UCLA Alum Canning Needed A Change of Scenery

After spending his whole playing career in Southern California, Griffin Canning went to the other side of the country to find himself. Now he's one of MLB's top pitchers.

May 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Griffin Canning (46) reacts during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Griffin Canning was living every Southern California kid’s dream.

Play college baseball at UCLA. Get drafted by the Los Angeles Angels. What else could you ask for?

However, after five seasons of underperforming with the Halos and a back injury that put him out of commission for 2022, the dream started to become a nightmare.

There was a lot of dysfunction at Angel Stadium. The franchise hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2009. Clearly something’s broken — and no one’s fixing it.

When you’ve had Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani for five years and no playoff appearances to show for it, it certainly says a lot about the franchise.

Canning admittedly knew something was wrong.

“It was difficult. We had four or five different managers and four or five different pitching coaches with the Angels,” Canning said. “You see it with a lot of guys, just a change of scenery. I was in Southern California my whole life. It’s nice to get out and experience something new.”

You don't say.

After the 2024 season, Canning was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for veteran slugger Jorge Soler. Not even a full month later, he was non-tendered and free to explore wherever he desired.

Enter the New York Mets.

Canning signed a cheap one-year deal with the Mets — a chance to prove his struggles weren’t entirely his fault.

The Mets have recently become a haven for reclamation projects — most notably Luis Severino and José Iglesias last season — and Canning might be their biggest success story yet.

Canning noted the lack of stability with the Angels stunted his growth. The Mets, fresh off an NLCS appearance, can certainly help with that. Manager Carlos Mendoza’s job is safe for the near future, and Jeremy Hefner is one of the better pitching coaches in baseball.

Once an afterthought, Canning is now pitching at an All-Star level. His most recent start was a gem — he shut out the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing just three hits over six innings.

Canning has become one of baseball’s most riveting comeback stories — and he’s backing it up with wins.

Who would've thought that the SoCal boy needed to leave the sun and palm trees to spread his wings?

Canning did.

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