RHP Slade Cecconi, Miami
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DoB: 6/24/1999.
2020 Stats: 2-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 30/7 K/BB in 21.1 innings
A potential day one draft pick coming out of Trinity Prep High School in the Orlando area in 2018, Cecconi fell due to injuries and signability and ended up at Miami, where he posted a 4.16 ERA and an 89/18 strikeout to walk ratio over 80 innings as a freshman. With a June birthday that makes him very old for his class, he's draft-eligible as a sophomore, and he put together four solid starts to come away with a 3.80 ERA and a 30/7 strikeout to walk ratio across 21.1 innings. Cecconi has always been about projection, and while he hasn't quite put it together, he could be just a few adjustments away from taking a huge leap forward.
Cecconi has an ideal pitcher's body at 6'4", and he uses it to generate explosive stuff. His fastball velocity varies, but it can be anywhere from the low 90's to the upper 90's, with the belief that pro coaching can help him stay closer to the upper end of that velocity band. His slider is his best secondary pitch, buckling knees at its best with its hard downward movement. He also throws a cutter and a changeup, though not as much as his fastball and slider, but both of those pitches have their moments and could be weapons in pro ball. He does a good job of throwing strikes, but his overall command needs significant work and he has been more hittable than perhaps his stuff dictates he should have been so far.
There's really interesting upside here. Cecconi comes with that college pedigree and while his numbers don't jump off the page, a career 4.09 ERA and 119/25 strikeout to walk ratio across 101.1 innings against Miami's ACC schedule ain't half bad for a kid who won't turn 21 until June. His stuff can be great, and it seems like he's just a tweak or two away from taking a big step forward. At the same time, he's never quite put it together, rarely having his velocity, his secondaries, and his command all working in one start. As someone who has seemed like he was ~this close~ for years now, going back to his junior year of high school, it's not the best look to seem to have been stalled for that long.
That said, the good tends to outweigh the bad here, and Cecconi has #2 starter upside. If he never quite puts it together, his fastball/slider combination could also be lethal in the bullpen, where it's easier to see him maintaining the upper end of his velocity band. That gives him a higher floor than many of the other high upside arms in this class. Right now, he's pushed himself into the first round conversation and with a little bit of helium behind his name, it seems more likely than not that he'll come off the board somewhere in the 20's. Additionally, he grades out very well on the all important "name tool," with Slade Cecconi perhaps being the best name among all day one college arms this year (with Emerson Hancock, Asa Lacy, and Cade Cavalli receiving honorable mentions).
2020 start vs Florida (home plate view)
2020 start vs Rutgers (CF view)
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