First baseman Mark Canha is a highly regarded figure in the world of Major League Baseball. In 2015, Canha burst onto the baseball scene by leading the Oakland Athletics in home runs during spring training. He joined the Athletics’ Opening Day roster due to the team’s need for a power bat following the offseason trades of Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss. Canha recorded three hits and four RBIs in his Major League debut on April 8. During the 2015 season, he remained with the Athletics and led all American League rookies with RBIs. He played numerous positions with the A’s and concluded the season with 16 home runs and 70 RBIs.

After only 16 games with Oakland in 2016, Canha underwent season-ending hip surgery. After returning to action, he had a career-high 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a batting line of .249/.328/.449 in 2018. The following year, over 126 games, Canha posted career highs in average (.273), home runs (26), runs (80), and walks (67). In 191 at-bats for Oakland in 2020, Canha hit .246/.387/.408 with 5 home runs and 33 RBIs.

Canha got hit by a pitch for the 60th time in his career in May 2021, the most in the Oakland Athletics franchise’s history. With 27 hit by pitches in 2021, he matched for the major league lead. Canha made 645 plate appearances for Oakland, batting .244 with a .344 on-base percentage and a .431 slugging percentage. He drove in 294 runs and hit 89 homers. Canha signed a two-year, $26.5 million deal with the New York Mets in November 2021, with a third-year option.