MLB analyst has big expectations for Nationals' Cade Cavalli in 2026

Cade Cavalli made a name for himself as a high school baseball player in Oklahoma. He was dominant in his junior year, thankfully, because he would miss the majority of his senior year due to a back injury. 

During the 2017 MLB Draft, the Atlanta Braves selected him in the 29th round, but he did not sign and instead went to play college baseball for the University of Oklahoma. 

Cavalli would go on to dominate in college, and by his junior year, he was a top prospect in the draft class. That led to the Washington Nationals selecting him with the 22nd overall pick. 

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MLB analyst has big expectations for Nationals' Cade Cavalli in 2026

It would not take Cavalli long to fly through the minor league system. He would make his MLB debut on August 26, 2022, but would face a major obstacle the following year. 

Expected to make the opening Day rotation, Cavalli's season was cut short before it started after he underwent Tommy John surgery in March. In 2024, influenza and the case of "dead arm" were not ideal. 

In August of last season, Cavalli returned to a big league mound for the first time since his MLB debut. 

This year, he is looking to take the next step, and The Athletic's Eno Sarris has full faith that he can do so if he works on his command a bit. 

"Peer-reviewed research shows that command comes back after stuff when it comes to Tommy John surgery, so there's room for optimism here, as Cavalli only returned from his 2023 Tommy John surgery late last season. His walk numbers were not uniformly bad in the minors, and his command grades as a prospect were usually above-average. A little bit of command could go a long way in cleaning up those pitch-type results and returning this former first-rounder to his stature as a premier pitching prospect."

Only just coming back from Tommy John, Cavalli still hasn't worked out the kinks yet. But, with growing evidence that command returns after stuff when it comes to Tommy John surgery, it would not be all that surprising if he commands the zone a bit better this season, which would help his entire arsenal.

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