Slade Cecconi

Slade Cecconi (/sɛˈkoʊniː/ seh-KOH-nee; born June 24, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Amateur career

Cecconi attended Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida, where he played baseball. As a junior in 2017, he went 6–1 with a 0.70 ERA and seventy strikeouts over forty innings. That summer, he was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field. In 2018, his senior year, he batted .388 with six home runs. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 38th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign, instead enrolling at the University of Miami where he played college baseball.

In 2019, Cecconi's freshman year at Miami, he appeared in 17 games (13 starts) in which he went 5–4 with a 4.16 ERA, striking out 89 batters over eighty innings. He was selected to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Wareham Gatemen but did not participate. As a sophomore in 2020, he started four games and posted a 2–1 record with a 3.80 ERA over 21+1⁄3 innings before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professional career

Cecconi was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. On July 10, 2020, Cecconi signed with the Diamondbacks for a $2.4 million bonus. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the pandemic.

To begin the 2021 season, Cecconi was assigned to the Hillsboro Hops of the High-A West. He was on the injured list with a wrist injury to begin the year, but began play in mid-May. On August 1, he was placed back on the injured list with an elbow injury, and, on August 5, was transferred to the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season. Over 12 starts for the year, Cecconi went 4–2 with a 4.12 ERA, striking out 63 and walking twenty over 59 innings. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Salt River Rafters after the season. He was assigned to the Amarillo Sod Poodles of the Double-A Texas League for the 2022 season. Over 25 starts, Cecconi posted a 7–6 record with a 4.37 ERA and 127 strikeouts over 129+3⁄3 innings.

To open the 2023 season, Cecconi was assigned to the Reno Aces of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. In 20 starts for Reno, he struggled to a 4–8 record and 6.38 ERA with 104 strikeouts in 103.0 innings of work. On August 2, 2023, the Diamondbacks selected Cecconi to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. In 7 games (4 starts) in his rookie campaign, he recorded a 4.33 ERA with 20 strikeouts across 27 innings.

Cecconi was optioned to Triple–A Reno to begin the 2024 season.