Huge World Baseball Classic homer reignites Mariners fans' Dominic Canzone faith

If there's a wild card in the Seattle Mariners' projected lineup for 2026, it's Dominic Canzone. Dude could be an impact hitter like he was for long stretches last year. Dude could also go back to being the Quad-A type that he's been for most of his Seattle tenure.

Look, we don't know what's going to happen. But in the wake of the upper-deck tank that Canzone hit for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic on Saturday, we at least know which way we're leaning.

Italy got a tough break by landing in Pool B for the tournament, the same pool as Team USA and Team Mexico. Yet the Italians are threatening to advance after running their record to 2-0, with Canzone's three-run homer against Team Brazil on Saturday serving as the exclamation mark in an 8-0 win.

As far as Mariners fans are concerned, the important part is this: It was the first time Canzone had gone yard in any capacity since September 23 of last year.

Dominic Canzone's WBC homer is a much-needed sign of life for Mariners fans

The last homer Canzone hit in 2025 put a stamp on one of the more remarkable stories of the Mariners' season. It wasn't quite on the same level as Cal Raleigh hitting 60 dang home runs, but nobody's bingo card had Canzone rising as one of the club's best hitters.

Prior to 2025, his first stints as a Mariner in 2023 and 2024 yielded only a .654 OPS and an 85 wRC+. He unsurprisingly didn't make the 2025 club out of spring training, and the notion of him becoming a key contributor at any point seemed all but kaput.

Yet after a brief two-day cameo in April, Canzone came back up in June and never went back down to Triple-A Tacoma. In 80 games, he ripped off a .304/.362/.488 slash line and nearly the same wRC+ (144) as Raleigh (145) for that span.

October was unfortunately another story, as Canzone went ice-cold in going 3-for-28 with no homers as the march to the World Series fell eight outs short. And he hadn't exactly come out like gangbusters in the Cactus League before leaving for the WBC. In five games, he was 4-for-15 with no extra-base hits.

Yet even in the context of this stuff, it's hard to write Canzone off as an impact hitter for 2026. His Statcast metrics from last year only underscore that he was a real threat, as he notably had a higher xwOBA than even Raleigh — who, again, hit 60 dang homers.

Heck, the left-handed-hitting Canzone even batted a solid .276 against lefties last year. So when one sees him hitting an upper-deck blast off a lefty in a heated environment like the World Baseball Classic, it's multiple reminders in one that the dude is talented.

The Mariners can hope, then, that the World Baseball Classic is a springboard to a season in which Canzone will get back to letting it eat on a regular basis. Or "mangia," if you prefer.