The Washington Nationals are planning to call up right-hander and top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli on Friday, reports 106.7 The Fan. The team has not yet announced the move. Cavalli is set to make his MLB debut at home against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Nationals selected the recently turned 24-year-old Cavalli with the No. 22 pick in the 2020 MLB draft, and paid him a $3.027 million signing bonus. Cavalli led the minors with 175 strikeouts last season and owns a 3.71 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 97 Triple-A innings this season.
Our RJ Anderson ranked Cavalli the No. 36 prospects in baseball coming into the season. Here’s his write-up:
Cavalli, whose injury and control woes at Oklahoma caused him to slip to the 22nd pick in 2020, made it all the way to Triple-A in his first professional season. His results may have been a mixed bag (he had a 3.36 ERA and a 2.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio overall; his marks in six Triple-A starts were 7.30 and 1.85), but there’s myriad reasons for optimism that he’ll debut in 2022 and turn into an above-average starter. Among them: Cavalli has the size, athleticism, and stuff (in addition to a big-time fastball, he has a pair of good breaking balls). Ultimately, those same old brickbats — command and durability — may dictate if he’s more than a No. 3.
At 41-83, the Nationals enter Wednesday with baseball’s worst record by four games. They have been outscored an average of 1.7 runs per game. As of Wednesday, no Washington starting pitcher has recorded a win since Josiah Gray on July 6.