SP Joey Cantillo is one of Cleveland’s better pitching prospects, ranking the organization’s #15 prospect entering the season. This is cool since not only is he in my hometown’s organization, but he was originally drafted by the Padres in the 16th round of the 2017 draft out of High School in Kailua, Hawaii. I actually got his autograph at a University of Hawaii game in 2016.
Cantillo came to Cleveland from San Diego in the 2020 Mike Clevinger trade, and there is a very good chance that he might be joining another player from that trade, SP Cal Quantrill, in the Guards rotation before not too long.
This season Cantillo went 4-3 with a 1.93 at AA-Akron. He struck out 87 in only 60 innings. The biggest issue with him is injuries, which are the only reasons that he is not likely in the big league rotation already. But the Guards know what they have, and protected Cantillo on their 40-man roster this past November. Assuming he stays healthy, there is a real chance he will get the call-up to Cleveland late in the 2023 season.