Cleveland Indians running away with Mike Clevinger trade

Cal Quantrill

Coming up through the minor leagues as a starter Cal Quantrill moved to the bullpen during the 2020 season, a change that has been for the better for the eighth overall pick of the 2016 MLB Draft. That’s right, he came from the same class as Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac.

After a 5.16 ERA during the 2019 season when he was mainly a starter for the Padres, Quantrill has watched his ERA improve over the last two seasons, now at 1.99 during the 2021 campaign. He’s appeared in 15 games and tossed a total of 22.1 innings, striking out 14 in the process.

As with any pitcher, there’s still things that Quantrill will need to work on. For example, he’s walked 11 batters so far this season, a number that could be improved for a reliever. In the overall picture, he’s been much better in Cleveland than he was with San Diego.

Given the current situation of the Tribe’s starting rotation, there’s a chance that Quantrill could be given another opportunity to be a starting pitcher. The team might opt to go a different route if they don’t want to risk undoing Quantrill’s progress, but it’s at least an option to consider.