The Cleveland Guardians have several promising players on their roster right now.
Clearly, Joey Cantillo is one of them.
In his first season in the Majors, he had some impressive outings, and while there were also some struggles, the positives most definitely outweighed the negatives.
That’s why Zack Meisel of The Athletic believes he could be in line for a breakout season in 2025:
“This isn’t a huge leap, since he showed flashes last season in his first taste of the majors, but I’ll say Cantillo. If he doesn’t throw enough strikes, this answer will look foolish, but there are some intriguing tools. His elite extension (99th percentile) helps his 92-mph fastball play up, and his off-speed stuff, especially his changeup, all graded out well, which explains his healthy whiff and strikeout rates,” Meisel said.
The 25-year-old climbed his way up to the rotation when some of the veterans struggled, and he held his own.
He did struggle early on, but to be fair, he did have to go against some of the strongest lineups, facing the Phillies, Orioles, Twins, and Yankees in his first starts in the league.
Then, he put the baseball world on notice when he took a perfect game into the seventh inning vs. the White Sox.
As much as the White Sox struggled last year, it’s still very impressive, especially in your first year in the league.
The Guardians are facing some questions about their rotation again to start this season.
That makes Cantillo’s role kind of unclear.
He could be given another shot to showcase his skills and crack the rotation, especially if someone struggles early on.
If not, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be a steady contributor out of the bullpen.
It’s never easy to predict what will happen with young players with uncertain roles, but the talent is most definitely there, and the Guardians could use another reliable arm.
NEXT: Analyst Notes Big Question Facing Gavin Williams This Season
