The Oakland Athletics stocked their roster with rookies this season. Sometimes their ability impressed the fans and sometimes their lack of MLB playing experience was a huge let down. But, for the A’s, these are their future stars and some are beginning to truly shine in the Majors. One of those players being Mark Canha.
Canha has been outstanding throughout the second half of the season. For the month of August, he is batting over .300, has 21 RBI, 10 doubles, and has only not earned a hit in six out of the 28 games in which he has played. He has been truly dominate as the A’s head into the last month of the season.
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If Canha had been this successful throughout the entire season, he could have been a strong contender for AL Rookie of the Year. He hits for power and has been pretty solid defensively at all of the positions he has played so far. Unfortunately for Canha, he struggled slightly during the first half of the season, which ultimately hurt his overall batting average and contention for ROY.
Unlike Billy Burns, who has been consistent offensively all season and is one of the front runners for the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year award, Canha struggled in May where he only hit .169 and in July when he batted .208. These two months hurt his overall batting average, which currently resides at .253. He may now be showing that he has a strong bat, but this low batting average just does not compete with some of the other rookies in contention for ROY.
However, it must also be noted that Canha did not receive regular playing time like Burns did this season. Burns was able to take over Coco Crisp’s spot in the lineup and in the field early in the year while Crisp was on the disabled list. This gave Burns daily playing time and valuable experience.
Cahna, on the other hand, did not get such extensive experience due to the fact that the positions at which he typically fields were already filled with quality players. Thus, Canha was put into the lineup whenever one of those more veteran players needed a night off. If he had perhaps received more regular playing time like Burns, he could have had more chances to adjust to playing at the Major League level.
Unfortunately for Canha, the first half of the season hurt his ROY potential. However, the success he is demonstrating now is just a glimpse into the future. Canha will be a power bat in the lineup for the Oakland Athletics for seasons to come. Let’s just hope that his offensive success can be consistent throughout an entire season when he does receive regular playing time.
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