Joey Cantillo

Cantillo isn't perfect, but he's a four-pitch lefty who can touch 98 mph with his fastball, and he threw 95 innings at Triple-A last season. Cantillo hasn't had a walk rate below 11 percent in a full-season league since he had a 7.3 percent walk rate at Low-A in 2019 when he was still a member of the Padres organization. However, the 12.9 percent walk rate he logged with automated balls and strikes at Triple-A is passable by his standards, as walk rates were elevated across the board at Triple-A last year. Cantillo has been limited by injuries (shoulder in 2022, abdomen in 2021) and the 119.1 innings he tallied in 2023 were a career high -- the only other time he eclipsed 100 innings was when he spun 111.2 innings in 2019. He has a career 2.13 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 134 strikeouts in 93 innings at Double-A, and he will look to pitch up to those standards in a return to Triple-A. The Guardians will always have opportunities for pre-arbitration starting pitchers, and if Cantillo can throw enough strikes, he has the stuff to rack up strikeouts with middling ratios.

Cantillo was one of three prospects acquired by Cleveland for star right-hander Mke Clevinger at the trade deadline last season. Though he has yet to pitch above High-A, Cantillo has impressed as a minor-leaguer thus far, registering a 2.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 across 168.2 innings, primarily as a starter. There would be considerably more buzz about the southpaw if he threw substantial heat, but his fastball tops out in the low 90s, providing some concern about how well his stuff will play as he moves up to face more advanced hitters. As it stands, Cantillo's changeup is easily his best pitch, and it's reasonable to expect the offering to carry him to the big leagues within a few seasons. Whether Cantillo is able to ascend beyond the level of a back-end starter will likely depend on his ability to add velocity and/or master his still-developing curveball.