Mets' Mark Canha looking to find power stroke in 2023
Mets outfielder Mark Canha during a spring training workout, Sunday Feb. 19, 2023 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mark Canha was “proud” of his first season with the Mets, he said, but it was merely good — not great. So this year he wants to be better in one aspect in particular: hitting home runs.
His average of one homer per 42 plate appearances in 2022 was well below his career mark of one per 28 entering last season. He hit 13 in 542 plate appearances in 2022; he had 26 in 497 plate appearances for Oakland in 2019.
“There’s more in the tank, quite frankly. I’m looking forward to seeing what I could do this year,” he said Sunday. “I had a career high in doubles [24] last year, so I’m happy with that. But I think the way I trained this offseason and the way I attempted to train [was] to try to hit more home runs. That was the glaring thing last year, the home runs were down.
“I tried to do a little bit more explosive stuff and become more powerful in terms of weightlifting power. And so that, hopefully, I’m hoping, translates.”
Among the potential reasons for his power decline: He dealt with gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining that made digestion difficult, during spring training and into the season. Manager Buck Showalter said Canha appeared visibly weaker early in the year. His power and strength returned as the season progressed, as his slugging percentage jumped from .381 in the first half to .431 in the second.
Then there is the matter of Canha’s 28 hit-by-pitches, a Mets single-season record.
“I plan on shattering my record,” he said with a smile. “We’ll see. We’ll see how it plays out. It’s always a creative way to get on base. I’m not going to change the way that I hit. So it’s always going to be part of my game.”
This is the last guaranteed year of Canha’s contract. The Mets hold an $11.5 million option on his deal for 2024, but if they decline it, he’ll be a free agent. “I want to do well, I want to keep my career going,” he said. “You could say it’s a big year for me personally.”
Cohen appears
Mets owner Steve Cohen, team president Sandy Alderson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie observed the Mets’ workout Sunday.
Cohen and Christie, whose longtime relationship includes millions of dollars in donations from the former to the presidential campaign of the latter, watched most of the goings-on together. Christie is a member of the Mets’ board of directors.
Cohen is scheduled to speak to a group of reporters, for the first time since June, on Monday.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
