Cade Cavalli

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Cade Cavalli
Cavalli with the Washington Nationals in 2022
Washington Nationals – No. 24
Pitcher
Born: (1998-08-14) August 14, 1998 (age 27)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 26, 2022, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics
(through August 15, 2025)
Win–loss record1–1
Earned run average4.79
Strikeouts20
Teams

Steven Cade Cavalli (born August 14, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was the selected 22nd overall by the Nationals in the 2020 MLB draft and made his MLB debut in 2022.

Amateur career

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Cavalli attended Bixby High School in Bixby, Oklahoma, where he played baseball.[1] In 2016, his junior year, he had a 7–1 win–loss record with a 2.02 earned run average (ERA) along with a .416 batting average, four home runs and 47 runs batted in (RBIs) at the plate.[2] He missed a majority of his senior season in 2017 due to a back injury.[3] He was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 29th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead enrolled at the University of Oklahoma where he played college baseball.[4]

In 2018, Cavalli's freshman year for the Oklahoma Sooners, he pitched to a 6.75 ERA over 17+1⁄3 innings while hitting .202 with six home runs and 28 RBIs over 58 games.[5] After the 2018 season, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[6] As a sophomore in 2019, Cavalli pitched to a 5–3 record and a 3.28 ERA over 12 starts along with batting .319 with four home runs and 17 RBIs in 19 games.[7][8] He missed three weeks during the season due to soreness.[9][10] That summer, he played for the United States collegiate national baseball team.[11][12] Cavalli entered his junior year in 2020 as a top prospect for the upcoming draft and was named the Big 12 Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year.[13][14] He made four starts in which he compiled a 4.18 ERA and 37 strikeouts over 23+2⁄3 innings before the college baseball season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professional career

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The Washington Nationals selected Cavalli in the first round, with the 22nd overall selection, in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed for a $3 million signing bonus.[15][16] He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[17]

To begin the 2021 season, Cavalli was assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the High-A East with whom he made his professional debut.[18] After pitching to a 3–1 record and 1.77 ERA over 40+2⁄3 innings, he was promoted to the Harrisburg Senators of the Double-A Northeast on June 14.[19] That same month, Cavalli was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game at Coors Field.[20] In mid-August, after starting 11 games and going 3–3 with a 2.79 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 58 innings with Harrisburg, Cavalli was promoted to the Rochester Red Wings of the Triple-A East.[21] Over six starts with Rochester, he went 1–5 with 7.30 ERA.[22] His total of 175 strikeouts for the season between the three clubs led the minor leagues.[23] He returned to Rochester in the International League to begin the 2022 season.[24] He was selected to represent the Nationals at the 2022 All-Star Futures Game.[25]

On August 26, 2022, the Nationals selected Cavalli's contract for him to make his MLB debut that night at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., versus the Cincinnati Reds.[26] He pitched 4+1⁄3 innings and allowed seven runs, six hits, and two walks while striking out six and hitting three batters in a 7–3 loss.[27] Suffering from right shoulder inflammation, he did not pitch again during 2022.[28]

Cavalli reported for spring training with the Nationals in West Palm Beach, Florida in 2023, contending for a spot in the starting rotation. While pitching against the New York Mets on March 14, 2023, however, he sprained the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow in his pitching arm and had to undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his 2023 season.[28][29]

After a lengthy recovery from surgery, Cavalli returned to the mound during the second half of the 2024 season. However, a case of influenza and problems with "dead arm" limited him to three appearances all season — one with the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals in the Carolina League and two with Wilmington in the South Atlantic League — during which he pitched 8+1⁄3 innings and posted an overall ERA of 2.18 with no decisions.[28][30] Although he finally was healthy by the end of the 2024 minor-league season, he did not join the Washington Nationals during 2024.[28]

Cavalli spent the 2024–25 offseason on a regular throwing plan, then joined the Nationals for spring training in 2025. He began the 2025 season with Rochester and made 17 appearances with the Red Wings, all starts, posting a record of 4–7 with a 5.35 ERA in 74 innings. His performance at Rochester improved as the 2025 season wore on: During his last four outings, he recorded 25 strikeouts over 20+1⁄3 innings, and in his final two starts, totaling 10 innings, he did not walk a batter. The Nationals called him up, and on August 6, 2025, he made his second major-league appearance, 1,076 days since his first one. Starting against the Athletics at Nationals Park, he pitched 4+1⁄3 scoreless innings, throwing 88 pitches, and allowing three hits and one walk in a 2–1 Nationals victory. His four-seam fastball averaged 97.3 mph (156.6 km/h), and one four-seamer reached 100.1 mph (161.1 km/h). He struck out six, making him the sixth pitcher in Nationals team history to record 12 or more strikeouts in his first two appearances.[28] Cavalli got his first major win on August 16 against the Philadelphia Phillies, where he pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and striking out five batters in a 2–0 Nationals victory.[31]

References

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  1. ^ Aber, Ryan; Ruiz, Nathan (March 26, 2018). "Bedlam baseball: Bixby's Cades to go head-to-head in Bedlam". Oklahoman.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Brown, Mike (June 26, 2016). "All-Metro baseball: Meet the 2016 first team players". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  3. ^ World, Mike Brown Tulsa (March 18, 2017). "High school baseball: Bixby standouts Tanner Griffin, Cade Cavalli on the shelf". Tulsa World.
  4. ^ Herman, Howard. "Suns' Cavalli making most of summer before heading to OU". The Brattleboro Reformer.
  5. ^ "Cade Cavalli shows growth at Oklahoma". Baseball Prospect Journal. January 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "Cade Cavalli". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "OU baseball: Cade Cavalli calling his own pitches for Sooners this season". Oklahoman.com. February 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "OU's Cade Cavalli makes 26-man Team USA roster". OUInsider.
  9. ^ Palmateer, Tyler (May 9, 2019). "OU baseball: Why Oklahoma shut Cade Cavalli down for three weeks". Norman Transcript. Transcript Sports.
  10. ^ World, Eric Bailey Tulsa (May 9, 2019). "OU baseball: Bixby's Cade Cavalli's big week includes becoming a first-time uncle and returning to the mound in time for Bedlam". Tulsa World.
  11. ^ Palmateer, Tyler (July 2, 2019). "OU baseball: Cade Cavalli named to Team USA's 26-man roster". Norman Transcript. Transcript Sports.
  12. ^ "Forty-One USA Baseball Alumni Selected in the 2020 MLB Draft". USA Baseball. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "Prospect Rankings". MLB.com.
  14. ^ "Cavalli Preseason Pitcher of the Year, OU pegged 4th in B12 poll". OUInsider.
  15. ^ "Nationals select right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli in first round of MLB Draft". The Washington Post. June 10, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "Nationals agree to terms with first-round pick Cade Cavalli". RSN.
  17. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Cancelled". MiLB.com.
  18. ^ "Nats set minors rosters: Rutledge, Cavalli, Parra among assigned". RSN.
  19. ^ "Nationals prospects Cade Cavalli and Matt Cronin promoted to Class AA Harrisburg". The Washington Post. June 14, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  20. ^ "Futures Game rosters are STACKED". MLB.com.
  21. ^ "Nationals promote Cade Cavalli to Class AAA Rochester Red Wings". The Washington Post. August 24, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  22. ^ Lusk, Lacy (October 6, 2021). "Cade Cavalli: Nationals 2021 Minor League Player Of The Year". www.baseballamerica.com.
  23. ^ Glaser, Kyle (October 5, 2021). "2021 Baseball America Minor League All-Star Team". www.baseballamerica.com.
  24. ^ "Red Wings announce Opening Day roster".
  25. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (July 7, 2022). "Here are the 2022 Futures Game rosters". MLB.com. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  26. ^ "Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Contract selected for MLB debut". August 26, 2022.
  27. ^ "'Very, very exciting': Cavalli K's 6 in MLB debut". MLB.com.
  28. ^ a b c d e Camerato, Jessica (August 6, 2025). "Cavalli's 1st MLB start in 3 years nearly picture-perfect, with walk-off win ending". MLB.com. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  29. ^ Leach, Matthew (March 16, 2023). "Cade Cavalli to undergo Tommy John surgery". MLB.com. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  30. ^ "Cade Cavalli". milb.com. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  31. ^ Camerato, Jessica (August 16, 2025). "Three years after MLB debut, Cavalli twirls gem for first career win". MLB.com.
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