Padres: Trevor Cahill getting comfortable back in starter’s role
By Tim Haberin
Trevor Cahill pitched predominantly out of the bullpen the past few seasons. Now with the San Diego Padres, he’s had early success back in the rotation.
When veteran right-hander Trevor Cahill entered free agency last winter, he made his preference known: He wanted to sign with a team that would give him a chance as a starting pitcher. He had spent the last couple seasons pitching almost exclusively as a reliever and had not made at least 30 starts in a campaign since 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Cahill signed a one-year deal in January with a rebuilding San Diego Padres club willing to give him that opportunity. The 29-year-old enjoyed a strong spring training, posting a 3.26 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 19.1 innings. The performance was certainly enough to earn him a spot in the rotation to begin the regular season.
Through six outings, Cahills appears to be making the transition back to starter rather well. Over 35.1 frames, he sports a 3.06 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. His 2.77 FIP, .280 BABIP and 72.1 percent strand rate suggest the early success hasn’t been a total fluke either.
Cahill has done a nice job missing bats, to the tune of 11.2 K/9. That would easily be a career high, but he did average a healthy 8.5 K/9 from 2014-2016. If there is one area where Cahill needs to improve, it’s his 4.1 BB/9, although walks have been a problem for him in the past. Last year he posted 4.8 BB/9, and he’s managed a 4.2 BB/9 rate over the past four seasons.
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The walks might be harder to work around if Cahill’s strikeout rate comes back down, but his strong ground ball tendencies should help him there. He currently owns a 57.1 percent ground ball rate, which is pretty much in line with his lifetime 55.1 percent mark.
In a way, last night’s victory over the Texas Rangers – Cahill’s third win of the young season – was something of a microcosm of his year thus far. He lasted a modest 5.1 innings, but allowed just one hit and no runs. He walked five, but struck out seven. The Padres will hope to get more length out of him (he’s pitched past the sixth inning only once) as the season progresses.
Cahill could have easily remained in the bullpen and likely done quite well for himself. He put up a 2.74 ERA over 65.2 innings last year for the world champion Chicago Cubs, though he also dealt with tendinitis in his right patellar tendon and did not pitch in the postseason. He’s already made a quick DL trip this year near the beginning of April with a lower back strain, but it doesn’t seem to be a long-term concern.
San Diego is not a bad place for Cahill to attempt to reestablish himself as a major league starting pitcher. Petco Park is a noted hurler’s paradise, and on a rebuilding franchise not expected to do much in 2017, he can go about his business without the added burden of intense scrutiny. Oh, and being a native of nearby Vista, California doesn’t hurt either in terms of comfort and familiarity.
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So far, so good. If Cahill can stay healthy and put together a solid season as a starter, he should be able to test the free agent market again at year’s end and find noticeably more interest.
Stats courtesy of Fangraphs.