Joey Cantillo

Joey Lopaka Cantillo

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 4", Weight 220 lb.
• High School Kailua High School
• Debut July 28, 2024

• Born December 18, 1999 in Honolulu, HI USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Hawaian pitcher Joey Cantillo was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 16th round of the 2017 amateur draft. He began his pro career that year with the AZL Padres 2, going 1-0, 4.50 in 7 games. In 2018, he returned to the same team, going 2-2, 2.18 in 11 games (9 starts) and then was given one start with the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Midwest League, in which he allowed 4 runs in 3 2/3 innings to be charged with a loss.

He got his first extensive look in 2019, when he started the season at Fort Wayne before making three late-season starts for the Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League. He was a combined 10-4, 2.26, striking out an excellent 144 batters in 111 2/3 innings while giving up just 70 hits and 34 walks. Those excellent numbers earned him an invitation to spring training, and then got him added to the Padres' 60-player pool when summer camp started after the pause caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. While at the alternate training site, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians on August 31st as part a blockbuster deal. The Padres sent him along with two fellow prospects - Gabriel Arias and Owen Miller - and major leaguers Austin Hedges, Josh Naylor and Cal Quantrill to the Indians in return for ace P Mike Clevinger, OF Greg Allen and a player to be named later (Matt Waldron).

He was named to the American League team for the 2023 Futures Game. He went 7-4, 4.07 in 26 games between the AA Akron RubberDucks and AAA Columbus Clippers, striking out an impressive 146 batters in 119 1/3 innings. He was slowed down by an injury at the start of the 2024 season, which necessitated his making a stop with the ACL Guardians before joining Columbus in early June. He was 1-1, 2.79 after 8 games when he got the call to Cleveland on July 28th, when he was the starting pitcher against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. These were not the easiest of circumstances, and he allowed a pair of homers in his 3 1/3 innings, both by Kyle Schwarber, the first of these coming on just his third big league pitch, leading to three runs. However, his bullpen did a great job, and Cleveland prevailed, 4-3. On September 9th, with the pennant race heating up he had a great start against the Chicago White Sox, being perfect through the first six innings and then retiring the first two men in the 7th before Andrew Benintendi singled to right field, which was followed by a wild pitch and a run-scoring single by Andrew Vaughn. He left after seven innings and was credited with his first career win, with a final score of 5-3.

Further Reading

• Mandy Bell: "'That was special': Cantillo flirts with perfection in 7-inning masterpiece", mlb.com, September 10, 2024. [1]

Related Sites

• Joey Cantillo on mlb.com
• BR Minors page