where you're like, ‘I get to work and be myself and enjoy the people around me.’
“At this point in my career, when you've been in a bunch of different situations, year to year, you appreciate that.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Versatile Mark Canha would like to return to Brewers in 2024
