After struggling in the majors, Mariners' outfielder is finding success in Tacoma

This season has not gone according to plan for multiple hitters for the Seattle Mariners. One of those players is Dominic Canzone who got optioned to Triple-A at the end of August after struggling to produce consistently at the big league level. He put up a slash line of .196/.271/.381 and only drove in 17 runs. While he struggled in Seattle, the young lefty has been putting up significantly better numbers in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League.

Canzone has had multiple stints in Tacoma this season because of short rehab stints, but now through September 11, Canzone has 12 games and 47 at bats under his belt. In this stretch, Canzone is 16 for 47 (.340 batting average) with four walks, seven strikeouts, and two home runs. He is putting up numbers like he was posting in the minor leagues before being acquired by the Mariners in the Paul Sewald trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Does any of this matter or is it just a small sample size or will Canzone see the majors again this season? All of this remains to be seen, but it is better to see a player hit well in the minors after they are sent down then to see them struggle. It is a small sample size and it is in the PCL, but it is still a positive sign.

It is a possibility that Canzone sees the big leagues again in September because the Mariners are currently carrying three catchers on their roster with Cal Raleigh playing nearly every day, Mitch Garver catching George Kirby, and Seby Zavala being called up on September 10. He could take Zavala's spot in the future or Luis Urias' spot who has only played in two games since being called up on August 31.

One of the most interesting things about Canzone being in Tacoma is that the Rainiers have played him in center field on multiple occasions. That is not something he has done in the big leagues in his career. This could mean that the Mariners want other teams to see that Canzone has the ability to play center field and that could boost his value in a trade. No teams are likely looking to put Canzone in center field full-time next year, but perhaps in the Mariners' pursuit of more offense this winter they could sell another team on the idea of Canzone being a part-time center fielder in 2025.

Whether or not Dominic Canzone is a piece of the Mariners lineup the rest of the way here in 2024 it is good to see him playing well in the minor leagues. Maybe this is preparing him to come up big for the Mariners in late September as they push closer to the Houston Astros in the race for the American League West title.