Padres snag RHP Cade Cavalli in 2020 mock by Perfect Game

We finally have ourselves a new player connected with the Padres in Perfect Game’s latest 2020 mock draft. In every previous mock I could find, San Diego was always tied to either Robert Hassell III, a Vanderbilt commit and one of the top pure hitters in the entire draft, and University of Minnesota pitcher Max Meyer.

In this mock which was done by a half dozen writers from Perfect Game, the Padres selected the 6’4, 218-pound right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli out of Oklahoma. Writer Greg Gerard made the pick for the Padres and here’s what he had to say about the pairing:

“A name that could have seen himself go even sooner in this year’s draft had the pandemic not cut things off is Cade Cavalli. His draft stock has risen pretty substantially over the course of the past calendar year and what he showed in the shortened season, with Team USA last summer as well as in 12 starts a year ago. The fastball gets into the 97-98 mph peak range and the slider is plus more often than not.”

As a freshman, Cavalli played in 58 games with 53 starts and batted .202 with six home runs, seven doubles, 28 RBI, 31 runs and 33 walks at the plate. He recorded two starts and 11 appearances on the mound, striking out 18 batters in 17.1 innings pitched with a 3-2 record 6.75 ERA.

Cavalli was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection as a utility player. He started 12 games on the mound and appeared in 19 more as a designated hitter. He posted a 5-2 record with a 3.28 ERA across 60.1 innings pitched while allowing 53 hits, 22 earned runs, and collected 59 strikeouts.

He hit .319 with five doubles, two triples. four home runs, 17 RBIs, scored 16 runs and finished with a .611 slugging percentage and a .393 on-base percentage in 72 at bats. During March of 2019, Cavalli had a streak of six games in a row where he had multiple hits.

In four games this year, Cavalli made four starts on the mound and finished with a 2-2 record. In 23.2 innings pitched, he allowed 25 hits, 11 runs, and recorded 37 strikeouts with a 4.18 ERA.