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Good news! The Angels have signed their second round pick today in Griffin Canning.
The deal is going to be close to the slot value for No 47 (just under $1.5M). #Angels
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) June 16, 2017
As stated in Fletcher’s tweet, Canning signed for around slot value, which is good news considering he was expected to go in the middle of the first round had it not been for a shoulder issue that surfaced in a pre-draft MRI. The team was largely unconcerned about the injury’s long-term effects, drafting the UCLA ace at 47th overall.
As expected, the Angels are taking it slow with Canning, though not for the reasons stated above.
Angels felt Canning's UCLA workload was in line with that of a 3rd-year player in their organization. Didn't feel he needed more innings.
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) June 17, 2017
Not only did Canning throw 119 innings, but he was also heavily overused in each start at UCLA.
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Half the time, Canning threw upwards of 115 pitches. Given this information, it makes sense to take it slow and let Canning rest and recover from injury.
Billy Eppler said Griffin Canning will head to Arizona and work on conditioning. He won't begin a throwing program until December.
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) June 17, 2017
Coming into the draft, Canning was already one of the most polished arms available. Him not pitching professionally this season is disappointing, but it’s the best thing for his future. The Angels have signed a first-round talent in the second round to a slot value deal, and they should be thrilled.
The coming week(s) should be interesting as draft picks continue to ink their signing bonuses, with John Swanda (the Angels’ 4th rounder) and Jacob Pearson (the Angels’ 3rd rounder) likely to be signed to overslot deals.
Update: MLB beat writer Maria Guardado dropped this nugget in her piece yesterday.
Canning will begin a throwing program in December and will likely open the 2018 season in Class A Burlington or Class A Advanced Inland Empire, Eppler said.