If he is not fired, I will leave the OREGON STATE BASEBALL head coach, as he has a misunderstanding with his player.
I will step down as head coach of OREGON STATE BASEBALL if he is not fired because of a miscommunication with a player.
CORVALLIS, OR As soon as he entered T-Mobile Park in Seattle on the day he went for his first interview for a post-playing career, Mitch Canham blew off any potential leverage.
Sitting in the baseball office at Oregon State, where he is in his third season as head coach of the nation’s second-ranked team, Canham recently stated, “I told them I loved the Mariners so stinking much.”
As a devoted follower of the Mariners who grew up not far from Seattle and still harbors vivid memories of the team’s incredible run in 1995, Canham attended an interview in the fall of 2015 for an organizational coaching position, which he couldn’t think would involve his team.
“I recall thinking, ‘How cool is this?’ when I walked in for the interview. Canham stated, “We are conversing, and the topics I am discussing are the same things they are sharing with me. It’s similar to what I do here at Oregon State: I teach individuals and care about them regardless of their financial situation or social standing. Everything was in order.
Not everything, though. Canham was eager to get his pen out when it came time to review the specifics of his contract, even before the Mariners reviewed the fine print.
“I was a young man, full of energy. I was thirty-one or whatever. I just had one question for them as we were discussing compensation and other related topics: do I have insurance? They say, “You do, of course.” That’s all I need,’ I said. I’ll work for free on this. Canham chuckled as he recalled a moment that was almost seven years ago.
As Canham concluded his interview, he had one more thought.
Canham stated, “I thought about how the Mariners had changed my life as I was leaving, and now all I wanted was to give back to the organization.”
Canham, a member of the championship teams in 2006 and 2007, remarked, “Once you’re a Beaver, you’re a Beaver for the rest of your life.”
And in Canham’s case, that’s exactly true—but not until he had to give up his ideal career to pursue another one. It meant veering away from what some believed was a route that would enable him to oversee the biggest platform in the game.
Canham, on the other hand, went with his heart, which brought him back to Corvallis.
“I think you’re talking about a guy who was headed for big-league management,” said Pat Casey, the manager of all three national championship teams in addition to coaching Canham. Yet after glancing at one position, he declared, “This is the only other place I’d rather be.”
“In my perspective, this is a unique job. Oregon State is a unique location. Furthermore, Mitch is a unique coach.
In the summer of 1995, Canham turned ten years old, and that year would change the Mariners’ history forever. The Mariners had never made it to the postseason before. Heck, in the years when they finished with a winning record, the Mariners only had two winning seasons (1991 and 1993).
We were watching the game in front of the TV when seven o’clock arrived. Anticipating to see the Mariners, we would be enjoying our Hungry Man dinners or whatever that night was called. At our house, that was family time, according to Canham. “We all had such huge fan bases.”
Canham, MacBriar, and their pals would go to a nearby park and imitate players from the 1995 squad, including Jay Buhner, Ken Griffey Jr., Dan Wilson, and many more, when they weren’t in class or watching the Mariners. The Mariners won the American League West that summer after rallying from a 13-game deficit in August and captivating the community with their “Refuse to Lose” motto.
Shortly after Canham turned 11 years old in September, the Mariners overcame an early 0-2 hole in the AL Division Series to win three games in a row and secure a position in the ALCS. Edgar Martinez’s “The Double” almost brought down the roof of the Kingdome, securing the team’s future in Seattle.
Canham and his friends took everything in.
“At that time, there was a lot going on with us kids after my parents separated, and I think sports kept us out of trouble and gave us something to do and be inspired by. That’s why Seattle sports just became such a huge thing for us.” Canham stated, “These were people to look up to.”
Canham most likely wasn’t even aware of it at the time, but that 1995 Mariners run was probably when the seeds for coaching were first planted.
“My love for sports increased, especially after realizing how they can change people’s lives and help them mature.”
Regarding Canham, the player, Casey stated, “He had that leadership skill, the ability to compete, the desire to get better and he made an impact on other players.” “I believe those things were extremely clear back then.”
Canham hit.253 throughout eight minor league seasons after being selected by the Padres in the first round of the 2007 draft. He played independent league baseball for two years, including a summer with the American Association’s Lincoln Saltdogs in 2015 as a thirty-year-old.
Canham recollected, “I told my wife that I was done, that I couldn’t do this anymore, like any part of it.” “I received a call from the Rockies two weeks later. There was a nice friend who worked at the front desk. Would I be interested in coaching, he asked? Andy (McKay), who had been acquired by the Mariners from the Rockies, called me shortly after that.
Canham and McKay, who has been the Mariners’ director of player development since October 2015, have a somewhat past together. In the summer of 2005, he performed with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots for McKay.
Canham remarked, “I had a horrible year there.” Andy says, “Hey, you see that guy over there?” at one point. Danny Valencia was the one. “He’s going to be a big leaguer someday,” Andy remarked. “You’re going to be a good coach,” he continued. I said to myself, “All right, I’m broken.”
Let us fast-forward to that phone conversation in the fall of 2015. Canham’s thoughts on becoming a minor-league hitting coach were questioned by McKay. Canham’s boyhood baseball club asked him to join them as soon as he thought he was done with the game.
Canham clarified one thing to McKay throughout their conversation. A position as a hitting coach did not appeal to him. He was aiming for something much greater.
“I expressed my reluctance to undertake that task. that I desired to have a big impact on many people. “I desired to oversee,” Canham remarked.
Canham had the opportunity to meet a number of the Mariners players he had grown up cheering for, notably catcher Dan Wilson, that first spring in Arizona. Canham has always worn the number six in remembrance of his father, Mark, and since it was Wilson’s Mariners uniform number. Canham even has a tattoo across his back that says, “God, Family, Country,” which he wears with pride.
A No. 6 is woven throughout the tattoo if you examine it closely enough.
Less than a year after retiring from competition, Canham went to manage at Low-A Clinton in Iowa in the spring of 2016. He wasn’t quite sure what to anticipate. It was led by outfielder Braden Bishop, and they lost 86-54.
“I believe that a manager who has recently left playing may still regard themselves as players, which can make things unpredictable. Perhaps, because they’re inexperienced, they’ll overmanage,” Bishop said. However, I felt Mitch played a really solid and balanced opening inning. Although he still exhibited player traits, the guys still looked up to him as a leader and authority figure.
The squad had left four balls on the field after batting practice before one game in Clinton. Upon noticing this, Canham convened the crew.
Bishop remembered, “Mitch made us run, as a team, four poles.” “I used to think this guy would make a great college coach someday.”
Before advancing to Double-A Arkansas in 2019, Canham managed in Modesto in 2017 and 2018. With a roster that included future major league players Evan White, Jake Fraley, Justus Sheffield, and Cal Raleigh, the Travelers easily won the Texas League title after the first half, going 43-25.
White remarked, “He was the same guy every day; he just came to the yard with the same attitude.” “He desired to build relationships and assist you in healing. He was someone you could trust. I am quite positive about him, and I believe that many of his teammates are not shocked by his accomplishments at Oregon State.
In the fall of 2018, Casey in Corvallis announced his retirement from coaching after 31 years, 24 of which were spent at Oregon State. In 2019, longtime assistant Pat Bailey was named manager-in-waiting. Early in the 2019 summer, the school launched a nationwide search for a full-time coach after learning that Casey had decided to step away from the position for a year.
That left Nate Yeskie, the esteemed pitching coach at the institution, and 64-year-old Bailey as the clear front-runners. Then there was Canham, who at the time was not only employed but was in the midst of an Arkansas season.
Canham, though, was intrigued. Why wouldn’t he be? He was shaped not only as a player but also as a person throughout his time in Corvallis, especially with Casey’s guidance. Knowing this, the Mariners approved Canham’s pursuit of the position.
“I knew I had to go for it when the job opportunity presented itself,” Canham remarked. The strange thing is that Andy told me to go fetch the damn thing when he called. Even though my employer was calling and instructing me to go grab it, I wasn’t overly shocked. However, he cared about me and was aware of how much I wanted this.
