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Joey Cantillo has altered his grip on a key pitch in hopes of '26 breakout
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- Joey Cantillo has altered his grip on a key pitch in hopes of '26 breakout
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Joey Cantillo was so excited to talk about his new slider, he was smiling as a question about it was being asked.
Cantillo is coming off of a terrific 2025 season in which he posted a 3.21 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 95⅓ innings. He showed up to camp this spring with an inside line to a spot in the Guardians' Opening Day rotation . If all goes well, it will be his first full season in the majors.
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He was especially effective down the stretch as the Guardians ' six-man rotation put together a historic 19-game run in September. Cantillo did his part, posting a 1.55 ERA in five starts.
It wasn't the easiest road to that point, though, despite the solid final numbers. Cantillo opened the year in the bullpen and was later sent to Triple-A Columbus, forcing him to work his way back to the majors. It's why, even as he finished the season with a flourish, he still wasn't entirely satisfied.
"It was just a challenging year," Cantillo said at the team's spring training complex. "But I'm really glad for it because I look back now, it was exactly what it needed to be. I learned so much from it."
Joey Cantillo changeup among MLB's best
Much of his 2025 success was built on a foundation laid via his elite changeup , which had a 21.4 hard-hit percentage and a 49.4 whiff percentage, which both ranked No. 1 in all of baseball for that pitch type.
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"He throws that changeup with such conviction, he creates such a separation of velocity," Guardians pitching coach Carl Willis said. "It's almost like, at times, if he loves it up, it's that pitch that just never gets there. You can't wait for it, and then when he creates a little depth, it's somewhat unique."
The Guardians know the next step in his development — and perhaps the key to unlocking a true breakout 2026 season — is Cantillo's other pitches complementing the changeup enough that hitters can't simply wait for him to throw something else.
That's where the slider comes in. And it's why Cantillo couldn't help but crack a smile talking about it.
"I'm basically throwing a new slider grip, which I'm very excited about, just because my slider the last couple of years hasn't really been anything that's given me a lot of chances to get swing-and-misses at the bottom [of the strike zone]," Cantillo said.
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To be more specific, it's about depth. Cantillo needed something that wasn't just horizontal, but vertical, forcing hitters to chase it low in the zone. The new slider grip is in place to create more downward movement.
"It's got a little more depth, as we just wanted something that's, hey, it's coming off as a fastball and it's going to take off and do something else," Cantillo said. "It's going to come out like a heater. … So just continuing to work on it, add to it a little bit, and it's been encouraging."
The focus on the slider isn't solely to improve that pitch, though that's of course part of the equation. It's also to bolster how it plays off Cantillo's entire repertoire, namely his go-to changeup.
Aug 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Joey Cantillo (54) walks off the mound after being relieved during the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Joey Cantillo changes slider grip ahead of 2026 season
In 2025, he threw the fastball-changeup combination on 72.5% of his pitches. He tossed his curveball 18.8% of the time, with the slider coming in fourth for the remaining 8.7%. Just how much his slider usage increases could be up to a number of factors, but the idea is that it has to be more of a factor instead of a throwaway pitch.
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"I worked with a pitching coach that said Santa always brings new toys to pitchers at Christmas, so anytime you're working on adding a new pitch or a new shape to your arsenal, the tendency can be to throw it too much," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "What I've heard Carl say is, 'We want you to see how it fits into your arsenal, not necessarily overusing it, don't put all your focus on it, but see how you're going to use it with your arsenal.'"
It's all in an effort to make hitters worry about something else besides the fastball-changeup combination, and it could be the key for a breakout season, especially for a starter trying to get through a lineup two or three times.
"I want to have four weapons, right?" Cantillo said. "Then you can go at them especially hard, and you can go at them any different way. And that's where it gets a lot of fun."
Ryan Lewis covers the Cleveland Guardians and Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians starter Joey Cantillo switches slider grip for 2026
