Following his heart: Why Mitch Canham left the Mariners for Oregon State baseball -

CORVALLIS, Ore. — On the day he interviewed for his first post-playing job, Mitch Canham completely whiffed on any sort of leverage he may have had the minute he walked through the doors of T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

“I told them I loved the Mariners so stinking much,” Canham said recently, sitting in the baseball office at Oregon State, where he’s in his third season as the head coach of the second-ranked team in the country.

A diehard Mariners fan who grew up just outside Seattle, with memories of the team’s magical run in 1995 still dancing in his head, Canham interviewed for an organizational coaching job — he couldn’t believe it, with his team — in the fall of 2015.

“I remember walking in for the interview thinking, ‘How cool is this?’ We’re talking and the things I’m talking about are the same things they are sharing with me,” Canham said. “It’s like what I am doing here now (at Oregon State): Teaching people, caring about them, regardless of money, status, any of that. Everything was in line.”

Well, not everything. When it came time to go over the details of his contract, Canham couldn’t reach for the pen fast enough — even before the Mariners went over the granular details of his agreement.

“I was a young guy, all fired up. I was 31 or whatever. We’re talking about pay and all that stuff and all I thought to ask them was … do I get insurance? They’re like, ‘Of course you do.’ I said, ‘OK, that’s all I need. I’ll do this for free,'” Canham said, laughing at a memory that’s now nearly seven years old.

Canham had one other thought as he finished his interview.

“I left there thinking of how the Mariners had transformed my life, and now all I wanted was to give back to the organization,” Canham said.

To understand where the 37-year-old Canham is today is to understand where he came from. The paths are intertwined, though he has ended up where it all began, in this sleepy college town where the Beavers have built a monster of a baseball program with three national titles since 2006 — something no other program has done.

“Once you’re a Beaver, you’re a Beaver the rest of your life,” said Canham, who played on the 2006 and 2007 title teams.

And with Canham, that’s literally the case, though first he had to leave his dream job for his other dream job. It meant getting off what some felt was a path that could lead him to manage on the game’s biggest stage.

Instead, Canham followed his heart, which led him back to Corvallis.

“You’re talking about a guy, in my opinion, who was on a track to becoming a big-league manager,” said Pat Casey, who coached Canham and presided over all three national title teams. “But he looked at one job and said this is the only other place I’d rather be.

“This is a special job, in my opinion. Oregon State is a special place. And Mitch is a special coach.”

Canham was 10 years old during the summer of 1995, a year that would forever alter the course of the Mariners, who to that point had never appeared in the postseason. Heck, the Mariners had only two winning seasons (1991, 1993) when they finished with a winning record.

But through thick or thin (mostly thin), the Mariners were Canham’s team. That year, he was living with his father Mark and brother Dustin in a brown double-wide in Shoreline, north of Seattle, attending North City Elementary, where he met his best friend to this day, Ryan MacBriar.

“When 7 o’clock hit, we were in front of the TV watching, ready for the game. We’d be having our Hungry Man dinners or whatever it was that night, excited to watch the Mariners. That was our family time in our house,” Canham said. “We were all such big fans.”

When they weren’t in school or watching the Mariners, Canham, MacBriar and their friends went to a local park where they emulated players from that ’95 team — Jay Buhner, Ken Griffey Jr., Dan Wilson and many others. That summer, the Mariners dug themselves out of a 13-game hole in August and captivated the city with their “Refuse to Lose” mantra, winning the American League West.

Not long after Canham’s 11th birthday in September, the Mariners came back from an 0-2 deficit in the AL Division Series to win three straight, clinching a spot in the ALCS when Edgar Martinez’s “The Double” nearly blew the roof off the Kingdome, helping to ensure a future for the team in Seattle.

Canham and his buddies soaked it all in.

“Seattle sports, at that time, just became such a huge thing for us because when my parents split, there was a lot going on with us kids, and I think sports kept us out of trouble and gave us something to do and be inspired by. These were people to look up to,” Canham said.

Canham probably didn’t even realize it at the time, but the seeds for coaching were probably first planted during that Mariners’ run in 1995.

“That passion that I had for sports grew … especially when I figured out how sports can transform people’s lives and teaches them to grow.”

Canham, holding the championship trophy, with his Oregon State teammates after winning the 2007 NCAA College World Series. (Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Canham starred at Lake Stevens High and eventually earned a scholarship to Oregon State, where he played in 118 games between 2005-07. He was the starting catcher on the Beavers’ national title teams in 2006 and 2007. That 2006 team won six elimination games on the way to the title. The next season, the Beavers blitzed the field, going 5-0, to win again in Omaha.

“He had that leadership skill, the ability to compete, the desire to get better and he made an impact on other players,” Casey said of Canham, the player. “I think those things were very well apparent then.”

Canham was a first-round pick of the Padres in 2007 and hit .253 over eight seasons in the minors. He spent two years playing independent league baseball, including the summer of 2015 as a 30-year-old with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association.

“I remember telling my wife that I was done, that I couldn’t do this anymore … like any part of it,” Canham recalled. “Two weeks later, I got a call from the Rockies. A good friend there worked in the front office. He asked if I was interested in coaching. Right after that, I got a call from Andy (McKay), who had been hired by the Mariners from the Rockies.”

Canham had a history of sorts with McKay, the Mariners’ director of player development since October 2015. He had played for McKay in the summer of 2005 with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots.

“I had a terrible year there,” Canham said. “At one point, Andy goes, ‘Hey, you see that guy over there?’ It was Danny Valencia. Andy said, ‘He is going to be a big leaguer someday.’ And then he said, ‘You, you’re going to be a good coach.’ I was like, ‘OK … (I’m) shattered.'”

Flash forward to the fall of 2015 and that phone call. McKay asked what Canham thought of becoming a minor-league hitting coach. No sooner than Canham thought he was done with baseball than his childhood team was asking him to be a part of the organization.

As they talked, Canham made one thing clear to McKay. He wasn’t interested in a hitting coach job. He had his sights set on something much bigger.

“I said I didn’t really want to do that … that I wanted to influence a large group. I wanted to manage,” Canham said.

That first spring in Arizona, Canham got the chance to meet several of the Mariners players he rooted for as a kid, including catcher Dan Wilson. Canham has always worn No. 6 to honor his father, Mark, and because that’s the number Wilson wore with the Mariners. In fact, Canham proudly wears a tattoo across his back that reads: God, Family, Country.

If you look close enough, you’ll see a No. 6 woven into the tattoo.

In the spring of 2016, Canham, less than a year removed from playing, headed to Low-A Clinton in Iowa to manage, not entirely sure what to expect. Outfielder Braden Bishop was on that team, which finished 86-54.

“I think the one thing that can be hit-or-miss with a (manager) who has just finished playing is that they still see themselves as a player … or they’ll overmanage since they’re new to it,” Bishop said. “But I think Mitch did a really good job off the bat and was balanced. He still had the tendencies of a player, but was still a leader and authority figure where the guys respected him.”

Before one game in Clinton, the team had left four balls on the field following batting practice. Canham noticed and called the team together.

“Mitch made us run, as a team, four poles,” Bishop recalled. “I remember thinking that one day, this guy is going to be a good college coach.”

Canham speaks to Evan White during an Arkansas Travelers game in 2019. (Jason Ivester / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)

Canham managed in Modesto in 2017 and 2018 before moving up to Double-A Arkansas in 2019. The Travelers ran away with the first-half Texas League title, going 43-25 with a team that included future big leaguers Evan White, Jake Fraley, Justus Sheffield and Cal Raleigh.

“He just came to the yard every day with the same attitude, he was the same guy every day,” White said. “He wanted to form relationships … and he wanted to help you get better. He was a guy you trusted. I have nothing but good things to say about him, and I think that a lot of the guys who played for him aren’t surprised by what he’s done at Oregon State.”

In Corvallis, Casey announced his retirement after 31 years of coaching (24 at Oregon State) in the fall of 2018. Pat Bailey, a longtime assistant, was named the interim manager in 2019. The school took up a national search for a full-time coach in the early summer of 2019 when it became apparent that Casey didn’t want back in after a year away.

That left Bailey, 64, and the school’s well-respected pitching coach, Nate Yeskie, as the obvious in-house candidates. Then there was Canham, who didn’t just have a job at the time, but was in the middle of an actual season in Arkansas.

But Canham was interested. How could he not be? His time in Corvallis didn’t just shape him as a player, but as a person, especially under the tutelage of Casey. The Mariners knew this and gave Canham their blessing to pursue the job.

“When it (job) opened up, I was like, ‘I’ve got to go for it,'” Canham said. “You know what’s funny is that Andy called me and said, ‘Go get the dang thing.’ I wasn’t super shocked, but still, it’s my boss calling me and telling me to go get it. But he knew how much I wanted this and he cared about me.”

Pete Woodworth, now the Mariners pitching coach, was with Canham for three-plus seasons.

“I don’t want to say it was always in the cards, but Mitch had so much passion and love for that program, and the guys that he played with,” Woodworth said. “It would have been silly for him not to do it.”

The Mariners made arrangements to have extra coaching help in Arkansas so Canham could prepare for his interview, take phone calls, etc.

“They told me to do whatever I needed to do, and they would try to take some of that pressure off me,” Canham said. “… They were extremely supportive of it. I was blown away getting calls from Andy and Jerry (Dipoto) telling me that they obviously didn’t want to lose me, but also wishing me good luck.”

The only time through the whirlwind process when Canham felt a bit uneasy was when alumni and supporters began reaching out to the school to offer their support for Canham. Since the two other candidates, Bailey and Yeskie, were friends, it didn’t sit right with Canham.

“I didn’t want to start a campaign. I didn’t want people rooting for me. I just wanted the process to be the process because I didn’t want to tear anyone apart,” Canham said. “I knew whoever got the job was a Beav and I was going to support the heck out of them.”

Casey went as far as to remove himself from the search committee, willing to let the process run its course without his input. Said Casey: “I think everyone was treated fairly.”

Canham flew to Portland where the interview took place. He called his father and MacBriar to come down for the day because he hadn’t seen either in a while. The interview itself, Canham said, went well. He wanted to be genuine, above all else. If he did that, the rest would take care of itself.

“I felt like I was extremely prepared, but at the end of the day, it’s about being yourself and knowing what your vision of it is. There’s no fluff there,” Canham said. “I know it’s not the same as Pat’s, but you have to be authentic in who you are. I have a lot of similarities to Casey. I mean, the guy taught me, right?

“But I always remember what he told me when I got into coaching with the Mariners: He said, ‘Be yourself, and don’t try to be anyone else.'”

While he sat with his father and MacBriar in the hotel, Canham’s phone rang. It was the school’s athletic director, Scott Barnes, calling to offer the job. Canham didn’t need a moment to deliberate. The answer was yes. The answer was always going to be yes.

Canham’s next call was to Marlis, his high school sweetheart. It was short and sweet.

“I was like, ‘We’re going home,'” he said.

One of the first things Canham did after taking the job was meet with the players. Canham told Bailey he first had to get a hotel room. But Bailey, who didn’t get the job, told Canham that wouldn’t be necessary. He had a room for him.

“That shows you what kind of man he is,” Canham said.

As he did during his interview with the Mariners and later for the Oregon State job, Canham wanted to be himself, and speak from the heart.

“Guys want to know you care — about them and about the program,” Canham said. “Some of those guys had three different coaches … three different dads. You have to be mindful of that. I tried to explain to them that I was a product of this place and I have always been a part of this place.

“You have to start opening up and let them know who you are and get to know them and find out what makes them tick. In my mind, I’m like, ‘You are now my kids.’ I told my wife that our family just grew.”

Mitchell Verburg, a sixth-year senior pitcher, is the only one on the roster to have played for Casey, Bailey and now Canham.

“I didn’t know a whole lot about him, but I went into it with an open mind. He came in with a plan and a set culture that he lived by and ran with it,” Verburg said. “He’s similar to Case. When he walks in a room, there’s an aura of respect around him. He doesn’t demand respect … but he earns more of it each day with the way he treats people.”

Canham returned to Arkansas to pack his things. Marlis, Mack (9) and Mya (7) headed back to Washington, where they still made their offseason home. Finally, Canham bid farewell to his players and hopped into his white Chevy Tahoe for the 33-hour drive back home. He made phone calls during the day, pushing long into the night as he headed home.

That is until … somewhere in east Oklahoma, he’s still not sure exactly where, a deer bolted out in front of Canham in the dark of night. This was, literally, a deer in his headlights.

“At that point, I’m like, ‘I ain’t swerving for this.’ My whole front end of my Tahoe was annihilated. I had one headlight left. Guts … all over the window,” said Canham, who wasn’t injured.

Things have gone considerably well since Canham arrived — again — in Corvallis, though it took a while to get going. The team played 14 games (going 5-9) before the pandemic shut down the 2020 season. In 2021, the Beavers went 37-24 and lost to Dallas Baptist in the Fort Worth regional final.

This season has largely been dreamy, as the Beavers are 34-9 (15-6 in the Pac-12) and have one of the top pitchers in the country in Cooper Hjerpe (8-1, 2.13 ERA, 109 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings) and arguably the top outfield in the game — Wade Meckler (.370), Jacob Melton (.368, 10 homers, 17 steals) and Justin Boyd (.359).

“I personally feel like I have found my purpose,” said Canham of coaching at Oregon State. (Scobel Wiggins)

Canham is far from a finished product. He’ll tell you that. The ancillary parts of the job, though, have come easily, such as fundraising and recruiting. That’s probably because he isn’t trying to be something he’s not, or sell something he doesn’t believe in. “That’s the fun part,” he said. “We get to find our new family member.”

“There’s some things that come with being the head coach of a big program that are different than being a manager in professional baseball,” Woodworth said. “But Mitch is built for that. He’s such a personal guy. He’s the guy that when he comes in the room … everybody gravitates towards. The fundraising, the recruiting side of it, I knew he was going to be great at that.

“I think with Mitch and that program, it’s not really recruiting, it’s not selling and it’s not fundraising. He’s literally speaking from the heart and when he does, it’s the truth.”

And on occasion, Canham still gets asked about Casey.

“I learned so much from him. I learned a lot about myself from him. He always talked about the people. One of the biggest things he told me when I got the job with the Mariners, I was trying to mold that version of myself. One of the things Case told me was he would have saved 10 years of his life if he stopped worrying about the wins and losses and just taking care of the people,” Canham said.

“He said early in his coaching career, you are always fighting for the win. But when you start thinking of the people and the process, that stuff (win-loss record) will take care of itself. That’s just something I’ve always taken to heart.”

There are a lot of lessons from his own past that are relatable to the players on his roster. Lessons on being present, enjoying the moment and embracing your teammates. Sure, Canham would like to add another national title flag at Goss Stadium, but being consumed by wins and losses isn’t going to get him there.

“You see guys in the minor leagues, and I was one of them. If you’re in A-ball, you want to be in Double A. If you’re in Double A, you want to be in Triple A. Then you want to be in the big leagues. Then you want to be an All-Star and get paid, and then be a Hall of Famer,” Canham said. “Instead of worrying about that next spot, why not focus on doing your best where you’re at?”

Back to that quiet Monday morning last week. Canham’s office is inside the baseball offices at Gill Coliseum. There’s no one else around — and that’s by design. Canham doesn’t just practice work/life balance, he actually preaches it. There’s always a job to be done; recruiting is endless, as is the prep work for the next opponent. But not today.

“I don’t want to push them to the brink and ask too much of them. We challenge each other here, but everyone needs to have their time,” Canham said. “Hopefully today, coach (Ryan) Gipson is out fishing with (his son) Parker, snapping some photos of a largemouth bass and having a good time.

“Could he be recruiting or watching a game, game planning for tomorrow? Sure. But you also need to have balance. Because when you’re in a good place at home, a better version of you comes out.”

It’s the very same way in the Canham house, which is less than a mile away from his office. “Do I hit the one stoplight or not?” Canham jokes. “I can take my kids to school. I get to be home for bedtime. I love reading books at night, or now they might read to me.

“It’s a dream set-up.”

For a lot of reasons, he said.

“I love this place and I’ll do whatever is needed to protect it, and I want to leave this place, if I’m here for 25 years, which I really want, so that those who come after us have so much more growth. I always talk about Case … because I want to honor him and his legacy moving forward. I want to push that needle forward,” Canham said.

Canham then stops and smiles.

“… The two greatest days of your life are the day you were born and the day you found out why you were born,” Canham said, repeating a line from Mark Twain. “This is a special place, and I personally feel like I have found my purpose.”

(Top photo: Scobel Wiggins)

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