MLB Player Comp
The action of their fastballs are different, but the curveballs are very similar, and the physical attributes are near identical, so the Chicago White Sox could simply hope that Dylan Cease can develop into Aaron Nola, who he has plenty of similarity to.
Nola’s fastball works more in the low-90s with a ton of sink, but he works with the same looping curve that leaves hitters dumbfounded, and the development of his change has been a huge part of his development. With Nola, he works with both a four-seam and two-seam fastball, and he’s worked well in the upper part of the zone with the four-seamer.
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While Cease’s fastball is not a sinker the way Nola’s is, their similar build and use of their curve to complement a tremendous fastball will be the defining line for Cease’s future role.
Future role
Like Nola at the same stage, the current projection for Cease is a mid-rotation starter or a bullpen ace with his current repertoire. Nola developed his change and really focused on using his four-seamer up in the zone to take that step up to an ace, and Cease certainly has a path there.
With minimal movement in the middle of the zone for Cease’s fastball, it could be advantageous for Cease to add a fastball variant to his pitches, whether that’s a cutter, splitter, or another variation, having a fastball with intentional movement could be a thing that sends Cease into that ace stratosphere.
The Chicago White Sox will continue to ease innings onto Dylan Cease’s arm, but even with an eased schedule, he should see 150 innings this season, allowing him to possibly work his way up to AAA and even spend some time in the major leagues in 2019.