| 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 runs | 14 |
| Runs batted in | 38 |
| Teams | |
| |
Dominic Gene Canzone (born August 16, 1997) is an American professionalbaseballoutfielder for theSeattle Mariners ofMajor League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for theArizona Diamondbacks.
Canzone attendedWalsh Jesuit High School inCuyahoga Falls, Ohio.[1] As a sophomore in 2014, he pitched16+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 the2016 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled atOhio State University where he playedcollege 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 playedcollegiate summer baseball with theBrewster Whitecaps of theCape 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 aBuckeyes baseball record, previously held byNick 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 byRawlings.[5]
Canzone was selected by theArizona Diamondbacks in the eighth round with the 242nd overall pick of the2019 Major League Baseball draft.[8][9] He signed for $170,000 and made his professional debut with theMissoula Osprey of theRookie AdvancedPioneer League.[10] He was promoted in early August to theHillsboro Hops of theClass A-Short SeasonNorthwest 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic.[12] He missed time in May and August 2021 due to injury[13] but appeared in 44 games between Hillsboro, now inHigh-A West, before earning a promotion to theDouble-AAmarillo Sod Poodles of the late July, where he played 35 games.[11] Heslashed .302/.375/.522 with 14 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 2021.[14] After the season, he played in theArizona Fall League for theSalt River Rafters,[15] where he had a solid .905on-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 theReno Aces of theTriple-APacific Coast League.[17] He was placed on theinjured 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 byMiLB.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]
On July 7, 2023, Canzone was selected to Arizona's40-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, offAtlanta Braves aceSpencer Strider.[22] In the first 15 games to start his major league career, Canzone hit .237 with the solitary home run for Arizona.[23]
On July 31, 2023, the Diamondbacks traded Canzone and infieldersJosh Rojas andRyan Bliss to theSeattle Mariners for closerPaul 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 beingoptioned down to the Triple-ATacoma Rainiers on August 28.[32]
Canzone's parents are Amy Miklos and Dave Canzone. He has one younger sibling, Bennett Canzone.[5] His mother was diagnosed withbreast cancer while Canzone was in elementary school. She recovered after two years of treatment, includingchemotherapy.[33]
As a child, Canzone was a fan ofCleveland's MLB team, and his favorite players wereKen Griffey Jr., then playing for theCincinnati Reds, andKenny 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]