The Philadelphia Phillies announced that they acquired right-handed pitcher Joel Cesar as the Player to be Named Later in the Austin Davis trade made back on August 26th. Cesar was not with the Pirates at their Alternate Training Site in Altoona.
Cesar turned 24 years old back in January. He debuted in pro ball back in 2016 as a starter in the DSL and hit 100 MPH. An injury limited his time that first year and then he was moved to the U.S. in a relief role in 2017, earning a spot in Morgantown. He pitched for West Virginia in 2018 and split last year between Bradenton and Altoona. Cesar had a 3.76 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a 36:12 SO/BB ratio in 38.1 innings with the Curve. He hasn’t hit 100 MPH since 2016, but he still regularly sits 96-97 MPH. Despite a low walk total last year (3.0 per 9IP), he doesn’t have good command of his pitches. He is mostly a big arm at this point, with average off-speed pitches
