The Cavalli Has Arrived (delayed until 2025) - Cade Cavalli

[imref]

MASN profiled Cavalli heading into the spring.

https://fb.watch/xTfZAcL0iC/

WP too noting Doolittle's work with him:

https://wapo.st/4bbF42r

During his rehab process, Cavalli worked to use his legs more in his delivery and take pressure off his arm. Sean Doolittle, Washington’s pitching strategist, noticed improvement during Cavalli’s final bullpen session at Nationals Park last season. And Doolittle — in collaboration with pitching coach Jim Hickey and the training staff — sent Cavalli a PowerPoint presentation, seeking to help Cavalli understand what the Nationals hoped his lower half could look like.

Doolittle called Cavalli an “exceptional athlete.” Cavalli played shortstop early in his baseball career, and Washington wanted him to replicate movements he made as a position player on the mound. The Nationals also gave him drills to improve his delivery.

“It’s not that he moved poorly before, but [we are] trying to give him an understanding of what roles the different body parts and the different movement patterns play in the throw so that he can just be a little bit more efficient,” Doolittle said. “When you got a guy that can generate that much force and get into such extreme range of motions, those guys, unfortunately, are vulnerable to injury.”

And he paints now (seriously)

Based on this, and that he's only throwing fastballs at the moment, it wouldn't be surprising to see him start the season on the 60 day IL and stay at West Palm for extended ST before going out on a rehab assignment.

[NatsLSU]

Is this guy the Carter Kieboom of pitchers?

[imref]

Is this guy the Carter Kieboom of pitchers?

Kieboom played a lot more.


BTW, i looked up Kieboom last night, he's not hitting at all for the Angels so far this spring. .200 with something like a .550 OPS.

[Slateman]

Is this guy the Carter Kieboom of pitchers?

I mean, they said they were gonna go slow with him. He probably isn't pitching in games until May.

[Dave in Fairfax]

Kieboom played a lot more.


BTW, i looked up Kieboom last night, he's not hitting at all for the Angels so far this spring. .200 with something like a .550 OPS.

Still out-hitting Rendon

[imref]

Still out-hitting Rendon

you have a point.

[Slateman]

[Golden] Cade Cavalli threw two innings today in a GCL game, according to Dave Martinez. Fastball velocity was between 94-97.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

[Golden] Cade Cavalli threw two innings today in a GCL game, according to Dave Martinez. Fastball velocity was between 94-97.

That's where it was pre-injury, so that's a good sign.

[imref]

great news!

[Elvir Ovcina]

That's where it was pre-injury, so that's a good sign.

For two innings.

Time for today's reminder that Cavalli is older than Juan Soto, who is in his eighth big league season.  Cavalli has also been on the major league IL for long enough that he is likely to be arb-eligible this winter despite having pitched 4 1/3 MLB innings.  Has anyone previously made salary arbitration with exactly one MLB appearance to his name?

[IanRubbish]

For two innings.

...and in the Florida Complex League

The org also has a habit of promoting news when injured players do anything, and suppressing it when there are setbacks.  Something is way off when it takes this long to recover from TJ. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

At this point, information on Cavalli is either man bites dog or dog bites man. I think any hopeful signs are man bites dog, given how long he's been out. Until the Nats regularly start eating cats and dogs, that's news.

[Slateman]

Right. Getting some news about him is good. At this point, I have no delusions about him and Cole Henry being front line starters.  But getting them MLB time out of the bullpen would be a good step forward.

[Elvir Ovcina]

At this point, information on Cavalli is either man bites dog or dog bites man. I think any hopeful signs are man bites dog, given how long he's been out. Until the Nats regularly start eating cats and dogs, that's news.

Yeah.  It's good that his velocity is fine.  But it's been 2 years.  At this point, anything is gravy.  For the dog meat, of course.

[IanRubbish]

This "news" is meaningless, especially when they've been so cagey about his injury, and came up with the bizarre "dead arm" explanation after shutting him down last year after a few rough outings in the minors.

There is no real news until he's pitching an inning or two at one of the full season minors affiliates and throwing breaking balls to live batters.  The rest is just the tiny sliver of actual information that's making its way out to the press that doesn't tell us a thing.

Good news is he's not some missing piece.  The rotation's off to a good start with later rounders like Irvin, Parker, and Lord. 

[blue911]

Weekend at Bernie’s 2. Washington VaCadetion

[imref]

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/cade-cavalli-continues-rehab-nationals-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Says he has been throwing a lot of bullpens and was excited to get on the mound. He's with the team in Miami and threw a bullpen today. Sounds like he is finally progressing

[Elvir Ovcina]

https://www.mlb.com/nationals/news/cade-cavalli-continues-rehab-nationals-2025?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Says he has been throwing a lot of bullpens and was excited to get on the mound. He's with the team in Miami and threw a bullpen today. Sounds like he is finally progressing

"He could rejoin the Nationals after the All-Star Break," says the article.

His surgery was in March 2023.  Something clearly went very wrong in rehab, but that's almost enough time for back-to-back TJs with two full rehabs (aka the Daniel Hudson).

[imref]

on the latest Nats Chat podcast, Zuck says the hope for Cavalli is a rehab assignment in May and a call-up after June 1st, assuming he's effective. He notes that by all accounts Cavalli is healthy.

[Slateman]

Rehab start at Fredericksburg tonight

[imref]

[imref]

4IP, 1h, 2BB, 3K, 0R

[imref]

He can play first:
https://x.com/AlexMurphyJour/status/1913764707363696658

[zimm_da_kid]

4IP, 1h, 2BB, 3K, 0R

Not bad. Honestly, I’d be happy if he could be a healthy set up man at this point

[Slateman]

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