Joey Cantillo Bio
Joseph Lopaka Cantillo, known professionally as Joey Cantillo, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born on December 18, 1999, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2017 and later joined the Cleveland organization through a major trade in 2020. He made his MLB debut in 2024 and has since developed into a promising starting pitcher for the Guardians.
Cantillo came up through the minor leagues as a left-handed starter, earning recognition for his strikeout ability and command. After years of progression through the Padres and Guardians farm systems, he reached the major leagues in the summer of 2024. By 2025, he had become a regular contributor to Cleveland’s pitching staff and earned American League Rookie of the Month honors in September of that year.
Early Life and Background
Cantillo’s father is a naval officer of Italian and Irish descent, and his mother is a nurse of Guyanese descent. The family background reflects a blend of military service and healthcare traditions that shaped Cantillo’s upbringing. He is named after the legendary baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, a connection that hinted at his future in the sport from an early age.
Growing up, Cantillo developed his pitching skills in Hawaii, a setting that gave him year-round opportunities to train. The island environment exposed him to a wide range of competitive baseball at a young age, helping him build the foundation for his future career.
Path to Baseball
Cantillo attended Kailua High School in Kailua, Hawaii, where he played baseball and quickly emerged as one of the top high school arms in the state. He committed to play college baseball at the University of Kentucky, signaling his status as a notable pitching prospect. During his senior year in 2017, he was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for the state of Hawaii after pitching to a 5–1 record with a 1.24 earned run average and batting .517.
Those senior numbers drew the attention of professional scouts, and the San Diego Padres selected Cantillo in the 16th round, with the 468th overall pick, of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the Padres for a $302,500 signing bonus, choosing professional baseball over his commitment to Kentucky and officially launching his career in the minor leagues.
Joey Cantillo Career
Early Career (2017–2019)
After signing with the Padres, Cantillo made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Padres, posting a 4.50 ERA over eight innings. In 2018, he spent most of the year back in the Arizona League, going 2–2 with a 2.18 ERA over 11 games (nine starts) and striking out 58 batters across more than 45 innings. He also appeared in one game for the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Single-A Midwest League at the end of that season.
Cantillo returned to Fort Wayne to begin 2019 and quickly established himself as one of the Midwest League’s top arms. He earned Midwest League Pitcher of the Week three times and Pitcher of the Month honors for June. After pitching to a 9–3 record and a 1.98 ERA with 128 strikeouts over 98 innings in 19 starts, he was promoted to the Lake Elsinore Storm of the High-A California League in August, where he made three starts before being shut down for reaching his innings limit.
Cleveland Indians / Guardians (2020–2024)
On July 31, 2020, the Padres traded Cantillo, along with Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias, and Owen Miller, to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and Matt Waldron. He did not play in 2020 because the minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cantillo began the 2021 season on the injured list with abdominal soreness and was activated in late August, joining the Akron RubberDucks of the Double-A Northeast.
Over eight innings in 2021, Cantillo went 0–2 and gave up four runs. He returned to Akron for the 2022 season but was placed on the injured list in early August with a shoulder injury that ended his year. In 14 games (13 starts) before the injury, he went 4–3 with a 1.93 ERA and 87 strikeouts across more than 60 innings. On November 15, 2022, the Guardians selected his contract and added him to the 40-man roster, protecting him from the Rule 5 draft.
Cantillo opened the 2023 season back in Akron and was promoted to the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers, on May 18, 2023. He was selected to represent the Guardians at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game. In 26 games (24 starts) between Akron and Columbus, he posted a combined 7–4 record and a 4.07 ERA with 146 strikeouts across more than 119 innings. Cantillo was optioned to Triple-A Columbus to begin the 2024 season.
On July 28, 2024, Cantillo was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that day at Citizens Bank Park as Cleveland’s starting pitcher against the Philadelphia Phillies, pitching more than three innings and recording three strikeouts. Over nine games (eight starts) for the Guardians in 2024, Cantillo went 2–4 with a 4.89 ERA and 44 strikeouts across more than 38 innings.
2025 Season
Cantillo opened the 2025 season in Cleveland’s bullpen and was optioned back to Columbus in May, with plans to return as a starter. After starter Luis Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave by MLB due to an ongoing investigation into gambling-related activities, Cantillo was called up to the Guardians as a starting pitcher on July 3, 2025. He was optioned to Columbus for two-and-a-half weeks in August to continue developing as a starter, returning to Cleveland on September 3.
He finished the 2025 season with a 5–3 record, a 3.21 ERA, and 108 strikeouts in 34 games. Cantillo became the American League Rookie of the Month in September with a 1.55 ERA and 28 strikeouts across 29 innings in five starts, capping a strong rookie campaign.
Notable Events and Milestones
Cantillo’s MLB debut on July 28, 2024, against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park marked the biggest milestone of his professional journey after years in the minor leagues. His American League Rookie of the Month award in September 2025 highlighted his breakthrough as a starting pitcher, while his selection to the 2023 All-Star Futures Game had earlier signaled his status among baseball’s top prospects.
Joey Cantillo Career Wins
Throughout his professional career, Joey Cantillo has compiled a steady record of wins across multiple minor league levels and, more recently, at the major league level. His win totals grew as he advanced through the Padres and Guardians farm systems, peaking with a strong 2025 season in which he posted a 5–3 record for Cleveland.
Minor League Highlights
Cantillo’s most notable minor league season came in 2019 with Fort Wayne, where he went 9–3 with a 1.98 ERA and 128 strikeouts across 19 starts. In 2023, he went a combined 7–4 across Akron and Columbus with 146 strikeouts, earning a spot in the All-Star Futures Game. He also posted a 4–3 record with a 1.93 ERA in 2022 at Akron before a shoulder injury cut his season short.
Joey Cantillo Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Cantillo comes from a diverse family with roots in Italy, Ireland, and Guyana through his parents. His father is a naval officer, while his mother works as a nurse, giving the family a strong service-oriented background. He is named after Joe DiMaggio, tying his identity to one of baseball’s most iconic figures.
Personal Life
Cantillo grew up in Hawaii, where he attended Kailua High School and developed his pitching skills. His family continues to be a central part of his life, and his multicultural heritage and military-family upbringing have shaped his approach to the game.
2025 Season Performance
Joey Cantillo’s 2025 season represented his first full year of major league action and served as a clear step forward in his development. He bounced between Cleveland’s bullpen and Triple-A Columbus early in the year before returning to the rotation in July, where he posted consistent results as a starter. His ability to generate strikeouts and limit runs gave the Guardians a reliable arm down the stretch.
Over the course of 34 games, Cantillo recorded a 5–3 record with a 3.21 ERA and 108 strikeouts, finishing the season as a key part of Cleveland’s pitching staff. He capped his year with a dominant September, earning American League Rookie of the Month honors after posting a 1.55 ERA and 28 strikeouts across 29 innings in five starts. That performance cemented his role in the Guardians’ rotation heading into the next season.