The Cleveland Guardians have high hopes for trade acquisition Slade Cecconi.
They believe he has the stuff, the velocity, the command, and the extension to succeed and fool opposing hitters.
He does need to work on some things, as evidenced by his 6.66 ERA in 77 frames last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Cecconi had been solid on Monday in his first outing of the spring, conceding a single run in two innings.
On Sunday, however, he just didn’t have it.
Cecconi was removed after surrendering seven runs (six earned) on six hits and two walks.
He only got one strikeout, in 1.2 innings of work.
It’s fair to say the wind at Goodyear Ballpark in Arizona didn’t do Cecconi any favors, but he wasn’t any good.
Really rough 2nd inning for Cecconi. A couple hits however seemed to be wind aided.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 2, 2025
Still, it’s probably just a bad outing in the middle of unfavorable conditions.
It doesn’t mean he won’t have a chance to make the Guardians’ rotation or contribute at some point this year.
Cleveland traded away Josh Naylor to get Cecconi for a reason: they see a valuable major leaguer in the right-hander.
Having thrown 50 pitches, it’s pretty clear the Guardians are building him up as a starter.
He could be a fantastic multi-inning reliever, but the team will keep him starting until he shows he can’t handle the role.
After all, the Guards already have excellent bullpen depth and not a lot of certainties in the rotation.
If Cecconi can eventually evolve into one, he will get every opportunity to run away with a starting role.
Sunday was a rough day for him, though.
NEXT: Insider Believes Guardians Are Done Spending At This Point
