Griffin Canning Bio
Griffin Alexander Canning is an American professional baseball pitcher who most recently played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres. He has previously pitched in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Mets. He made his MLB debut in 2019 with the Angels and won a Gold Glove Award in 2020.
Canning is a right-handed starting pitcher known for his strikeout ability and his defensive work on the mound. Over the course of his MLB career, he has built a résumé that includes a Gold Glove Award, a Major League debut against the Toronto Blue Jays, and stints with three National League and American League clubs. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he developed into one of the top college pitchers in the country before being selected in the 2017 MLB draft.
Early Life and Background
Griffin Alexander Canning was born on May 11, 1996, in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, USA. He grew up in the same Orange County community where he would later attend high school, and his early years were spent in Southern California. Canning attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, where he played for the school’s baseball team as a pitcher.
As a senior at Santa Margarita, Canning posted an 11–3 win–loss record with a 1.51 earned run average (ERA) and 123 strikeouts. His performance that season earned him the Orange County Register Pitcher of the Year award. In his final high school game, he led Santa Margarita to victory in the 2014 California Interscholastic Federation SS Division I Championship, recording 11 strikeouts and allowing only two hits in the contest.
Following his senior season, Canning was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 38th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. He chose not to sign with Colorado and instead enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, to play college baseball for the UCLA Bruins.
Path to Baseball
Canning wasted little time making an impact at UCLA. As a freshman in 2015, he made 15 appearances with 11 starts and went 7–1 with a 2.97 ERA and 66 strikeouts. His strong first season established him as one of the top young arms in the UCLA pitching staff and set the stage for an expanded role the following year.
During his sophomore season in 2016, Canning became UCLA’s number one starter. He made 15 starts, going 5–8 with a 3.70 ERA and 95 strikeouts. The heavier workload helped him develop the durability expected of a frontline college pitcher and prepared him for the demands of a full professional season.
As a junior in 2017, Canning returned to UCLA as the team’s ace. In 17 starts, he went 7–4 with a 2.34 ERA and 140 strikeouts, cementing his status as one of the premier college pitchers available in that year’s draft. The Los Angeles Angels selected Canning with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2017 MLB draft. He signed with the Angels for a $1,459,200 signing bonus and did not pitch in the remainder of 2017.
Griffin Canning Career
Early Career (2018)
Canning made his professional debut in 2018 with the Inland Empire 66ers of the High-A California League. After pitching 8+2⁄3 scoreless innings, he was quickly promoted to the Mobile BayBears of the Double-A Southern League. He continued his rapid rise in June, when he was promoted again, this time to the Salt Lake Bees of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
In 25 combined starts across the three levels that year, Canning went 4–3 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The 2018 season gave the Angels confidence that Canning was ready to contribute at the major league level heading into 2019.
Los Angeles Angels (2019–2024)
The Los Angeles Angels promoted Canning to the major leagues on April 30, 2019, and he made his debut that night against the Toronto Blue Jays. He recorded six strikeouts over 4+1⁄3 innings pitched in his first MLB outing. Multiple trips to the injured list with elbow inflammation shortened his rookie season, however, and on August 22 the Angels announced that Canning would be shut down for the rest of the year. He finished 2019 with a 5–6 record, a 4.58 ERA, and 96 strikeouts.
In the shortened 2020 season, Canning went 2–3 with a 3.99 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 11 starts. He was tied for the American League lead among pitchers with three defensive runs saved and made just one error out of 16 chances. That defensive performance earned Canning his first Gold Glove Award.
Canning went 5–4 with a 5.60 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 13 starts during 2021. He was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on July 3, 2021, and on August 10 the Angels announced that he would miss the rest of the season with a low back stress fracture. He began 2022 on the 60-day injured list and was shut down in August after multiple setbacks, missing the entire 2022 campaign. On January 13, 2023, Canning signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Angels to avoid salary arbitration, and in 2024 he made 32 appearances with 31 starts, going 6–13 with a 5.19 ERA and 130 strikeouts over 171+2⁄3 innings. On October 31, 2024, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Jorge Soler, but the Braves non-tendered him on November 22, making him a free agent.
New York Mets (2025)
On December 19, 2024, Canning signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the New York Mets. He made 16 starts for the Mets and posted a 7–3 record with a 3.77 ERA and 70 strikeouts across 76+1⁄3 innings pitched, providing a strong return to form after several injury-marred seasons.
On June 26, 2025, in a 4–0 victory over the Atlanta Braves, Canning suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon that abruptly ended his season. The injury cut short what had been his most productive stretch as a major leaguer since his rookie year.
San Diego Padres Era (2026–Present)
On February 17, 2026, Canning signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the San Diego Padres, a deal that also included a mutual option for the 2027 season with a $1.5 million buyout. The signing marked his return to the National League West and gave him an opportunity to continue his comeback from the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 campaign.
Canning joined the Padres rotation as a veteran presence looking to bounce back from a major injury. Through the early portion of the 2026 season, he has continued to work his way back into a regular starting role for San Diego, contributing innings and strikeouts to a Padres pitching staff in need of experienced arms.
Driving Style and Strengths
Canning is a right-handed pitcher who relies on a strong strikeout rate and steady defensive work on the mound. His Gold Glove Award in 2020 highlighted his ability to field his position and prevent baserunners from advancing, while his collegiate and professional résumé demonstrates the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that allows him to miss bats at higher levels. His professional career has also shown the durability of a former college ace who can handle the workload of a major league starting rotation.
Notable Events and Milestones
Canning’s signature moments include his MLB debut against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, his 2020 Gold Glove Award, and his 2025 stint with the Mets, where he posted a 7–3 record and a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. The 2014 CIF SS Division I Championship at Santa Margarita Catholic High School also stands out as an early career milestone, given his 11-strikeout performance in the title game.
Griffin Canning Career Wins
Across his Major League Baseball career with the Los Angeles Angels, the New York Mets, and the San Diego Padres, Griffin Canning has accumulated regular-season victories as a starting pitcher. The bulk of his MLB wins have come with the Angels and Mets, including a career-high seven-win season in a Mets uniform in 2025 before his season-ending injury.
MLB Highlights
Canning recorded his first MLB victory during his 2019 rookie season with the Angels, a year in which he finished 5–6 with a 4.58 ERA. He added two more wins during the shortened 2020 campaign, when he also captured his Gold Glove Award, and five wins in 2021 before a back injury ended his season. In 2023 and 2024 he added further wins in an Angels uniform, and in 2025 he posted a 7–3 record with the Mets before a ruptured Achilles tendon cut his year short.
Other Wins & Performances
At the minor league level, Canning went 4–3 with a 3.65 ERA across 25 starts split between Inland Empire, Mobile, and Salt Lake in 2018. In college at UCLA, he posted a 19–13 overall record with a 2.97 ERA, including a 7–1 mark as a freshman, a 5–8 record as a sophomore, and a 7–4 finish as a junior in 2017.
Griffin Canning Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Griffin Canning grew up in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, in the Orange County area. Public information about his parents and any extended family is limited.
Personal Life
Canning attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School and later the University of California, Los Angeles. Public details about his marital status, spouse, and children are not clearly confirmed in available sources.
2025 Season Performance
Canning’s 2025 season with the New York Mets began on a strong note after he signed a one-year, $4.25 million contract on December 19, 2024. In 16 starts, he posted a 7–3 record with a 3.77 ERA and 70 strikeouts across 76+1⁄3 innings pitched, giving the Mets a reliable mid-rotation arm and reestablishing himself as a capable major league starter.
The high point of his 2025 campaign was cut short on June 26, 2025, when Canning suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during a 4–0 victory over the Atlanta Braves. The injury abruptly ended his season and placed his offseason plans and free agency in question.
Looking ahead from the 2025 perspective, Canning’s strong numbers in 16 starts suggested he was trending toward the most productive stretch of his career before the injury. The recovery timetable and the open free-agent market were expected to shape his next move once the season concluded.
