Cade Cavalli

Steven Cade Cavalli

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 230 lb.
• School University of Oklahoma
• High School Bixby High School
• Debut August 26, 2022

• Born August 14, 1998 in Tulsa, OK USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Cade Cavalli was the 22nd overall pick of the 2020 amateur draft, by the Washington Nationals, out of the University of Oklahoma. He was a two-way player in college, racking up 235 at-bats as a freshman in 2018, but his stock really started rising when he switched to the mound full-time the next year, when he went 5-3, 3.28 in 12 starts. He returned as a full-time starting pitcher as a junior in 2020, but that season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic after just 4 starts. The Nationals were actually the second team to draft him, as he had been a 29th round selection by the Atlanta Braves coming out of high school in 2017.

In his first professional season in 2021, he played for three different teams, starting in Class A with the Wilmington Blue Rocks and ending up in AAA with the Rochester Red Wings, with a stop with the AA Harrisburg Senators in between. In all, he went 7-9, 3.36 in 24 starts, logging 123 1/3 innings and punching out 175 batters. He was outstanding in both High-A and AA, although he found the going harder in AAA, where his ERA shot up to 7.30. He was selected to pitch for the National League team in the 2021 Futures Game and pitched a scoreless inning even if he allowed a pair of walks. He was scheduled to return to the 2022 Futures Game but was a late roster scratch. He went 6-4, 3.71 in 20 starts for the AAA Rochester Red Wings that season before the Nationals announced that he would be called up to make his major league debut on August 26th. It did not go great as the Cincinnati Reds tagged him for 7 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in 4 1/3 innings and he was charged with a 7-3 loss. It was his only appearance in the majors that season.

During spring training with the Nationals in 2023, it was announced that he had sprained his ulnar collateral ligament and would require Tommy John surgery, putting him on the shelf for the entire season. Were it not for the injury, he was expected to be part of the team's starting rotation that year.

His father, Brian Cavalli, played briefly in the California Angels system as a catcher.

Further Reading

• Jessica Camerato: "Nats' top pick will fit right in with this hobby: Cavalli shares passion for cutting hair with fellow pitchers Abad, Suero", mlb.com, June 17, 2020. [1]
• Matthew leach: "Cavalli even-keeled ahead of Tommy John surgery: Pitching prospect will miss 2023 season, but is prepared to work his way back", mlb.com, March 16, 2023. [2]
• Doug Miller: "Cavalli, Nats' top pitching prospect, to make MLB debut Fri.", mlb.com, August 24, 2022. [3]

Related Sites

• Cade Cavalli on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• University of Oklahoma bio