Joey Cantillo was an obscure 20-year-old prospect who last pitched for the Padres’ High-A team in Lake Elsinore, Calif., in 2019 when the Cleveland Indians got him as part of the pack acquired when they traded starting pitcher Mike Clevinger to San Diego on Aug. 31, 2020.

The Indians, now Guardians, overwhelmingly won the Clevinger trade. They acquired minor league (at the time) infielder Gabriel Arias, first baseman Josh Naylor, catcher Austin Hedges, right-handed pitcher Cal Quantrill, infielder Owen Miller plus Cantillo in the trade that saw Cleveland send outfielder Greg Allen and starting pitcher Matt Waldron in addition to Clevinger to San Diego.

Cantillo is part of the Guardians’ 2025 bullpen. He made his Cleveland debut on July 28, 2024, and is still considered a rookie. He has appeared in 26 games this season with five starts and is 2-1 with a 4.14 ERA. He can be a spot starter and pitch in short or long relief.

Cantillo won’t be arbitration eligible until 2028 and won’t hit free agency until 2031. He has not been spectacular, but he has proven reliable and still has plenty of upside.

I revisited Cantillo’s path to the Guardians as a window for looking closely at the trade that sent Guardians starter and fan favorite Shane Bieber to the Blue Jays for 22-year-old pitching prospect Khal Stephen. Stephen started 2025 at the Blue Jays’ low-A affiliate Dunedin in the Florida State League. He was promoted to High-A Vancouver in May and Double-A New-Hampshire in July. He compiled a 9-1 record in Toronto’s minor-league system. He was on the injured list when the Guardians acquired him, but keep in mind Bieber is coming off Tommy John surgery. Guardians president of baseball operations said Stephen has resumed throwing, though he isn’t ready to resume pitching in games.

MLB Pipeline ranked Stephen fifth among Blue Jays prospects. MLB Pipeline ranks him seventh among Guardians prospects behind second baseman Travis Bazzana, outfielder Chase DeLauter, infielder Angel Genao, outfielder/first baseman C.J. Kayfus, outfielder Jaison Chourio and catcher Cooper Ingle.

Here is the MLB scouting report on Stephen:

“Stephen started out as a back-end reliever with Purdue as a freshman, then developed into the Boilermakers’ No. 1 starter as a sophomore. After a nice showing in the Cape Cod League, Stephen transferred to Mississippi State, where he posted a 3.28 ERA with 107 strikeouts and 21 walks in 96 innings. He signed with the Blue Jays for a below-slot $1,116,750 as a second-rounder, then raced to Double-A midway through his pro debut this year before getting traded to the Guardians for Shane Bieber.

“While Stephen’s fastball operates at 92-94 mph and touches 96, it’s most notable for natural carry that allows it to miss more than its share of bats. It plays well in tandem with a mid-80s changeup that features significant fade. His low-80s slider also misses bats, giving him a third solid offering, and he’ll occasionally mix in a decent upper-70s curveball.”

MLB pipeline projects Stephen will make his Major League debut in 2026.

Stuffy McInnis was first base wizard

Each week during the baseball season, this portion of Cleveland Beat looks back on a player from the 19th or early 20th century better known by his nickname than his given name.

Some fascinating characters played baseball more than a century ago, and John Phalen McInnis was one of them.

McInnis was tagged with the nickname “Stuffy” as a youth when, after he made a dazzling play in the field, teammates and fans in the stands shouted “That’s the stuff, kid! That’s the stuff.” The same praise was repeated in other games, and so he became known as “Stuffy” before he made his Major League debut with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1909 when he was 18 years old.

McKinnis, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound first baseman, won the World Series with the Athletics in 1910, 1911 and 1913, the Red Sox in 1918 and the Pirates in 1925. He was remarkable defensively. He made only seven errors in 1,648 chances in 148 games in 1920 — a .996 fielding percentage while playing for the Red Sox. A year later he made only one error in 1,652 chances in 152 games for a .9994 fielding percentage. That ranks fourth all-time for a single season among first baseman. The three players with a 1.000 fielding percentage (Steve Garvey, Padres, 1984; Spencer Speer (Reds, current season) and Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox, 2007) all had fewer chances.

McInnis posted a career batting average of .307. He had 8,642 at-bats and struck out only 251 times. Many of his 21 home runs were inside-the-park home runs. He hit two in the same game on Aug. 12, 2012 off Vean Gregg of the Cleveland Naps.

But there might never be an inside-the-park home run like the one McInnis hit with the A’s on June 27, 1911, against Boston. The Red Sox were still warming up when McInnis stepped to the plate as the first Philadelphia batter in the top of the seventh. He hit a warm-up pitch from Ed Karger into short center field. He rounded the bases and scored before the Red Sox players could field the ball and throw McInnis out.

A rule at that time prohibited warm-up pitches between innings. The rule was established by Commissioner Ban Johnson so games could be played in less than two hours. The home plate umpire upheld the home run. The Red Sox appealed, but Johnson sided with the umpire.

McInnis, who hit .305 with the Cleveland Indians in 1922, passed away in 1960 at age 69 after a lengthy illness

Originally Published: August 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM EDT