It was a step forward for right-hander Griffin Canning in 2020, as he was able to get through the season healthy, even winning his first Gold Glove Award in the process.

Canning, 24, is looking to build on the shortened 2020 season that saw him post a 3.99 ERA in 11 starts with 56 strikeouts, 23 walks and eight homers allowed in 56 1/3 innings. He’ll face a jump in starts and innings this year, but he believes that he’s up to the challenge, especially with the confidence that he gained last year.

• Projected Angels Opening Day roster

“I think a big thing will be evaluating outings a little bit better,” Canning said. “Like the day after, really diving into what I did and didn’t do well and what I can improve on, just so things don’t perpetuate or feel like they get out of hand. I think it’s just about staying on top of things so that if something if off, I can get back on track.”

The first thing that comes to mind with Canning for Angels manager Joe Maddon is Canning’s athleticism, which is why Maddon believes Canning is able to repeat his mechanics easily and is such a good defender at his position.

Canning is still in the early stages of his career, as he's made 29 appearances (28 starts) with the Angels over the last two seasons. Maddon believes Canning can continue to improve with a few small tweaks this year, having compared to him to fellow former UCLA ace Gerrit Cole, although he noted that Canning doesn’t have that kind of velocity.

“He's that same kind of guy who has really great movement on the mound and has the pitchability and just keeps getting better," Maddon said. "He just needs opportunity. As his confidence began to rise last season, I think I saw a guy who's really on the verge and really believes he belongs here now. He's on the verge of understanding all his weapons and how to utilize them.”

Canning, though, will continue to monitor his right elbow, which has given him issues in recent seasons. He was shut down with elbow soreness as a rookie in 2019 and would’ve missed time early in the 2020 season with an elbow strain, but he was ready for the start of the delayed season.

Canning has found ways to keep his elbow in better shape, including wearing a heated sleeve over his arm after each inning that he throws. He also began throwing more in the offseason to make sure his arm was ready for the rigors of a full season.

“I just wanted to throw a little bit more and feel more prepared coming into camp,” Canning said. “I threw a couple more bullpens and that was the biggest change.”

Canning threw his first live bullpen session of the spring Wednesday, facing Justin Upton, Albert Pujols, Dexter Fowler and Juan Graterol. He said he’s changed his pitch mix a bit, as he’s going to use his old curveball grip, as well as a knuckle-curve grip that gives him more of a slider-type action. His old slider? That's now classified as a cutter. His fastball is already close to where he wants it, but now it’s about getting those offspeed pitches ready for the regular season.

"I commanded my fastball pretty good, so I was happy about that, but I'm still working on getting those offspeed pitches clicking," Canning said. "The changeup is usually the pitch I don't need to work on as much. It's the breaking pitches that I need to get that feel back for them. But I still feel good about them and feel ready to go."