Somebody with Indianapolis, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ triple-A affiliate, should have noted how well Joey Cantillo would fit with the Pirates. On Wednesday, when the visiting Columbus Clippers took on the Indianapolis Indians, the Clippers’ starter didn’t garner much attention. His team lost 11-6, and several Indianapolis players stood front and center. Andrés Alvarez had four hits, including a triple. Canaan Smith-Njigba walked twice, hit a double, and drove in two runs. Brenden Dixon hit a long home run. Nobody noticed Cantillo, the Columbus left-hander who was limited to 2 1/3 innings in his first game back from the injured list.
Guardians Minor League Pitcher Should Be Pirates Target
Pirates Should Trade For Cantillo
At a glance, Cantillo’s line for the day wasn’t anything sexy. In those 2 1/3 innings, he gave up two earned runs, two hits, and two walks while striking out three. He thus begins his triple-A season with a gaudy 7.71 ERA. But the second run scored with reliever Mason Hickman on the mound for the Cleveland Guardians’ triple-A team. To these eyes, Cantillo showed a major-league-ready changeup. It’s a “Vulcan-grip” changeup that’s a very effective pitch and would play well in the big time. Cantillo could thrive pitching for the Pirates, with PNC Park’s dimensions favoring lefty pitchers.
The Best Pitch In Baseball
In today’s era of baseball analytics, there’s a great deal of emphasis on velocity and break. We see them flashed on TV or at the ballpark after every pitch. However, I posit that the best pitch in baseball is a changeup on the outside corner from a left-handed pitcher to a right-handed batter. Righty hitters are, for the most part, pull hitters at birth. They start their swings early and can’t cover an off-speed pitch outside the plate. It seems that left-handers can successfully throw that pitch all day. For example, we’ve seen it from Tom Glavine and Francisco Liriano over the years.
The most glaring example is Game 3 of the 1986 World Series. The New York Mets were down 2-0 to the Boston Red Sox after two games at Shea Stadium. The Series was moving to Fenway Park, and the Mets’ starter was left-hander Bob Ojeda. Conventional wisdom says it’s suicide to pitch a lefty at Fenway. Furthermore, this lefty was a former Red Sox spooked by pitching with the Green Monster behind him. In six years with the Sox, Ojeda was 44-39 with a 4.21 ERA and 1.418 WHIP. He came to the Mets in an offseason trade in time for the 1986 season. He was 18-5 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.090 WHIP for the 1986 Mets.
“Well, I Got Traded”
His former teammates on the Red Sox were licking their chops. Ojeda’s fear of the Green Monster was no secret to them. Oil Can Boyd said, “He used to talk about not wanting to come inside to right-handed hitters in this park. He had no confidence pitching here.” Asked to describe his success at Fenway, Ojeda was succinct. “Well, I got traded,” he said. “Maybe that describes it best.”
Ojeda would win Game 3, 7-1, over Boyd. Ojeda pitched seven strong innings, giving up five hits and three walks. Taking nothing away from Ojeda’s performance, it was an exhibition of bad hitting for Boston’s right-handed hitters. They knew Ojeda would be on the outside corner all night. But the six righties in the Boston lineup were a combined 4-for-20 and hit just four fair balls to the opposite field. They tried to pull the ball all night long. Creatures of habit, they couldn’t change.
Meet Cantillo
Cantillo, 24, was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 16th round of the 2017 June Amateur Draft out of high school. The Hawaii native was traded to Cleveland in 2020. Today, he’s the No. 10 prospect in the Cleveland organization. Across all minor league levels over seven seasons, he’s 24-17 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.191 WHIP. Cantillo participated in the 2023 Futures Game, giving up no runs or hits in 1 2/3 innings.
On Wednesday against the Pirates affiliate, Cantillo threw a fastball at 92-93 mph. The changeup was about 15 mph slower than the fastball and dove down sharply when it reached the plate. There was no discernible difference in his whip-like delivery between the two pitches. Cantillo also showed a good move to first base. It seems all he needs to become a finished product is better control. He came to spring training with an outside chance to make the big club. When he was sent to triple-A on March 12, it was thought that we may see him in the majors in 2024. However, a hamstring strain derailed his season, and Wednesday’s game marked his season debut.
Nothing Says Pittsburgh Like . . .
In suggesting the Pirates trade for Cantillo, I won’t propose any specific trade. Pundits who suggest that Player X be traded for Player Y usually come away looking foolish. There’s enough of that on local talk radio. Pittsburgh denizens think that the Phillies will trade Bryce Harper to the Pirates for four players the Pirates don’t need while paying most of Harper’s salary. Nothing says “Pittsburgh” like calling one’s favorite sports talk show and proposing a ludicrous package deal.
But here are the facts. Both the Pirates and the Guardians should be active at the trade deadline. Despite sitting in fourth place in the National League Central Division, the Pirates are in the wild-card race. They’ll be looking to improve while unloading unproductive veterans on expiring contracts. As a small market team, they should and will always have one eye on the future when dealing. The Pirates will want to add a more experienced pitcher than Cantillo for the stretch run. A trade for Cantillo by the Pirates would be one with the future in mind.
Meanwhile, the Guardians are in first place in the American League Central Division with the third-best record in baseball. They’re not a team without holes, however. They have two starting pitchers with ERAs over 5.00. Their offense ranks 10th in hits, ninth in home runs, seventh in batting average, and sixth in slugging percentage in the AL. If the two teams can find a match at the trade deadline that helps both teams now, the Pirates should insist that Cantillo be included.
Main Photo Credits: Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK
