Cal Quantrill

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Cal Paul Quantrill

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Biographical Information[edit]

The son of major leaguer Paul Quantrill, Cal Quantrill was picked in the 26th round (794th overall) of the 2013 amateur draft by the New York Yankees. He did not sign and pitched for Canada in the 2013 World Junior Championship; his 3.12 ERA was exactly the same as the team total. He then went on to college at Stanford University and was selected in the first round of the 2016 amateur draft, 8th overall, by the San Diego Padres. At Stanford, he was the first freshman to be the opening day starter since Mike Mussina, but had to undergo Tommy John surgery as a sophomore. He came back the next year when he was drafted; he was also able to complete his engineering degree in just three years. He began his pro career with the AZL Padres. He also pitched for the Tri-City Dust Devils and Fort Wayne Wizards that first season.

He was named to the World team for the 2017 Futures Game. That year he was 7-10, 3.80 in 22 starts between the Class A Lake Elsinore Storm and the AA San Antonio Missions. In 2018, he made 28 starts and pitched 148 innings, going 9-6, 4.80 between San Antonio and the AAA El Paso Chihuahuas. He then started off the 2019 season going 3-1, 5.40 in his first 5 starts for El Paso and on May 1st was called up to make his major league debut. Starting against the Atlanta Braves he gave up 2 runs in 5 2/3 innings and was charged with a 5-1 loss. He was the first player from the 1st round of the 2016 draft to make it to the Show, preceding #2 overall pick Nick Senzel by only a couple of days, although a number of players drafted in lower rounds had made it before them. He earned his first win in front of friends and family on May 25th, with a start against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre in which he gave up 3 runs in 6 innings as the Padres won handily, 19-4. Sporting an ERA of 5.23 after 6 starts, he was sent back to the minors for a brief spell, then was used out of the bullpen for the remainder of June. On July 14th, he was matched up against fellow Canadian Mike Soroka of the Braves in what was the first major league game started by two Canadian pitchers since 2013, when Ryan Dempster had faced Scott Diamond. Both pitchers did very well, with Quantrill tossing 6 scoreless innings and Soroka 7. The Braves eventually won the game, 4-1. He ended his rookie season with a record of 6-8, 5.16 in 23 games, including 18 starts, logging 103 innings and striking out 89 opponents.

In 2020, he started the year working out of the bullpen for the Padres, making only 1 start in his first 10 appearances. He was 2-0, 2.60 during that stretch, as the Padres were in serious contention for the postseason. The top brass began to make deals in order to strengthen that position before the trading deadline of August 31st, and on that day, he was sent to the Cleveland Indians in a blockbuster trade. Joining him were C Austin Hedges and OF Josh Naylor as well as three prospects, Gabriel Arias, Joey Cantillo and Owen Miller - as the Padres acquired ace P Mike Clevinger, OF Greg Allen and a player to be named later. He went 0-0, 1.84 in 8 games for Cleveland after the trade, then faced two batters in the 9th inning of Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees on September 30th, walking Aaron judge before striking out Aaron Hicks. However, New York had just taken a 10-9 lead against Brad Hand before he entered the game, and Cleveland was unable to tie it against Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the inning, ending its season.

In 2021, he went 8-3, 2.89 in 40 games, including 22 starts, logging 149 2/3 innings in what was the final season which Cleveland played under the Indians name. Becoming the Cleveland Guardians in 2022 they won a division title in the AL Central and Cal was at the center of things, going 15-4, 3.38 in 32 starts. In 186 1/3, he struck out 128 batters, leading the team in wins and finishing behind Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie in both innings pitched and strikeouts. In the postseason, he made two starts against the Yankees in the Division Series, but lost them both, allowing a total of 7 runs (6 earned) in 10 innings. Still the Guardians looked set in terms of starting pitching, with a trio of youngsters seemingly hitting their prime at the same time, and a number of others waiting in the wings. Things did not go well in 2023, however, and it started in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, when he started Team Canada's first game against Great Britain but failed to complete the 1st inning as he struggled with his control. Things went just as badly for Cleveland during the season as he was 4-7, 5.24 in 19 starts, allowing 111 hits in 99 2/3 innings. He pitched well in September, however, with a 2.76 ERA over his final 6 starts after battling injuries. Bieber and McKenzie also had down years, and the Guardians failed to make the postseason even if Tanner Bibee emerged as another potential ace.

Cleveland did something completely unexpected on November 14, 2023, when it had Cal designated for assignment in order to open room on the 40-man roster for more young pitchers coming up in the organization and liable to be picked up by another team in the 2023 Rule V Draft. The decision made Quantrill a free agent.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2022)

Further Reading[edit]

  • Mandy Bell: "Quantrill DFA'd in surprising move to protect young pitchers", mlb.com, November 14, 2023. [1]

Related Sites[edit]

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