University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Griffin Canning Recalled by Angels, Will Make MLB Debut Tuesday
April 26, 2019 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ Former UCLA ace right-hander Griffin Canning (2015-17) has been called up to the Major Leagues by the Los Angeles Angels and will make his debut start on Tuesday, Apr. 30 against the Toronto Blue Jays, the club announced on Friday afternoon.
Canning, a second round pick by the Angels in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft, is set to become the third player from his draft class to make his major league debut, following Kyle Wright (Atlanta Braves) and Nick Margevicius (San Diego Padres).
The Mission Viejo, Calif. native is in just his second professional season. Despite playing in hitting-friendly conditions with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, Canning has terrorized opposing batters this season, allowing just one earned run over three starts for a 0.56 ERA. Over his 16 innings, he has struck out 17 batters.
In 2018, Canning accrued a 3.65 ERA across three minor league levels. He had his most success with Double-A Mobile, pitching to a 1.97 ERA over 10 starts.
Tuesday will not be the first time that Canning has appearedย in an Angels uniform, as he was with the big club for 2019 Spring Training, pitching in three games for the Halos.
Canning was a three-year standout at UCLA, recording a career 2.99 ERA while striking out 301 batters in 292 innings. He ranks sixth all-time for career strikeouts in program history, and his 140 Ks as a junior in 2017 rank as the sixth-most in school single-season history. His 2017 campaign, when he went 7-4 with a 2.34 ERA, resulted in All-American and Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist honors. He was the 47th overall selection in the MLB draft that summer.
When he debuts, Canning will become the 80th Bruin all-time to reach the Major Leagues and the 19th coached by UCLA head coach John Savage. In addition, at least one player from every UCLA team from 1965-2017 has competed in the MLB, a span of 52 consecutive years.
Stay up-to-date on all things UCLA Baseball by following the team on Twitter at @UCLABaseball.
John Savage-Coached Bruins to Reach Majors (debut team)
Hector Ambriz (Cleveland Indians)
Trevor Bauer (Arizona Diamonbacks)
Charles Brewer (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Trevor Brown (San Francisco Giants)
Tyson Brummett (Philadelphia Phillies)
Griffin Canning (Los Angeles Angels)
Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Brandon Crawford (San Francisco Giants)
Jermaine Curtis (St. Louis Cardinals)
Cody Decker (San Diego Padres)
Erik Goeddel (New York Mets)
Matt Grace (Washington Nationals)
David Huff (Cleveland Indians)
Kevin Kramer (Pittsburgh Pirate)
Adam Plutko (Cleveland Indians)
Rob Rasmussen (Toronto Blue Jays)
Josh Roenicke (Cincinnati Reds)
Pat Valaika (Colorado Rockies)
Zack Weiss (Cincinnati Reds)
