Nationals top pitching prospect Cade Cavalli to make MLB debut on Friday

Cavalli is one of the better pitching prospects in all of MLB. He entered the 2022 season as the Nats top prospect prior to the team acquiring outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto trade and drafting Elijah Green this year in the first round of the MLB Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Cavalli is now the Nationals No. 4 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

He led the minors with 175 strikeouts in 123 1/3 innings in 2021, where he rose three levels within the Nats organization. This year, Cavalli made 20 starts with Triple-A Rochester, posting a 6-4 record with a 3.71 ERA, 104 strikeouts and 39 walks.

But he’s been dominant as of late. He allowed six earned runs in his last seven starts with Rochester, generating a 1.47 ERA in 36 2/3 innings. This with 43 strikeouts against 12 walks.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said the plan is for Cavalli to pitch every 5-to-6 days for the rest of the season, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. He’ll get a chance to get his feet wet at the majors to prepare him for the future.