Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | WAS | RHP | 2 | 55 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | FB | CB | SL | CH | Cnt/Cmd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 60 | 60 | 55 | 60 | 50 | 50/45 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Ian Smith
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220 lbs
Hits/Throws: R/R
Acquired: 2020 Round 1
RuleV: 2024
Physical Description: Physical, XL frame with limited projection remaining. Barrel chest with broad shoulders and a thick lower half. It's rare to see a pitcher with this type of measurables and muscle definition. Has battled some injuries throughout amateur career, but offers a pro-ready body right now.
Delivery & Mechanics: Makes it look effortless on the mound. Cavalli works off the first base side of the rubber in a traditional windup. Slight rocker step and gets very tall before exploding to the plate. Arm speed jumps out at you. Arm slot comes from a high three quarters while getting elite extension. Lacks some deception in his arsenal, but top-tier velocity helps overcome some. Will show impressive hip and shoulder separation combined with high level flexibility. Very simple, loose delivery with limited added effort and easy repeatability. Clean all the way through finish.
Fastball: 96-99; Very easy plus-plus velocity. Will get a ton of late life at the top of the zone. Lacked some deception on the pitch in college by trying to live at the bottom of the zone, and ultimately left too many pitches to be hit hard. Command of the pitch will waver on occasion, but shows the ability to be a high K pitch due to velo and movement profile. Solid chance for triple digits very soon. Grade: 60
Curveball: 81-85; A true power curveball that has just been steadily improving. Cavalli has turned a solid pitch into a 12/6 hammer with tremendous shape over the past year. Throws the pitch extremely firm with very good depth creating a bunch of empty swings. Loses command of the pitch occasionally, and that's seemingly keeping this pitch away from being true plus. Grade: 55
Slider: 86-89; The most underrated weapon in Cavalli's arsenal. Gyro-heavy movement with heavy velocity, and the confidence to throw in any counts. Will kill sweep on the pitch and gets devastating vertical movement in the zone. Tunnels the pitch extremely well off of the fastball. Has some cutter aspects to the pitch and shows ability to miss a ton of bats. Grade: 60
Changeup: 87-90; Another above average pitch that Cavalli can get a ton of empty swings with. Gets big tumbling action while consistently landing the pitch for strikes. Velo separation could be better, but maintains arm speed and tunnels the pitch well. Grade: 50
Control and Command: Cavalli shows a good ability to throw strikes, but overall command is very average as we stand today. Fastball command leads the way, but secondaries need a bit more consistency. Overall control took a big stride in a small sample in 2020, and will be important to see if that continues to trend up given the lack of projection remaining. Control: 50 | Command: 45
Overall: This is a very high octane package coming from the former Boomer Sooner. Can potentially have three plus pitches before it's all said and done led by the FB/SL combo. If Cavalli can continue to make strides in command, this could be an SP2 type of ceiling with a very strong foundation to fall back on.
OFP: 55
Role: 60 - #3 SP
Risk: High
