Seattle Mariners Outfielder Dominic Canzone Finding Success With Refined Approach

It's the best stretch of Canzone's major league career and the best he's looked since the Mariners acquired him in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31, 2023. A refined approach at the plate has a lot to do with it.

Canzone has always had a good power profile. His barrel and hard-hit rates in 2023 (his debut season) were 12.1% and 42.6%, respectively, and 11.1% and and 44.4% in 2024, according to Baseball Savant. Where Canzone has struggled in his limited looks in the majors is against secondary pitches. In 2023, his chase rate (swings at pitches outside the strike zone) was 41.8% in 2023 and 37% in 2024. His whiff rate (percentage of swings and misses) was 25.5% in 2023 and 34.4% in 2024.

Canzone is still swinging at secondary pitches this season. The difference is that he's connecting. He has a 37.1% chase rate as of Tuesday, but has cut his whiff rate down to 18%. His strikeout rate has also decreased from 28.2% in 2024 to 13.8% in 2025. Three of his five home runs and nine of his 17 hits have been against secondary offerings. Canzone's bat speed is also the highest it's been in his major league career. The average speed on his swings is 73.2 mph this season. It was 70.9 mph in 2023 and 72.4 mph in 2024.

"Being able to hit the offspeed stuff has been big for him," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said before a game against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. "Some big home runs, been able to drive it. I think that's the important thing, you feel like someone's in a good spot when they're able to stay back and drive an offspeed pitch. He's got as quick of hands as we've seen. He's had some really good at-bats since coming back, and it's been good to see that."

Canzone's potential has been evident since the Mariners acquired him. When Canzone's at his best, he's a significant power bat in the bottom third of the lineup capable of anchoring the middle of the order. Canzone has started to meet that potential this season, and now it's a matter of him sustaining it over the rest of the year.