Trevor John Cahill (born March 1, 1988) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
who is currently a free agent. He has played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Oakland Athletics,
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
,
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
,
Chicago Cubs,
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
,
Kansas City Royals,
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
,
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
and
Pittsburgh Pirates. The Athletics drafted Cahill in the second round of the
2006 MLB draft and he made his MLB debut with the A's in 2009. Cahill was an All-Star in 2010, finishing 9th in that year's AL
Cy Young Award voting, and won a World Series title with the 2016 Cubs as well as a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He ranks among the top 20 active pitchers in career victories and has earned over 48 million dollars in his professional baseball career.
Baseball career
Oakland Athletics
Cahill attended
Vista High School in
Vista, California
Vista (; Spanish for "view") is a city in San Diego County, California. Vista is a medium-sized city within the San Diego-Carlsbad, CA Metropolitan Area and has a population of 101,638. Vista's sphere of influence also includes portions of u ...
. The
Oakland Athletics drafted Cahill in the second round (66th overall) of the
2006 MLB draft. In his first full season in
minor league baseball, with the
Kane County Cougars
The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...
, he went 11–4 with a 2.73
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
, 117
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s and
innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...
over 19 starts to earn a Class A All-Star nod from ''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
''.
![Trevor Cahill 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Trevor_Cahill_2007.jpg)
Cahill began 2008 with the
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Ba ...
of the
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...
. He went 5–4 with a 2.78 ERA and 103 strikeouts to earn a California League
All star selection and a promotion to AA. He also represented America in
Major League Baseball's Futures Game.
With the RockHounds, Cahill was 6–1 with a 2.19 ERA before shutting it down in order to compete with the
United States national baseball team
The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball to ...
at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
.
Entering the 2009 season, Cahill was ranked 11th among Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects, and made the Athletics starting rotation out of
Spring training
Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
along with his Olympic teammate
Brett Anderson
Brett Lewis Anderson (born 29 September 1967) is an English singer best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted The Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004- ...
. On April 7, 2009, Cahill made his Major League debut against the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
, going 5
inning
In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...
s, allowing 5
hits, 2
earned runs
In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...
, striking out 1 and received a
no decision
A no decision (sometimes written no-decision) is one of either of two sports statistics scenarios; one in baseball and softball, and the other in boxing and related combat sports.
Baseball and softball
A starting pitcher who leaves a game with ...
.
Cahill came into the 2010 season as a starter for the A's, quickly becoming one of the breakout pitchers of the year. He put up borderline Cy Young Award-worthy statistics, finishing the season with an 18–8 record and an ERA of 2.97, making it into the Top 5 of lowest ERA in the American League, behind
Félix Hernández
Félix Abraham Hernández García (born April 8, 1986), nicknamed "King Félix", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2005 through 2019.
On August 15, 2 ...
,
Clay Buchholz
Clay Daniel Buchholz (born August 14, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Buchholz made h ...
, and
David Price, all three considered among best pitchers in the American League. His
WHIP
A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...
was also in the Top 5, with 1.11 WHIP.
In April 2011, after only two years in the majors, Cahill signed a five-year contract worth $30.5 million. As of 2021, this contract accounted for well over half of his career earnings.
For the 2011 season, high expectations were set for Cahill. Cahill began the season as the A's #1 starter. Cahill did not replicate his 2010 performance, despite logging in 207 innings in 34 starts. Cahill finished 12–14 with a 4.16 ERA for Oakland.
Arizona Diamondbacks
On December 9, 2011, Cahill and
Craig Breslow
Craig Andrew Breslow (pronounced BREHZ-loh; born August 8, 1980) is an American baseball executive and former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently the Assistant General Manager/Vice President, Director of Pitch ...
were traded to the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
for
Ryan Cook,
Jarrod Parker
Jarrod Parker (born November 24, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 9th overall pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft from Norwell High School in Ossian, Indiana. H ...
, and
Collin Cowgill
Collin Brannen Cowgill (born May 22, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current major league coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Los Angeles ...
. In his first season in Arizona, Cahill bettered his 2011 performance by going 13–12 in 32 starts. He pitched more than 200 innings for the second straight year and struck out a career high 156 batters.
In 2013, through 17 starts, Cahill was 3–10 with a 4.66 ERA. After his 17th start, Cahill was put on the disabled list for the first time in his career. Cahill missed more than a month due to a hip contusion. He came back in mid-August. After his stint on the disabled list, Cahill finished the season on a 5-game winning streak, finishing the 2013 season with an 8–10 record in 25 starts. He led the league in wild pitches with 17.
Cahill struggled mightily at the beginning of the 2014 season. He first began the season 0–4 with a 9.17 ERA; then, he was demoted to the bullpen the following week. Cahill made 15 appearances out of the bullpen, recording his first save of his career and lowering his ERA to 5.17. Despite this, Cahill's control didn't seem to get better; he was designated for assignment on June 9. After going unclaimed, the D'Backs sent him to Single-A to fix his mechanical issues. After a month in the minors, Cahill was recalled on July 14. Cahill was quickly inserted back into the rotation. Cahill finished his rocky 2014 season with a career-worst 3–12 record and a career-high 5.61 ERA in 32 games (17 starts) for the Diamondbacks.
Atlanta Braves
On April 2, 2015, he was traded to the Braves in exchange for minor league player Josh Elander. He made his Braves debut on April 14, yielding four earned runs in innings. On June 11, 2015, he was
designated for assignment
Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...
. He was released on June 20.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On July 2, 2015, Cahill signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
. He started seven games in the Dodgers system between three levels and was 1–3 with a 5.24 ERA before exercising his opt out and becoming a free agent on August 14.
Chicago Cubs
![The Cubs celebrate after winning the 2016 World Series](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/The_Cubs_celebrate_after_winning_the_2016_World_Series._%2830658637601%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Cahill signed a minor league deal with the
Chicago Cubs on August 18, 2015. Cahill pitched in the
2015 National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals and pitched a scoreless inning of relief. It was only the third time he was used in the 8th inning or beyond in 2015.
On December 14, 2015, Cahill re-signed with the Cubs on a one-year, $4.25 million contract.
Cahill was mostly in the bullpen in 2016, making 50 appearances, finishing the year 4–4 with a 2.74 ERA. The Cubs finished the season with a 103–58 record for an NL Central pennant and would eventually win the
2016 World Series
The 2016 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2016 season. The 112th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Chicago Cubs and the American Leag ...
. Cahill did not make any postseason appearances, but still won a World Series ring for the first time in his career.
San Diego Padres
On January 20, 2017, the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
announced they signed Cahill to a one-year contract. Cahill signed with the Padres with the assumption he'd compete for a rotation spot. He began the season in the rotation before succumbing to a shoulder injury that sidelined him for over a month. In 11 starts, Cahill sported a career-high 10.6 K/9 while reducing his walk rate. Overall, Cahill recorded 4 wins for the Padres with an ERA of 3.69 in 61 innings.
Kansas City Royals
On July 24, 2017, Cahill was traded, along with
Brandon Maurer
Brandon Eugene Maurer (born July 3, 1990) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals.
From Costa Mesa, California, Maurer ...
and
Ryan Buchter
Ryan James Buchter (born February 13, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, and Ariz ...
, to the
Kansas City Royals, in exchange for
Travis Wood
Travis Alan Wood (born February 6, 1987) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres.
Amateur career
Born and raise ...
,
Matt Strahm
Matthew Scott Strahm (born November 12, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Boston Red S ...
, and catcher
Esteury Ruiz
Esteury Ruiz (born February 15, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022 with the San Diego Padres and also played for the Milwaukee Brewers.
C ...
. For the season, between the two teams he was 4-3 with a 3.93 ERA and led the major leagues in
wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch (WP) is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, or the batter (on an uncaught third stri ...
es, with 16.
Second stint with Athletics
On March 19, 2018, Cahill signed a one-year $1.75 million deal with the
Oakland Athletics. He began the season in AAA until being recalled at the end of April. He was placed on the disabled list on June 14 with an Achilles injury. He finished the season with a record of 7–4 and an ERA of 3.76 in 20 starts. He struck out 100 in 110 innings.
Los Angeles Angels
On December 20, 2018, Cahill signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...
. The deal proved to be disastrous as Cahill pitched to a career-worst 5.98 ERA while being demoted to the bullpen after inconsistency and trouble with the home run ball, as he allowed 25 in just innings. He was 4-9 with 14 wild pitches, second in the AL.
He became a free agent after the 2019 season.
San Francisco Giants
On February 26, 2020, Cahill signed a major league contract with the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
. Cahill ended the season with a 3.24 ERA in 11 games (6 starts), recording 31 strikeouts in 25 innings.
Pittsburgh Pirates
On March 11, 2021, Cahill signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the
Pittsburgh Pirates. On July 2, Cahill was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left calf strain.
New York Mets
On May 20, 2022, Cahill was signed to a minor league contract by the New York Mets following injuries to Mets starters
Max Scherzer
Maxwell Martin Scherzer (born July 27, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, and L ...
and
Jacob deGrom
Jacob Anthony deGrom (born June 19, 1988), is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets. Prior to playing professionally, deGrom attend ...
He was released on August 5, 2022.
Personal life
Cahill attended
Vista High School and committed to
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
before eventually signing with the A's. He got a 1950 out of 2400 on the
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
. In the offseason, he lives in Oceanside, California, with his wife, Jessica.
Scouting report
Cahill's repertoire includes five pitches: he primarily features a sinking fastball with obvious tail, a changeup, and a curveball thrown with a knuckle-curve grip, and mixes in a slider and four-seam fastball as well. Cahill's best pitch is his sinker, which features excellent downward movement and ranges from 88–92 mph. His sinker is his most frequent offering and is the main reason why he gets so many ground balls. Cahill also has a changeup in the 81–83 mph range, which like his fastball, also features excellent downward movement. This is a pitch that he frequently uses against left-handers to get strikeouts. Starting in the 2010 season, Cahill began featuring a 12–6 curveball as well. His curve, which ranges in the 76–80 mph range, has become his main strikeout weapon, and he can get hitters to chase it out of the zone as well as freezing hitters with it in the zone. Cahill also features a rare mid-80s slider against righties, though it is a below-average pitch.
In 2012, Cahill added a
cutter to his repertoire. Since 2012, he has thrown fewer fastballs and gone with more of a sinker/cutter combo.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cahill, Trevor
1988 births
American League All-Stars
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Arizona League Athletics players
Arizona League Diamondbacks players
Arizona League Dodgers players
Atlanta Braves players
Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Baseball players from California
Chicago Cubs players
Iowa Cubs players
Kane County Cougars players
Kansas City Royals players
Living people
Los Angeles Angels players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Midland RockHounds players
Nashville Sounds players
Oakland Athletics players
Oklahoma City Dodgers players
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in baseball
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
Reno Aces players
Sacramento River Cats players
San Diego Padres players
San Francisco Giants players
Sportspeople from Oceanside, California
Stockton Ports players
Syracuse Mets players
Visalia Rawhide players
Florida Complex League Mets players