Why Joey Cantillo’s Spring Focus Matters More to Guardians Than His Results

The Cleveland Guardians are embodying the belief that pitching wins games.

Following an offseason with bullpen additions being a focus for the front office, the focus now shifts to the staff they have, turning over from last year. Fortunately, the team still has its six starters and a good chunk of reliable relievers, but there are a few players who require a sharper start to the year.

One of them is left-handed pitcher Joey Cantillo, a player who's going to need to showcase improvements, rather than results, in spring training.

On Tuesday, Feb. 17, it was announced by manager Stephen Vogt that Cantillo would be starting on the mound for the team's opening game of spring training. The Guardians will play the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 3:05 p.m. EST and the Milwaukee Brewers at 3:10 p.m. EST.

It has yet to be determined which team Cantillo will go up against, but it shouldn't matter. What should be is how he looks and what improvements he made in the offseason.

His Journey Through the Big Leagues

Since his debut in 2024, he's never really found his footing and a solidified role in the Guardians pitching staff.

That year, he posted a 2-4 record and a 4.89 ERA across just nine starts for 38.2 innings. He was remarkable at striking out opponents, but struggled in giving up hits at a rate of 8.1 per nine innings. He was also allowing a pretty high 1.4 home runs per nine innings.

In 2025, he improved slightly, transitioning from a starter to a reliever and back to a starter. While that might've hindered his groove at first, he settled in nicely and in September, was one of the Guardians' best arms.

"I think it’s mostly just trusting my stuff and landing everything in the strike zone. I’ve got unique shapes," he said in an interview with Fan Graphs a few weeks ago. "I’ve got the big curveball, the changeup, and a good fastball.

"I’m also mixing in the slider a little bit more; having that to throw against lefties helps me out a lot. Throwing four pitches competitively in the strike zone plays.”

In his first game back after 18 days, he helped deliver the Guardians an 8-1 win over the Boston Red Sox. He threw seven strikeouts and allowed just one run across six innings of action. That set the stage for confidence, as he then tossed a season-best eight innings in a 2-0 win over the Kansas City Royals the very next game. He struckout five batters, allowed four hits and didn't give up a run.

Over the final three games where he started, all of which were wins, he allowed just 11 hits and four runs while striking out 16 batters. The best part was that his pitching was starting to rattle batters, averaging nine strikes a game with batters swinging and 16 while looking.

His advanced metrics also showed how talented he was. He finished in the 79th percentile and up in Whiff% and K%, while also being in the 99th percentile in extension.

So, heading into 2026, the stage is set for him to continue improving and becoming a regular face in the rotation for the Guardians.

Spring Training Needs

This spring will be all about refining the details that made his 2025 surge so special.

His fastball command will have to be sharper and his breaking ball will have to continue to generate swings and misses. If he does fall behind in counts and has to start throwing in the zone, he's going to have to avoid giving up those heavy hits. That was a major issue for him in 2024.

Another focus needs to be efficiency. High pitch counts limited his ability to work deep into games, and with how questionable the Guardians' bullpen is, at least early, they can't afford to have to utilize the bullpen in the third or fourth innings.

Clarity is the last focal point. The Guardians value versatility, but bouncing between the bullpen and a starting role is going to disrupt his rhythm. A strong spring that builds upon delivery and consistency, while cutting down on those power hits, will set him up to be penciled in as a more defined role coming Opening Day.

If the late-2025 version of Cantillo shows up, the Guardians are going to have yet another batter-scaring arm on the mound in 2026.