Gage
Canning

4/25/18 - Canning has been an elite performer throughout his career at ASU and should move quickly once he gets into the professional system. On this evening he went 2-5 with a homer and a double, both to RCF, and a strikeout. Not a physically imposing prospect, generously listed at 5-foot-11, 178-pounds, he’s often the best player on the field and has upped his value by shifting over to CF this spring. He should be able to stick there for the foreseeable future and give a team average defense, or slide over to a corner and be above average. He throws with above average or maybe even plus velocity, but a 3-piece arm action with a stab prevents elite carry and puts the arm closer to average. On multiple looks, his speed grades out as about average, getting down the line as good as 4.18, but more often in the 4.2-4.3 range and not posting big time stolen base numbers. Offensively, Canning drives the baseball with far more authority than one would expect based on his physical stature and shows the type of bat speed that should translate to the higher levels. The only thing that threatens to prevent him from becoming an average big league hitter is approach, where a lack of walks (40 career), combined with relatively high strikeout numbers (144 career) don’t give him a true top of the order profile. The tool set is similar to that of an Adam Eaton, but the BB/K numbers currently don’t line up there and make Canning more of a fit in rounds 3-5.