Guardians' Cecconi adds cutter to his repertoire

Pitcher says the new pitch has become part of his identity this spring

Mar. 14, 2026 at 12:05am

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Guardians right-hander Slade Cecconi has added a cutter to his repertoire this spring, saying the pitch has become a key part of his identity as a pitcher. Cecconi threw four scoreless innings with six strikeouts in a Cactus League game on Thursday, crediting the new cutter for his success. He has embraced the pitch, which he threw only 2.7% of the time last year, and believes it will be effective against both right-handed and left-handed hitters.

Why it matters

Cecconi is an important part of the Guardians' pitching staff, and the development of his cutter could make him an even more effective starter this season. The addition of a new pitch that complements his other offerings gives him more weapons to get hitters out and could help him take the next step in his career.

The details

Cecconi throws six pitches: a four-seam fastball, slider, curve, sinker, changeup and now the cutter. Last year, the opposition hit .289 against his four-seamer, .229 against the slider, .141 against the curve, .290 against the sinker, .276 against the changeup and .200 against the cutter. He's decided to eliminate the changeup and focus more on the cutter, which he says is "out-performing everything else" he's throwing.

  • On Thursday night, Cecconi threw four scoreless innings with six strikeouts in a Cactus League game against the Brewers.
  • Last year, Cecconi made 23 starts for the Guardians, going 7-7 with a 4.30 ERA.

The players

Slade Cecconi

A right-handed pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians who has added a cutter to his repertoire this spring.

Josh Naylor

The Guardians traded Naylor to Arizona in December 2024 in a deal that brought Cecconi and a draft pick to Cleveland.

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What they’re saying

“Yeah, we put a new roof on the house. I mean it's great. It's a pitch I can throw pretty equally to righties and lefties. It's effective to both sides, which has really helped.”

— Slade Cecconi, Guardians pitcher (cleveland.com)

“We're just throwing better pitches.”

— Slade Cecconi, Guardians pitcher (cleveland.com)

What’s next

Cecconi is expected to start the third or fourth regular season game against the Seattle Mariners on March 28 or March 29.

The takeaway

Cecconi's development of a new cutter pitch could be a key factor in his continued growth as a starting pitcher for the Guardians this season. The addition of an effective new pitch gives him more options to get hitters out and could help him take the next step in his career.