Slade Cecconi

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #16 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/Medium
  
  Track Record: Cecconi looked like a possible first-rounder entering his senior year of high school, but a triceps injury slowed him in the spring. He reached campus at Miami and pitched parts of two seasons in the Hurricanes rotation before the D-backs drafted him 33rd overall in 2020. Cecconi gradually worked his way through the system and made his major league debut last August. He posted a 4.33 ERA over 27 innings alternating as a starter and reliever and was included on the D-backs’ NLCS roster.
  
  Scouting Report: Cecconi is a big righthander with plenty of arm strength. His fastball sits 94-95 and touches 98 mph, but it doesn’t miss many bats and tends to get hit hard. His best secondary pitch is a plus slider that has sharp, two-plane action at its best. Cecconi rounds out his arsenal with a fringy curveball that gets loopy at times and a below-average, rarely used changeup, though he tinkered with an adjustment he picked up from teammate Merrill Kelly. Cecconi flashes plus stuff in spurts but loses it within outings. He has above-average control but needs to mix his pitches more strategically.
  
  The Future: Cecconi needs continued innings and experience to reach his potential as a back-end starter. He could be a bullpen option should the need arise.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 55
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #14 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Cecconi shined on the summer circuit before his senior year, but a triceps injury limited his time on the mound the following spring. He wound up landing at Miami, where he pitched parts of two seasons before the D-backs took him at 34th overall. He impressed observers that year at the team's alternate site and in instructional league, showcasing elite stuff in short stints. He was nagged by injuries and never found his best stuff in 2021, but he showed flashes of dominance in a solid 2022 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Cecconi averaged 93.7 mph with his fastball last year, allowing hard contact and struggling to miss bats with it. He can sit 95-96 mph with carry through the zone early in starts but it tapers off in the middle innings. His slider is his best secondary offering, a sharp, late-breaking weapon when he throws it in the 84-87 mph range. He got good results with his slow (70-75 mph) curveball, though it is unclear if it will play as effectively in the majors. His changeup improved but remains inconsistent. He threw strikes and logged innings. Coaches believe Cecconi can hold his top-end stuff longer by maintaining better direction down the mound, and that while his work habits improved he can dig deeper to take it to another level.
  
  The Future: If he can learn to maintain his stuff, Cecconi has all the ingredients to be a mid-rotation starter. If not, his fastball/slider combo should work well in short bursts in relief. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 40. Control: 55.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #12 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: After the D-backs selected Cecconi as a draft-eligible sophomore with the 33rd overall pick in 2020, he wasted little time opening eyes inside and outside the organization, showing overwhelming stuff during his time at the alternate site and instructional league. Slowed by injuries during his first full season as a professional, Cecconi couldn’t quite rediscover his high-end form, but he finished 2021 with a solid performance in the Arizona Fall League.
  
  Scouting Report: During the year, Cecconi dealt with both left wrist and right elbow issues. The elbow problem brought an early end to his regular season but wasn’t too serious since he returned a couple months later for the Fall League. Coaches say his delivery got out of whack during the year. In 2020, he featured a fastball that sat around 95 mph and touched the upper 90s with a wipeout slider. Last year, the fastball sat at 93, with the rest of his repertoire a tick down, as well. He has room to add strength to his frame, which should help his stuff tick back up.
  
  The Future: Coaches believe that electric stuff is still in there; the hope is that with a fully healthy season he can tap into it the way he did in the past. He likely opens the year back in High-A with a chance to move quickly.
  
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #6 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Cecconi was an intriguing draft prospect as a high school senior, but an injury kept him off the field and steered him to Miami. He posted solid results with the Hurricanes and his stuff, presence and strike-throwing ability enticed the D-backs to draft him 33rd overall as an eligible sophomore. Cecconi quickly validated the selection with dominant showings at the alternate training site and instructional league, drawing reviews as the organization’s best pitching prospect.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Working with a prototypical 6-foot-4 pitcher’s frame, Cecconi has a methodical, under-control delivery from which he unleashes monster stuff. His fastball sits at 95 mph and touches 98 with impressive life. He backs up his heater with a wipeout slider that is another plus pitch. His curveball is a bit loopy but still gives hitters trouble, serving as a good change of speed. His changeup is a fringy offering that is a clear fourth pitch. Cecconi throws strikes and earns praise for his command, but he does have a history of leaving the ball over the plate too much or falling off as his starts wear on.
  
  THE FUTURE: Cecconi looked like a polished starter over the summer in 2020 but still has to show he can pitch deep into games and maintain his best stuff over a long season.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #32 prospect in 2020 draft
  Cecconi has one of the best pedigrees of any player in the class going back to his high school days. He looked like a likely first-round pick based on his summer performance entering his senior year of high school, but he pitched sparingly in the spring due to an injury and made it to campus at Miami as a result. His freshman season was solid over 80 innings, although the stuff wasn’t quite as loud as he showed in shorter stints as a high schooler. Still, he showed enough flashes that teams were convinced he was the same pitcher and would become a first-round candidate with another strong season as a draft-eligible sophomore. In terms of pure stuff, Cecconi has more than any pitcher in Florida and stacks up with the better starters in the 2020 class. Having everything together at once has been a challenge for the 6-foot-4 righthander, who also saw his velocity tick down in his last outing of the year. At his best he runs his fastball up into the upper 90s with impressive life and has a slider, cutter and changeup that all flash plus. On top of the quality of Cecconi’s pitches, scouts like his frame and strike-throwing ability but believe he gets too much of the plate at times. At the moment, Cecconi fits in the second round with his track record and performance, but his overall talent likely fits higher. Whether a team wants to take the risk to draft and sign him in that range is another question, and with additional leverage as an eligible sophomore it could prove difficult.
• Ranked #79 prospect in 2018 draft
  The 6-foot-4 Miami commit has proven to be one of the biggest enigmas in the 2018 draft class for major league teams this spring. After several loud performances last summer at Perfect Game's National Showcase and in USA Baseball's Tournament of Stars, Cecconi was thought by many scouts to be in the top tier of elite prep pitchers. He was up to 97 mph with a fastball that had power and natural heavy sinking action, a mid-80s slider with tight sweeping action that could be projected as a plus offering, a curveball with 11-to-5 shape in the 76-80 mph range and feel to mix in a changeup as well. With a fast, albeit slightly long, arm action, a frame that could add even more weight, an advanced mix of pitches and feel to spin the baseball, Cecconi showed all of the ingredients necessary to become a future top-of-the-rotation arm. Cecconi hasn't been seen much this spring, however, as he dealt with a minor injury for much of the early weeks and was rumored to make his first start at USA Baseball's National High School Invitational--though he didn't pitch at that event, either. He's thrown some bullpens for scouts later in the season, but teams have less off-the-field information on him than they would like after dealing with obstacles when trying to reach him in the offseason. Considering his odd spring and offseason, he might be ticketed to Coral Gables, where he could wind up being one of the best pitchers in college baseball and turn himself into a high-end first-round pick as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2020.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Cecconi shined on the summer circuit before his senior year, but a triceps injury limited his time on the mound the following spring. He wound up landing at Miami, where he pitched parts of two seasons before the D-backs took him at 34th overall. He impressed observers that year at the team's alternate site and in instructional league, showcasing elite stuff in short stints. He was nagged by injuries and never found his best stuff in 2021, but he showed flashes of dominance in a solid 2022 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Cecconi averaged 93.7 mph with his fastball last year, allowing hard contact and struggling to miss bats with it. He can sit 95-96 mph with carry through the zone early in starts but it tapers off in the middle innings. His slider is his best secondary offering, a sharp, late-breaking weapon when he throws it in the 84-87 mph range. He got good results with his slow (70-75 mph) curveball, though it is unclear if it will play as effectively in the majors. His changeup improved but remains inconsistent. He threw strikes and logged innings. Coaches believe Cecconi can hold his top-end stuff longer by maintaining better direction down the mound, and that while his work habits improved he can dig deeper to take it to another level.
  
  The Future: If he can learn to maintain his stuff, Cecconi has all the ingredients to be a mid-rotation starter. If not, his fastball/slider combo should work well in short bursts in relief. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 40. Control: 55.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Cecconi shined on the summer circuit before his senior year, but a triceps injury limited his time on the mound the following spring. He wound up landing at Miami, where he pitched parts of two seasons before the D-backs took him at 34th overall. He impressed observers that year at the team's alternate site and in instructional league, showcasing elite stuff in short stints. He was nagged by injuries and never found his best stuff in 2021, but he showed flashes of dominance in a solid 2022 season.
  
  Scouting Report: Cecconi averaged 93.7 mph with his fastball last year, allowing hard contact and struggling to miss bats with it. He can sit 95-96 mph with carry through the zone early in starts but it tapers off in the middle innings. His slider is his best secondary offering, a sharp, late-breaking weapon when he throws it in the 84-87 mph range. He got good results with his slow (70-75 mph) curveball, though it is unclear if it will play as effectively in the majors. His changeup improved but remains inconsistent. He threw strikes and logged innings. Coaches believe Cecconi can hold his top-end stuff longer by maintaining better direction down the mound, and that while his work habits improved he can dig deeper to take it to another level.
  
  The Future: If he can learn to maintain his stuff, Cecconi has all the ingredients to be a mid-rotation starter. If not, his fastball/slider combo should work well in short bursts in relief. Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 40. Control: 55.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: After the D-backs selected Cecconi as a draft-eligible sophomore with the 33rd overall pick in 2020, he wasted little time opening eyes inside and outside the organization, showing overwhelming stuff during his time at the alternate site and instructional league. Slowed by injuries during his first full season as a professional, Cecconi couldn&#39t quite rediscover his high-end form, but he finished 2021 with a solid performance in the Arizona Fall League.
  
  Scouting Report: During the year, Cecconi dealt with both left wrist and right elbow issues. The elbow problem brought an early end to his regular season but wasn&#39t too serious since he returned a couple months later for the Fall League. Coaches say his delivery got out of whack during the year. In 2020, he featured a fastball that sat around 95 mph and touched the upper 90s with a wipeout slider. Last year, the fastball sat at 93, with the rest of his repertoire a tick down, as well. He has room to add strength to his frame, which should help his stuff tick back up.
  
  The Future: Coaches believe that electric stuff is still in there; the hope is that with a fully healthy season he can tap into it the way he did in the past. He likely opens the year back in High-A with a chance to move quickly.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 30. Control: 50
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: After the D-backs selected Cecconi as a draft-eligible sophomore with the 33rd overall pick in 2020, he wasted little time opening eyes inside and outside the organization, showing overwhelming stuff during his time at the alternate site and instructional league. Slowed by injuries during his first full season as a professional, Cecconi couldn’t quite rediscover his high-end form, but he finished 2021 with a solid performance in the Arizona Fall League.
  
  Scouting Report: During the year, Cecconi dealt with both left wrist and right elbow issues. The elbow problem brought an early end to his regular season but wasn’t too serious since he returned a couple months later for the Fall League. Coaches say his delivery got out of whack during the year. In 2020, he featured a fastball that sat around 95 mph and touched the upper 90s with a wipeout slider. Last year, the fastball sat at 93, with the rest of his repertoire a tick down, as well. He has room to add strength to his frame, which should help his stuff tick back up.
  
  The Future: Coaches believe that electric stuff is still in there; the hope is that with a fully healthy season he can tap into it the way he did in the past. He likely opens the year back in High-A with a chance to move quickly.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Cecconi was an intriguing draft prospect as a high school senior, but an injury kept him off the field and steered him to Miami. He posted solid results with the Hurricanes and his stuff, presence and strike-throwing ability enticed the D-backs to draft him 33rd overall as an eligible sophomore. Cecconi quickly validated the selection with dominant showings at the alternate training site and instructional league, drawing reviews as the organization's best pitching prospect.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Working with a prototypical 6-foot-4 pitcher's frame, Cecconi has a methodical, under-control delivery from which he unleashes monster stuff. His fastball sits at 95 mph and touches 98 with impressive life. He backs up his heater with a wipeout slider that is another plus pitch. His curveball is a bit loopy but still gives hitters trouble, serving as a good change of speed. His changeup is a fringy offering that is a clear fourth pitch. Cecconi throws strikes and earns praise for his command, but he does have a history of leaving the ball over the plate too much or falling off as his starts wear on.
  
  THE FUTURE: Cecconi looked like a polished starter over the summer in 2020 but still has to show he can pitch deep into games and maintain his best stuff over a long season.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Cecconi was an intriguing draft prospect as a high school senior, but an injury kept him off the field and steered him to Miami. He posted solid results with the Hurricanes and his stuff, presence and strike-throwing ability enticed the D-backs to draft him 33rd overall as an eligible sophomore. Cecconi quickly validated the selection with dominant showings at the alternate training site and instructional league, drawing reviews as the organization’s best pitching prospect.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Working with a prototypical 6-foot-4 pitcher’s frame, Cecconi has a methodical, under-control delivery from which he unleashes monster stuff. His fastball sits at 95 mph and touches 98 with impressive life. He backs up his heater with a wipeout slider that is another plus pitch. His curveball is a bit loopy but still gives hitters trouble, serving as a good change of speed. His changeup is a fringy offering that is a clear fourth pitch. Cecconi throws strikes and earns praise for his command, but he does have a history of leaving the ball over the plate too much or falling off as his starts wear on.
  
  THE FUTURE: Cecconi looked like a polished starter over the summer in 2020 but still has to show he can pitch deep into games and maintain his best stuff over a long season.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 60. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Curveball: 55. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Cecconi was an intriguing draft prospect as a high school senior, but an injury kept him off the field and steered him to Miami. He posted solid results with the Hurricanes and his stuff, presence and strike-throwing ability enticed the D-backs to draft him 33rd overall as an eligible sophomore. Cecconi quickly validated the selection with dominant showings at the alternate training site and instructional league, drawing reviews as the organization’s best pitching prospect.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Working with a prototypical 6-foot-4 pitcher’s frame, Cecconi has a methodical, under-control delivery from which he unleashes monster stuff. His fastball sits at 95 mph and touches 98 with impressive life. He backs up his heater with a wipeout slider that is another plus pitch. His curveball is a bit loopy but still gives hitters trouble, serving as a good change of speed. His changeup is a fringy offering that is a clear fourth pitch. Cecconi throws strikes and earns praise for his command, but he does have a history of leaving the ball over the plate too much or falling off as his starts wear on.
  
  THE FUTURE: Cecconi looked like a polished starter over the summer in 2020 but still has to show he can pitch deep into games and maintain his best stuff over a long season.
• December, 2019 Scouting Report
  Cecconi has one of the best pedigrees of any player in the class going back to his high school days. He looked like a likely first-round pick based on his summer performance entering his senior year of high school, but he pitched sparingly in the spring due to an injury and made it to campus at Miami as a result. His freshman season was solid over 80 innings, although the stuff wasn’t quite as loud as he showed in shorter stints as a high schooler. Still, he showed enough flashes that teams were convinced he was the same pitcher and would become a first-round candidate with another strong season as a draft-eligible sophomore. In terms of pure stuff, Cecconi has more than any pitcher in Florida and stacks up with the better starters in the 2020 class. Having everything together at once has been a challenge for the 6-foot-4 righthander, who also saw his velocity tick down in his last outing of the year. At his best he runs his fastball up into the upper 90s with impressive life and has a slider, cutter and changeup that all flash plus. On top of the quality of Cecconi’s pitches, scouts like his frame and strike-throwing ability but believe he gets too much of the plate at times. At the moment, Cecconi fits in the second round with his track record and performance, but his overall talent likely fits higher. Whether a team wants to take the risk to draft and sign him in that range is another question, and with additional leverage as an eligible sophomore it could prove difficult.