For a Rule 5 player, Mark Canha proved to be an amazing find for the Oakland A’s this year.
Rule 5 players are those left off the winter 40-man rosters and left exposed to a draft at the winter meetings in December.
The A’s liked Canha, not just because he was a local kid from San Jose and Cal, but because there was some thunder in his bat – a .303 average, 20 homers and 82 RBI last year while playing Triple-A ball in the Miami organization.
When the Marlins didn’t put him on the 40, the A’s made a deal with the Rockies, who had the second pick in the Rule 5 draft, to pick him.