Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi has been one of the rotation’s best performers for a while now. Badly battered in his first few starts, the right-hander has found his mojo on the mound and is now a good bet for a quality start every time he takes the ball.
The talented hurler turned 27 on Wednesday, and the organization made sure to send him good wishes on his day.
“Happy 27th birthday, Slade!” the Guardians said on their social media channels.
Happy 27th birthday, Slade!#GuardsBall | #VoteGuards pic.twitter.com/LtUwkx9Qjb
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) June 24, 2026
Cecconi is the proud owner of a 4.48 ERA this year, in 84.1 innings of work. We say ‘proud’ even if it’s not a particularly dominant number because he was at 6.56 through his first seven starts.
As Cecconi has pointed out many times, experiments with his pitch mix are partly to blame for those early-season struggles. He has now ditched his sweeper and used more cutters, sometimes different versions.
The results have been amazing since he stopped throwing sweepers and placed an increased focus on cutters. In his last nine starts, he has turned a corner and looks like one of the best pitchers in the AL Central, with a 2.96 ERA in 48.2 innings.
Cecconi was the main piece the Guardians got in the return package for fan favorite Josh Naylor in the trade before the 2025 campaign. He posted a 4.30 ERA that year, and given the way he’s throwing the ball, it’s fair to say he has even more upside.
The Guardians are hoping that 2026 is Cecconi’s breakout year, especially considering how successful he has been in his last nine turns. He has a lot to prove, especially considering who had to leave the team for him to come over, but he is on a very nice roll right now.
The organization wished Cecconi a happy birthday, and supporters joined the party in the comments section of the X post. He is now an important player for the Guardians and is loved and respected by fans, who have come to appreciate how much he wants to improve and succeed.
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