.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Canha's rise with A's came after conquering mysterious respiratory illness
Mark Canha went from being a relatively obscure Rule 5 acquisition by the Oakland Athletics to a productive middle-of-the-order type thanks to his impressive play over the past few months.
Obtained from the Miami Marlins prior to the season, the A's (who had admired him from afar) snatched him up once he became available. The gamble has paid off, as Canha currently leads all AL rookies with 54 RBI and could be the club's full-time first baseman in 2016.
As Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reported on Thursday, though, Canha dealt with a mysterious respiratory illness affected him toward the end of spring training and intensified as the season began.
As Canha explained to Stiglich, the whole situation was pretty scary: “I’ve never had anything like that in my life, so I didn’t know what was going on. It kind of caused me some anxiety even at some points, just because it was so frustrating to not know what was going on with you. You’re asking doctors and nobody knows what’s going on. It was to the point where I’d be out of breath just from walking up a flight of stairs. Yeah, it was a really bad situation.”
He's felt great since the illness subsided in June, and it's showed at the plate. He had a particularly great August, slashing .309/.333/.532 with an OPS of .865, three home runs and 21 RBI.
An especially 'awesome' game on August 18 against the Los Angeles Dodgers was probably the highlight of his season with the A's and exemplified his hot month.
Manager Bob Melvin told Stiglich that Canha is very much in the A's plans for 2016: “I think he can be a regular at first base or the outfield, the way his bat plays. He’s definitely making a name for himself, and he’ll definitely factor into our plans next year.”
It must be noted that Canha also maintains an Instagram account with which he documents some of the culinary delights available to a professional baseball player traveling around the country and isn't afraid to pull 'Bull Durham' pranks on the media.
Undisputed
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
First Things First
Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander
The Skip Bayless Show
The Carton Show
FOX Sports
