The Washington Nationals need Cade Cavalli to step up
Cade Cavalli remains the Nationals highest upside arm, but they need him to start living up to that potential soon
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Cade Cavalli #24 of the Washington Nationals is relieved after giving up four runs on three hits in the second inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 13, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) | Getty Images This was supposed to be the year for Cade Cavalli, but so far things are off to a rocky start.
After a dominant Spring Training, Cavalli was rewarded with an Opening Day start. However, things have not gone according to plan since then, with strike-throwing becoming a serious issue for the 27 year old. The situation reached a boiling point last night, when Cavalli was unable to get out of the second inning against the Pirates.
He looked sharp in the first, but he totally lost the zone in the second. Cavalli was all over the place, walking three batters in the inning, including walking in a run. There were too many uncompetitive misses, which you can see by looking at his pitch chart.
A look at Cavalli's pitch chart from the second inning: pic. twitter. com/LObEXhQDJ5 — Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) April 13, 2026 This is a problem for the Nats because Cavalli is the one guy in the rotation with premium stuff.
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