He allowed a whopping 16 home runs and pitched to a 2-7 record with a 6.66 ERA in 77 innings across 20 appearances . That led to ArizonaBut the Guardians are betting that the former Diamondbacks first-round pick can tap into an upside that includes a 4.7% walk rate in the majors and an upper-90s fastball that he pairs with three other quality secondary pitches.See our list and how we ranked them.
Cecconi throws his four-seam fastball 55% of the time and his slide 24% while mixing in a changeup that was his best put-away pitch in 2024 and an emerging curveball that produced a .175 expected batting average. The Guardians lost Matthew Boyd and Alex Cobb in free agency and Shane Bieber is not expected to pitch until midway through the 2025 season. Cleveland added Luis Ortiz in a trade with Pittsburgh, meaning Cecconi will have to compete for a rotation spot with Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo. Either way, the 6-foot-4, 219-pound righty can provide depth at Columbus.