With 38% of the vote, Joey Cantillo debuts as our Cleveland prospect # 14 for 2021.
A beginning south paw, Cantillo was one of the six pieces Cleveland bought in dealings with Mike Clevinger last August, and he’s joining a system that is equipped with pitching talents.
Cantillo, selected in the 16th round by the Padres at Kailua High School in Hawaii in 2017, turned down a scholarship from the University of Kentucky to turn pro as a teenager and made his athletic debut in the Arizona Rookie League sporting a decent 4.50 ERA in seven appearances that year, though he hit an impressive 14 batters in 8.0 innings.
Cantillo started with a repeat in the AZL in 2018. Not a good sign of a prospect, but he made the best of it: he scored nine starts in eleven appearances with an ERA of 2.18, a whip of 0.99, and 58 batters in 45.0 innings for a promotion to Fort Wayne reach for the entire season -Season Low-A quite.
Cantillo started the 2019 season again in Fort Wayne and it was his best performance yet. He hit 128 batters in 98 innings while hitting an ERA of 1.93, a whip of 0.87 and a stroke of 0.173 against 98 innings. He was named Pitcher of the Week three times in the Midwest League and Player of the Month in June 2019 for scoring 30 hits, going one, and allowing a run in 25 innings.
The South Paw was promoted again, this time to High-A, where he ended the season with three decent, if not amazing, starts.
Cantillo stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 220 pounds. He owns a fastball from the 90s that he likes and that swings a lot and misses, but what really impressed the scouts was his move. Perhaps the most impressive thing about it is the fact that he didn’t even throw it in high school. While he hasn’t tossed it for long, it’s his top-rated field of play on any scouting site, and indeed one of the top-rated changes in the entire Cleveland system, right behind Eli Morgan.
Cantillo’s work ethic paid off, and he was invited to the San Diego expanded roster in 2020 before being traded to Cleveland.
Look for him to start his 21-year season in Double-A in 2021. He’s not far away.
Bobby Bradley, 1B (age 24)
2019 (AAA): 453 PA, .264 / .344 / .567, 33 HR, 0 SB, 10.2 BB%, 33.8 K%, 125 wRC +
2019 (MLB): 49 PA, .178 / .245 / .356, 1 HR, 0 SB, 8.2 BB%, 40.8 K%, 51 wRC +
The best 33 home races of his career at Triple-A earned the beating first baseman his first cup of coffee in 2019, but with 1B Carlos Santana and DH Franmil Reyes in 2020 Bradley had no chance last year.
Tanner Burns, RHP (22 Years)
Cleveland 2020 1st Round MLB Draft Competitive Balance Sheet Picks
A prototypical Cleveland College pitcher draft pick that has great hitting skills combined with great control. Could be a rapid movement in the system.
Isaiah Greene, OF (19 years)
Mets 2020 MLB second round draft pick
Greene was an elite full-field defender with gun arm and power potential and a top 50 in the 2020 MLB draft. Boy Scouts believe he could be great if he improves his contact.
Petey Halpin, OF (18 years)
Cleveland 2020 Third Round MLB Draft Pick
Wiry left handed punch outfielder with sneaky pop, good speed, arm, and solid contact skills that could grow into more.
Angel Martinez, SS (18 years old)
2019 (DSL): 137 PA, .306 / .402 / .428, 1 HR, 11 SB, 11.1 BB%, 11.1 K%, 134 wRC +
Switch-hitting shortstop with excellent instincts and an already mature approach on the plate. Opened eyes with his 2019 DSL performance as Best Cleveland Player.
Gabriel Rodriguez, 3B (18 years)
2019 (DSL): 170 PA, .238 / .335 / .406, 3 HR, 3 SB, 8.8 BB%, 15.9 K%, 106 wRC +
2019 (AZL): 73 PA, 0.215 / 0.288 / 0.262, 0 HR, 1 SB, 5.5 BB%, 30.1 K%, 59 wRC +
Rodriguez is Cleveland’s best international signing in 2018 and is already so physically mature that he had to be transferred to third base. Has the potential to be a big homerun hitter as an infielder.
Carson Tucker, SS (age 18)
Cleveland 2020 1st Round MLB Draft Pick
Carson, the younger brother of the pirate MLB player Cole Tucker, has plus speed and sprays hits on all fields, but has yet to debut in the small leagues.
Lenny Torres, RHP (20 years)
2018 (AZL): 5 GS, 15.1. IP, 34.9 K%, 6.4 BB%, 1.76 ERA, 2.38 FIP
Torres, the most formidable prep arm in the 2018 AZL, missed the entire 2019 season with an operation on Tommy John but is back on the hill and making a brief appearance in the Fall Teaching League in 2020.
Carlos Vargas, RHP (21 years)
2019 (A-): 15 GS, 77.2. IP, 21.9 K%, 7.4 BB%, 4.52 ERA, 3.36 FIP
Flame-throwing right-handed man who can approach three-digit numbers with a low 90s slider. Added to Cleveland’s 40 man list to protect him from draft rule 5.
Josh Wolf, RHP (age 20)
2019 (R): 5 GS, 8.0 IP, 36.4 K%, 3.0 BB%, 3.38 ERA, 1.37 FIP, 58 strokes, 11 balls.
Because I made it difficult for OneTwoSeven, I’m going to cut him a fine figure and put Josh Wolf on the list. With a fastball and a curveball hitting plus pitches and rookie league speeds of 94 mph, the recent commercial takeover looks right at home in the Cleveland system.
survey
Who should be Cleveland’s # 15 prospect?
-
34%
Bobby Bradley
(13 votes)
-
5%
Tanner Burns
(2 votes)
-
2%
Isaiah Greene
(1 vote)
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0%
Petey Halpin
(0 votes)
-
23%
Angel Martinez
(9 votes)
-
2%
Gabriel Rodriguez
(1 vote)
-
15%
Carson Tucker
(6 votes)
-
5%
Lenny Torres
(2 votes)
-
7%
Carlos Vargas placeholder image
(3 votes)
-
2%
Josh Wolf
(1 vote)
38 votes in total
Choose now
