Dylan Cease

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #3 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: After recovering from Tommy John surgery, Cease came over to the White Sox along with slugger Eloy Jimenez as part of the Jose Quintana trade in July 2017. At high Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham in 2018, Cease notched 160 strikeouts, 10 behind Kopech for the system lead.
  
  Scouting Report: Cease’s top-of-the-scale fastball sits in the mid-90s and has touched triple digits. He comes by that velocity almost effortlessly, from a high-slot delivery that features whip-quick arm speed. The fastball doesn’t show a whole lot of side-to-side life, though there is some sink and tail when he works it toward the bottom of the zone. More often, the pitch features riding life up in the zone. He complements the pitch with a plus 12-to-6 curveball in the mid-70s. He doesn’t always land the pitch for a strike, but it induces chases when buried. His third pitch is an average low-to-mid-80s changeup that features moderate sink. He also throws a developing slider. Cease’s fringe-average control has shown improvement, but he still needs to refine it.
  
  The Future: Cease will likely return to Double-A to refine his offspeed pitches. He has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter or a dominant closer.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #10 prospect in 2018
  Cease had Tommy John surgery as a senior in high school, but the Cubs saw enough in his younger years to draft him in the sixth round in 2014 and sign him for $1.5 million. After he spent a year recovering, Cease debuted in 2015 and was steadily moving up the Cubs system when he was traded to the White Sox in July with Eloy Jimenez, Matt Rose and Bryant Flete for Jose Quintana. Cease's best pitch is a hard, mid-90s fastball that reaches 98 mph and has tickled triple-digits in the past. It's elite velocity plays up with sink as well. Cease couples his fastball with a hard, 12-to-6 curveball that he uses to get swings-and-misses, and projects as a plus pitch. His changeup has made progress, but it's still a distant third pitch. Cease's below-average command and control have improved some, but he still walked 4.2 batters-per-nine innings across the Class A levels the past year. There's some thought, because of his two dominant pitches, Cease might have more success as a high-leverage reliever. It's too early for that move now and the White Sox will continue developing him as a starter. Cease will head high Class A Winston-Salem in 2018. His main goals will be to sharpen his command and improve his secondary pitches.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #4 prospect in 2017
  An UnderArmour All-American in 2013, Cease already has pitched in Wrigley Field, where the event is held. He also already has had Tommy John surgery, which he had as a high school senior after hitting 98 mph that spring. The Cubs signed him for $1.5 million and have handled him carefully, but they were eager for his short-season Eugene debut in 2016 and he delivered, ranking fourth in the Northwest League in strikeouts (66) even though he didn't pitch enough innings to qualify for its ERA title. Cease fires the best fastball in the Cubs system, with reports of him hitting 103 mph in extended spring training while sitting 93-98 in the NWL. His arm is loose and he has quick hands, which also allow him to throw a power curveball that improved. While his fastball earns 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale, Cease's average curve has plus future potential if not better. The Cubs slowly have introduced a changeup to his repertoire, and while it's a fringy pitch at this time, it's serviceable. Hitters' best chance for now is to work walks off Cease, because his fastball command lags behind the pitch's velocity and life. Cease has the athleticism to tame his wild ways and remain a starter. Many scouts see his raw arm strength and power breaking ball and see a closer in the Craig Kimbrel mold. He's an impact arm headed to low Class A South Bend in 2017.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #5 prospect in 2016
  Georgia's track record for prep pitchers becoming big leaguers is fairly poor over the last 25 years, but the Cubs' top two pitching prospects are both Georgia preps. Cease starred at Milton High and was committed to Vanderbilt before injuring his elbow while throwing in the upper 90s in the cold March start of his senior-season schedule. He had Tommy John surgery after the Cubs drafted him and signed him for $1.5 million. Cease fired upper-90s heat in his pro debut. He's the prototype little guy with a quick arm that produces electric stuff. For now, he mostly is a twopitch pitcher, both of them plus. His fastball has life even when it sits in the 96-97 mph range and earns double-plus grades, coming out easy with some deception. His low-80s curveball has the power, shape and tilt to be a plus pitch with experience as he learns to command it. Cease's mechanics and arm action are both cleaner than they were in his amateur days, though he's still learning to repeat them. His changeup is in its early stages but has shown average potential. Cease has tremendous upside but has yet to throw more than three innings in a professional game, and his command of the strike zone is below-average. If he can spend most or all of 2016 at low Class A South Bend, then the Cubs will have a better read on his front-of-the-rotation potential.
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #28 prospect in 2015
  Cease ranked just two spots ahead of fellow Cubs draftee James Norwood on Baseball America's Top 500 prospects list for the 2014 draft. To pry Cease away from a Vanderbilt commitment, however, the Cubs paid him $1.5 million, even though they knew he would need Tommy John surgery, which he had after the draft. Scouting directors voted him a Preseason High School All-American based off a strong junior high school season and showcase summer, as he ran his fastball up to 97 mph with easy velocity from a fluid delivery. Cease adds an inconsistent but at times above-average curveball that he used more in high school play than when he was on the showcase circuit. When healthy, he has a quick arm, good hand speed and even flashes an average changeup. He's a solid athlete who led Milton (Ga.) High to a state title in 2013. If Cease pitches in 2015, it will be in Rookie ball or instructional league, and the Cubs really won't know what their lottery ticket will be worth until 2016.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #77 prospect in 2014 draft
  A preseason first team All-American, Cease has been sidelined since early March with an elbow injury. He has been throwing since his velocity dipped into the mid-80s during a chilly, early season game, and he hopes to throw a few bullpens before the draft. Cease gained national recognition as a junior at the National High School Invitational in 2013, when he ran his fastball up to 96 mph. Cease and his twin brother, Alec, led Milton to a state title as juniors. Cease had an uneven summer on the showcase circuit, touching 97 mph but struggling to consistently throw strikes or show a plus breaking ball. Cease came out strong this spring, sitting 92-95 mph and touching 98 with the ball jumping out of his hand from a very quick arm. His curveball showed better in the spring than it had on the showcase circuit. The pitch flashes above-average, but he needs to become more consistent at repeating his best breaking balls. His third offering is a changeup that shows average potential. Cease has some effort to his delivery and he tends to rush, leaving his arm dragging. A Vanderbilt signee, Cease's injury makes him something of a wild card on draft day.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #12 prospect in 2019
  Cease has long had little trouble showing elite fastball velocity. He sits in the mid-to-high 90s and can touch 100 mph. But his fastball is more hittable than it’s radar gun readings would indicate, so it’s the development of his potentially above-average curveball that is a very positive development. Cease has ironed out some issues with a delivery, making that smoother and easing concerns from scouts who felt his high-energy delivery would preclude him from developing average control. Questions about his durability should be fading, particularly as 2019 has been his busiest year.
• 
  Ranked Southern League #3 prospect in 2018
  When the White Sox traded Jose Quintana to the Cubs in July 2017, they acquired both Cease and Eloy Jimenez in what could be a franchise-defining deal. Cease shredded Carolina League competition before a second-half bump to Birmingham, where he stood as the SL’s brightest pitching prospect. Cease owned the best fastball and quickest arm in the SL. He threw 96-98 mph and touched 100 with such ease that one manager estimated that Cease was only throwing at 70 percent effort. His fastball explodes through the hitting zone with late life, though his command of the pitch is below-average, and he misses his spots by wide margins at times. He throws a mid-70s curveball with 12-to-6 shape and sharp bite that serves as a plus weapon and ideal chase pitch. Cease struggles to land his curve for strikes and slows his arm on a below-average, sinking changeup, which when combined with scattershot command and slow times to the plate, could make him an impact closer candidate if he falls short of his No. 3 starter ceiling.
• 
  Ranked Carolina League #1 prospect in 2018
  Cease has long had an outstanding fastball, but the slender righthander took a step forward in 2018 because his curveball and his changeup have become viable second and third pitches and he’s commanding his fastball better. Cease’s 94-98 mph fastball is a little true, but he’s getting more plane and sink on it now and it demonstrated the late hop of a high-spin rate fastball. He’s started to throw his 12-to-6 curveball as a viable two-strike finisher. It has plenty of depth and power, and generates swings and misses. It’s still inconsistent, but it’s an average pitch now with a chance to be plus. He now has started to throw it with conviction after largely casting it with less feel in the past. He’s started throwing his changeup more often and considering the quality of his fastball, conviction and solid velocity separation is all he needs to make it an average pitch. Cease also mixed in a slider every now and then, but it’s a distant fourth pitch.
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #11 prospect in 2017
  Cease was in the midst of his most consistent season, two years out from Tommy John surgery, when he was traded to the White Sox in the blockbuster deal for Jose Quintana. Cease was the hardest-throwing righthander in the Cubs' organization at the time of the trade. Cease touched 100 mph and sat 94-97 mph with his fastball, with late sink. Cease also throws a hammer curveball with 12-to-6 shape that scouts project as plus as well. His changeup flashes average, but his command is presently fringy because his delivery is not always aligned. Scouts say his arm and legs don't always sync up, which can lead to an inconsistent release point and wobbly command. Another issue detractors point to is a lack of durability, although he missed time in 2017 for an ankle injury but nothing arm-related. The Cubs carefully monitored Cease's innings, although the White Sox have been a bit more liberal since the deal. With his arsenal, he has No. 2 starter upside, but many evaluators see him as a future closer thanks to his electric heater and modest command.
• 
  Ranked Northwest League #3 prospect in 2016
  Cease was unquestionably one of the most electric arms in the NWL. He had Tommy John surgery just after the Cubs selected him, and this season was his first outside of the controlled environs of extended spring training and the Rookie-level Arizona League. The results were encouraging. At his best, Cease showed off a fastball that sat in the high 90s and touched as high as 101 mph. His incredibly fast arm also generates a wipeout, downer curveball that's another plus pitch at its best. He also throws an occasional changeup. That arsenal, however, was slightly mitigated by below-average command and control that stemmed from a tendency to lose his release point, as well as below-average life on his fastball. Cease walked than 5.0 hitters per nine innings and quickly ran up high pitch counts, but he has excellent athleticism and some of the most electric stuff in the minors. He'll have to improve his control to remain a starter.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #2 prospect in 2015
  A preseason high school All-American in 2014, Cease projected as a first-round pick before an elbow injury in March of his senior year prematurely ended his scholastic career. The Cubs drafted him in the sixth round and signed him for $1.5 million to keep him from attending Vanderbilt. Cease made a relatively quick recovery from his July 2014 Tommy John surgery, flashing high-90s velocity in extended spring training games just 10 months after surgery. While Cease's command isn't completely back, he clearly possessed some of the best stuff in the AZL. His fastball consistently sat 95-96 mph and touched 99. His secondary pitches are still inconsistent, with his low-80s curveball with three-quarters break an average pitch that plays up because of the fastball velocity. He gets enough spin on his breaking ball to project a better grade for the pitch. He doesn't yet use his fringy changeup much, but the arm speed is there and the low-80s offering also plays up because of his fastball. Some evaluators are concerned with Cease's delivery, and whether the use of his lower half will allow him to stay in the rotation without making adjustments. "He has a great arm and a great future. He's a great worker and a student of the game," Cubs pitching coach Ron Villone said. "The sky's the limit next year."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #38 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #97 prospect in 2017

• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Cease has long had little trouble showing elite fastball velocity. He sits in the mid-to-high 90s and can touch 100 mph. But his fastball is more hittable than it’s radar gun readings would indicate, so it’s the development of his potentially above-average curveball that is a very positive development. Cease has ironed out some issues with a delivery, making that smoother and easing concerns from scouts who felt his high-energy delivery would preclude him from developing average control. Questions about his durability should be fading, particularly as 2019 has been his busiest year.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Cease always had tantalizing raw ingredients. Now, in his first full season with the White Sox, he’s starting to put everything together and show monster potential. He’s held his upper-90s fastball velocity deep into his starts and continues to get swings and misses with his big curveball. He’s working on refining his slider and changeup, which hold the key to his future in a starting rotation.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Cease had Tommy John surgery as a senior in high school, but the Cubs saw enough in his younger years to draft him in the sixth round in 2014 and sign him for $1.5 million. After he spent a year recovering, Cease debuted in 2015 and was traded to the White Sox in July with Eloy Jimenez and two others for Jose Quintana. Scouting Report: Cease's best pitch is a hard mid-90s fastball that reaches 98 mph and has tickled triple digits in the past. Its elite velocity plays up with sink as well. Cease couples his fastball with a hard 12-to-6 curveball that he uses to get swinging strikes and projects as a plus pitch. His changeup has made progress, but it's still a distant third pitch. Cease's below-average command and control have improved, but he still walked 4.2 batters per nine innings at low Class A in 2017. The Future: Because of his two dominant pitches, Cease might have more success as a high-leverage reliever. It's too early for that move now and the White Sox will continue developing him as a starter. He will head to high Class A Winston-Salem in 2018, where his main goals will be to sharpen his fastball command and improve his secondary pitches.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: An Under Armour All-American in 2013, Cease already has pitched in Wrigley Field, where the event is held. He also already has had Tommy John surgery, which he had as a high school senior after hitting 98 mph that spring. The Cubs signed him for $1.5 million anyway and have handled him carefully, but they were eager to see him in short-season Eugene and he delivered, ranking fourth in the Northwest League in strikeouts (66). Scouting Report: Cease fires the best fastball in the Cubs system, with reports of him hitting 103 mph in extended spring training while sitting 93-98 in the NWL. His arm is loose and he has quick hands, which also allow him to throw a power curveball that improved as the year went on. While his fastball earns 70 grades on the 20-80 scouting scale, Cease's average curve has plus future potential if not better. The Cubs slowly have introduced a changeup to his repertoire, and while it's a fringy pitch at this time, it's serviceable when he's locating his fastball. Hitters' best chance for now is to work walks off Cease, because his fastball command lags behind the pitch's velocity and life.
  
  The Future: Cease has the athleticism to tame his wild ways and remain a starter. Many scouts see his raw arm strength and power breaking ball and see a closer in the Craig Kimbrel mold. He's headed for his first full-season assignment at low Class A South Bend.