No big-league team boasts more losses than the rebuilding Washington Nationals and perhaps fantasy managers want no part of any of their struggling starting pitchers. Keep an eye on prospect Cade Cavalli anyway. The Nationals announced on Wednesday that they plan to promote Cavalli, a power right-hander who excelled over the last several months at Triple-A Rochester, to start Friday's home game against the Cincinnati Reds. Hey, it's better than facing a playoff team and the Reds don't hit much.
Cavalli, 24, was a first-round pick in the 2020 amateur draft out of Oklahoma, and he figured to move quickly through the minor leagues, in part due to his large frame and power repertoire. Listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, he should miss plenty of bats in the majors, though he will give some of the dominance back as he issues too many free passes along the way. Cavalli gets his fastball into the upper-90s, and flashes a power slider and improving change-up to deal with left-handed hitters.
The question for fantasy managers will be if a young pitcher like Cavalli is capable of providing useful statistics over these final five weeks while on a terrible team. There's no guarantee that the Nationals even keep him in the rotation that long, really. They can lose their 100 games with or without him. Still, Cavalli struck out 19 hitters over his last two Triple-A starts, and he had a 1.47 ERA over his last seven starts. He should be able to surpass five innings on Friday if he pitches well and avoids walks. He would be on schedule to face another underwhelming offense next, at Oakland.
Ultimately, one of the things I'm most intrigued about with Cavalli is whether he allows home runs in the majors. He has permitted only three home runs over 97 innings in 2022, and just eight over 220 1/3 minor-league innings over his two professional seasons. Most would argue that avoiding home runs is not a skill. Sure, he has premium stuff, but there are plenty of former big-league hitters at Triple-A. Cavalli's pending teammate, RHP Josiah Gray boasts major stuff, too, but he has allowed 32 home runs this season. Cavalli profiles differently, though, not as extreme a fly ball option. He warrants being added in deep, mixed leagues, and definitely in NL-only formats.
Other pitching prospects in the news
Baltimore Orioles RHP Grayson Rodriguez, perhaps the No. 1 pitching prospect left in the minors, has not thrown a pitch since the first of June, after succumbing to a strained lat. Many suspected his season was completed, but with the big-league Orioles happily contending, Gray-Rod may indeed debut in September, with his role as of yet undetermined. Is it worth keeping Rodriguez rostered in ESPN standard fantasy leagues just in case? Perhaps not, for any rookie hurler is dangerous to rely on, but if he makes the 2023 rotation, Rodriguez would be worth drafting.
Miami Marlins RHP Eury Perez may have debuted this season had his big-league team contended, but he remains at Double-A Pensacola and recently hit the IL due to arm fatigue. Perez, 19, allowed 13 earned runs over his last 11 innings, spiking a once-fancy ERA, and it would be surprising if the franchise pushes him much in September. Perez boasts one of the top strikeout rates in the minors, perhaps because of the intimidation factor. He is 6-foot-8! We should see him in the majors in 2023.
Tampa Bay Rays RHP Taj Bradley dominated at Double-A Montgomery this season (1.70 ERA), but he has encountered issues in his first six starts at Triple-A Durham (5.63 ERA). The big-league Rays have been hit hard by injuries and it seemed possible that Bradley could debut in September, also with an undetermined role. However, now that he's allowing walks and home runs, perhaps not. It's a big step up from Double-A to Triple-A.
Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Gavin Stone, however, allowed nary a base hit in his recent Triple-A Oklahoma City debut and it would not be surprising to see the Dodgers debut him in their bullpen in September. Stone feasted at Double-A Tulsa, allowing only 13 earned runs over 13 starts, and just one home run. Stone has struck out more than one-third of the hitters he has faced this season. The Dodgers figure to handle him correctly. Stone should be a fantasy factor next year, too.
Philadelphia Phillies RHPs Andrew Painter and Mick Abel will not debut in the majors this season -- well, it seems really, really unlikely -- but, despite their lack of experience, it does seem the organization is open to them both starting 2023 in the majors. They are that good, notably Painter, the No. 13 pick from the 2021 draft who boasts a 1.11 ERA over 81 1/3 innings for three minor-league levels this season, with a 40% strikeout rate. This may be part of a new trend in which aggressive contending organizations lessen the number of minor-league innings for pitchers, figuring those innings should help the big-league squad.