At the time, the Cleveland Guardians’ Josh Naylor trade wasn’t a popular move made by the front office. Yes, looking back on it, the Guardians could’ve used Naylor’s bat last season, but they also got back a solid pitcher with years of team control in Slade Cecconi.
Cecconi had some nice highs and some lows in his first season in Cleveland, but was an overall solid addition in the Guardians’ starting rotation. In 23 starts, the 26-year-old logged a 4.30 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.
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Looking ahead to 2026, Cecconi should have a spot in the middle of the Guardians’ rotation. Even if he has a direct copy of his stats next year, the right-hander will be a nice role, but there is one thing that Cecconi can do to make a jump to the next level, and that’s increasing his swing and miss and strikeout rate.
Stikreouts have never been a big part of Cecconi’s game. During the 2025 season, the right-hander registered a strikeout rate of 20 percent, a whiff rate of 22.5 percent, and a chase rate of 22.7 percent, all of which were in the 30th percentile compared to the rest of MLB pitchers.
Aug 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (44) reacts after shortstop Gabriel Arias (not pictured) made a play on a hit by Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Carson Williams (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
With Cecconi’s tendency to give hard contact, he must be able to miss bats from time to time to get more outs.
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There are some signs that Cecconi has the potential to increase some of his swing-and-miss and strikeout numbers for next season.
Cecconi has incredible command, and he has always had it throughout his career. He had a thrown strike percentage of 64 percent last season and ranked in the 85th percentile with a walk rate of 5.9 percent.
As silly as it sounds, for a pitcher to get strikeouts, they must establish control of the zone by throwing strikes at a high rate, and Cecconi has already accomplished that.
Now, it’s all about identifying which pitch is going to be Cecconi’s punchout, whiff pitch. Looking at his arsenal right now, it seems like that could be Ceeconi’s slider. This pitch alone had a whiff rate of 35.4 percent and a putaway rate of 24.0 percent.
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Cecconi has slightly increased his strikeout rate each season he’s pitched in the majors. Hopefully, with a full offseason in Cleveland, the pitching coaches can help him unlock some more strikeout stuff and take an even bigger jump next offseason.