Dominic Canzone

Dominic Canzone
Seattle Mariners – No. 8
Outfielder
Born: (1997-08-16) August 16, 1997 (age 27)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 8, 2023, for the Arizona Diamondbacks
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.208
Home runs14
Runs batted in38
Teams

Dominic Gene Canzone (born August 16, 1997) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Amateur career

Canzone attended Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.[1] As a sophomore in 2014, he pitched 16+1⁄3 scoreless innings and batted .434 with three home runs and 27 RBIs.[2] He earned All-Ohio honorable mention as a senior in 2016.[3] Unselected in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at Ohio State University where he played college baseball. As a freshman in 2017, Canzone started 39 games and batted .343 with three home runs, 36 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases, earning a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten freshman team.[4] In 2018, Canzone started 60 games and hit .323 with four home runs, 35 RBIs, 18 doubles, and 15 stolen bases.[5] After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star.[6] As a junior in 2019, Canzone started 63 games and batted .345 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs.[7] He set a Buckeyes baseball record, previously held by Nick Swisher, with a 59-game on base streak and led the Big Ten in hits and slugging percentage. He was named a third-team All-American by Rawlings.[5]

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

2019–2023 Minor leagues

Canzone was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the eighth round with the 242nd overall pick of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.[8][9] He signed for $170,000 and made his professional debut with the Missoula Osprey of the Rookie Advanced Pioneer League.[10] He was promoted in early August to the Hillsboro Hops of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. Over 46 games between the two clubs, he batted .281 with eight home runs, 38 RBIs, and 19 doubles.[11]

Canzone did not play in the minor leagues in 2020 because the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] He missed time in May and August 2021 due to injury[13] but appeared in 44 games between Hillsboro, now in High-A West, before earning a promotion to the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles of the late July, where he played 35 games.[11] He slashed .302/.375/.522 with 14 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 2021.[14] After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters,[15] where he had a solid .905 on-base plus slugging in 78 plate appearances.[11]

Canzone returned to Amarillo to begin the 2022 season.[16] After 11 games, he was promoted to the Reno Aces of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.[17] He was placed on the injured list with an oblique injury on June 23, returning to Reno by early August following a short rehab assignment.[18][13] Over 106 games in 2022, he slashed .299/.367/.541 with 22 home runs, 89 RBIs, 25 doubles, and 15 stolen bases. He was named a Diamondbacks organizational All-Star by MiLB.com.[13]

To open the 2023 season, Canzone returned to Reno,[19] where he had the best offensive stretch of his career: he batted .354/.431/.634 with 16 home runs and 71 RBIs in 71 games.[11]

2023 MLB debut

On July 7, 2023, Canzone was selected to Arizona's 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[20] He debuted that night as a designated hitter, going hitless but drawing a walk and scoring the tying run in the 10th inning of a Diamondbacks win.[21] Canzone hit his first career home run on July 20, off Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider.[22] In the first 15 games to start his major league career, Canzone hit .237 with the solitary home run for Arizona.[23]

Seattle Mariners

On July 31, 2023, the Diamondbacks traded Canzone and infielders Josh Rojas and Ryan Bliss to the Seattle Mariners for closer Paul Sewald.[24][25] Canzone played in most of the Mariners' games the final two months of the season, primarily in left field but also as a left-handed pinch hitter. He hit .215/.248/.407 with 5 home runs in 44 games.[23] Canzone would regularly celebrate big plays with a "finger pinch" hand gesture,[26] a nod to his Italian-American heritage.[27]

On April 1, 2024, Canzone hit a three-run home run for his first home run of the 2024 season.[28] After showing improved power, with a .531 slugging percentage in his first 14 games of 2024,[29] Canzone missed a month after crashing into the outfield wall catching a flyball.[30] He returned to the Mariners on May 15 but hit only .209 with 8 extra base hits in his next 40 games.[29] He went back on the injured list on July 9, missing another month with a right adductor strain. He returned on August 9,[31] but his hitting worsened. He went 3-for-26 with one home run and two doubles[29] before being optioned down to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on August 28.[32]

Personal life

Canzone's parents are Amy Miklos and Dave Canzone. He has three siblings.[5] His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while Canzone was in elementary school. She recovered after two years of treatment, including chemotherapy.[33]

As a child, Canzone was a fan of Cleveland's MLB team, and his favorite players were Ken Griffey Jr., then playing for the Cincinnati Reds, and Kenny Lofton.[33][34]

Canzone returned to Ohio State and finished his bachelor's degree in 2020[33] following the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season.[12]

References

  1. ^ Askeland, Kevin (February 23, 2015). "MaxPreps 2015 Top 100 high school baseball team rankings". MaxPreps. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015.
  2. ^ Kuzydym, Stephanie (October 1, 2014). "Walsh Jesuit baseball's Dominic Canzone third Warrior of 2015 team to commit to Ohio State". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "All-Ohio baseball teams released".
  4. ^ Sutelan, Edward (May 23, 2017). "Baseball: Freshman Dominic Canzone receives pair of regular season honors". The Lantern.
  5. ^ a b c "Dominic Canzone - 2019 - Baseball". Ohio State. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "Dominic Canzone – Cape Cod Baseball League". Pointstreak.
  7. ^ "All of the Arizona Diamondbacks' picks in the 2019 MLB Draft". Arizona Sports. June 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Leonard, Michael (June 5, 2019). "MLB Draft: Former Walsh Jesuit, OSU standout Dominic Canzone chosen by Diamondbacks". Akron Beacon-Journal.
  9. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (November 17, 2021). "D-backs' Dominic Canzone keeps raking in AFL". MLB.com.
  10. ^ Ocker, Sheldon (July 19, 2019). "Sagamore Hills native begins long climb up minor-league ladder with Diamondbacks". ScrypType.
  11. ^ a b c d "Dominic Canzone Amateur, College, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b West, Jenna (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Canceled". Sports Illustrated.
  13. ^ a b c "Dominic Canzone Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Gilberto, Gerard (October 25, 2021). "Thomas at top of the class for D-backs". MiLB.com.
  15. ^ Glaser, Kyle (November 16, 2021). "D-backs Prospect Dominic Canzone Continues Breakout in Arizona Fall League". Baseball America.
  16. ^ "Amarillo Sod Poodles Opening Day Roster Revealed". MiLB.com. April 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Liska, Larissa (April 23, 2022). "Dominic Canzone called up to Triple-A Reno Aces". KFDA.
  18. ^ Ludwiczak, Brett (July 25, 2022). "Down on the Farm: How the former Ohio State Buckeyes have fared in MiLB over the last month". Land-Grant Holyland.
  19. ^ Dykstra, Sam (April 5, 2023). "Where the D-backs' Top 30 prospects are starting season". MLB.com.
  20. ^ Franco, Anthony (July 7, 2023). "D-Backs Select Dominic Canzone, Designate Konnor Pilkington". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  21. ^ Beavan, Michael (July 8, 2023). "Walsh Jesuit graduate Dominic Canzone receives MLB promotion by Arizona Diamondbacks". Akron Beacon-Journal. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  22. ^ "Dominic Canzone's first MLB homer". MLB.com. July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Dominic Canzone 2023 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  24. ^ Anderson, R. J. (July 31, 2023). "Paul Sewald trade: Diamondbacks acquire Mariners closer in four-player deal". CBSSports.com.
  25. ^ Passan, Jeff (July 31, 2023). "Arizona Diamondbacks acquire Paul Sewald from Seattle Mariners". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  26. ^ "Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners gestures to the dugout as he rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run during the sixth inning of the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 02, 2023 in New York City". Getty Images. September 2, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  27. ^ Katzman, Gabe (August 28, 2023). "Fans liken Mariners Dominic Canzone's spectacular catch to a work of art". KOMO. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  28. ^ "Dominic Canzone's three-run homer (1)". MLB.com. April 1, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c "Dominic Canzone 2024 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  30. ^ "Dominic Canzone leaves after collision at the wall". MLB.com. April 14, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  31. ^ "Mariners Outright Jonathan Hernandez". MLB Trade Rumors. August 11, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  32. ^ "Transactions". MLB.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  33. ^ a b c "'Never Take Anything for Granted': A Motto That Has Shaped Dom Canzone's Life and Career". MiLB.com. June 5, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  34. ^ Gustafson, Brandon (August 5, 2023). "Dominic Canzone talks joining Mariners, role going forward, more". Seattle Sports. Retrieved November 12, 2024.