Sometimes in baseball, a small bet pays off bigger than anyone imagined.
That’s exactly what’s happening with the New York Mets and Griffin Canning—a pitcher who entered 2025 with little fanfare and even less expectation, but now looks like one of the team’s most reliable starters.
He’s not just surviving—he’s thriving.
From league-worst to one of the best in baseball
Canning was far from dominant in 2024.
Pitching for the Los Angeles Angels, he finished with a 5.19 ERA across 171.2 innings, looking every bit like a back-end arm.
But when the Mets signed him to a one-year, $4.25 million “prove it” deal, they were hoping for serviceable—not spectacular.
What they got instead has been nothing short of remarkable.
Through 42 innings this season, Canning owns a 2.36 ERA with 9.00 strikeouts per nine innings and a career-high 53.9% ground ball rate.
He’s pitching like an entirely different version of himself—and that transformation didn’t happen by accident.
A revamped pitch mix changes everything
The most obvious difference in Canning’s game is how he’s changed his approach on the mound.
He’s increased his slider usage from 24.1% to 35%, making it the centerpiece of his arsenal.
That adjustment has turned the slider into a lethal setup pitch, giving him better control over counts and more swing-and-miss potential.
Meanwhile, his four-seamer—used 34.6% of the time—has seen opponents’ batting average drop from .251 last season to just .189 this year.
At 93.8 mph, it’s not overpowering—but the placement and sequencing have made it highly effective.
Keeping the ball on the ground—and in the park
The second critical change has come in his batted ball profile.
Last year, Canning gave up a 39.2% fly ball rate and a 14.8% home run-to-fly ball ratio—bad news in any ballpark.
This season, that fly ball rate has plummeted to 28.7%, cutting his home run damage nearly in half.
That shift speaks to his ability to locate pitches low in the zone and induce weak contact—something he couldn’t do consistently a year ago.
It’s simple: more grounders, fewer fly balls, fewer costly mistakes.
A dominant outing shows what he’s become
Against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, Canning showed off his new form once again.
He went six innings, gave up just two hits and one earned run, and struck out five batters.
It wasn’t flashy, but it was efficient, controlled, and effective—the exact traits the Mets were missing from their rotation last season.
Now, they’re getting all that from a low-cost, short-term signing.
An incredible value—but can it last?
For $4.25 million, the Mets are getting ace-level production from a player most teams ignored.
Canning’s turnaround is one of the best bargains in baseball through the first few months of the season.
Of course, regression is always lurking in the shadows, especially over a 162-game grind.
But for now, the Mets have to feel like they hit a home run without even swinging the bat.
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