Slade Cecconi DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Slade Cecconi (oblique) will open the regular season on the injured list. The right-hander is working his way back from a mild oblique strain and won't be ready within the next week or so. The good news is, Cecconi is still throwing, but will still need more time to get ready for game action. Cecconi was part of the trade that sent Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this offseason. He has pitched as both a reliever and starter throughout his career, but was stretching out to be in the rotation for Cleveland. Last season, Cecconi registered an ugly 6.66 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 64/17 K/BB ratio across 20 games (13 starts) with the D-Backs. The organization should give a better timetable on Cecconi within the next week or two.

According to Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Slade Cecconi will be built up as a starting pitcher during spring training. Meisel noted that manager Stephen Vogt has "raved" about Cecconi's pure stuff and that he has already been making adjustments to his delivery. Currently, the Guardians have several pitchers with starting experience and will likely have competition during spring training. Cecconi made 13 starts last season (20 games) and held a 6.66 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP. He struck out 64 batters across 77 innings. Fantasy managers should expect Cecconi to compete for the final spot in the rotation alongside Luis Ortiz. However, with Shane Bieber returning from Tommy John and Triston McKenzie's struggles, Cecconi may have a viable path to finding a role in the starting rotation. For now, he should only be targeted in deeper AL-only formats.

According to Jeff Passan, right-handed pitcher Slade Cecconi was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for first baseman Josh Naylor. Cecconi has spent his entire professional career in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. He made his major league debut in 2023 and posted a 4.33 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP across 27 innings. Last summer, posted a high 6.66 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP across 77 innings. The Miami product bounced between the rotation and the bullpen during both of his major league stints. In the minor leagues he operated primarily as a starter and held a 5.23 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through 163 1/3 innings. Despite his high ratios, he possess great command as he posted an impressive 5.0% walk rate. With the Guardians losing Matthew Boyd earlier this offseason to the Chicago Cubs, Cecconi could have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the starting rotation during Spring Training.