Cecconi Steps Into the Spotlight
When the Cleveland Guardians needed a pitching addition for the AL Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, they turned to a Miami Hurricane. Slade Cecconi was added to Cleveland's ALCS roster mid-series, a move that put the former UM righty on one of baseball's biggest October stages.
Cecconi made his moment count. In Game 3 on Wednesday, October 14, he tossed a clean inning of relief — striking out two batters in a 1-3 Guardians loss. The performance was brief but sharp, and for a pitcher making his first career postseason appearance, the strikeout-per-inning efficiency was the kind of audition that earns future trust in a bullpen.
The ALCS roster addition was part of a broader roster shuffle across both clubs. Tampa Bay made its own changes, adding rookie righty Brody Hopkins while dropping lefty Garrett Cleavinger and shutting down ace Shane McClanahan. Cleveland's decision to bring in Cecconi reflects the premium organizations place on reliable arms when a series is on the line — and the Guardians apparently saw enough in the Miami product to make the call.
Two Hurricanes in Cleveland
Cecconi isn't the only Miami alum suiting up for the Guardians this postseason. First baseman C.J. Kayfus is also on the Cleveland roster, giving the Hurricanes a two-man presence on a team that reached the ALCS. Andrew Walters, another Miami alum, is also on the Guardians' roster — making it a three-man Hurricane presence in Cleveland. It's a notable clustering of Miami talent on one of the American League's top clubs — a quiet testament to the program's continued pipeline into professional baseball.
The Wider Alumni Landscape
Beyond Cleveland, Miami's MLB footprint remains wide. The Hurricanes have alumni scattered across both leagues — from Myles Caba on the NL West's Dodgers to Carson Palmquist and Maxwell Romero Jr. with the Washington Nationals, and Adrian Del Castillo contributing for Arizona. The program's recent drafts have paid off in roster depth across the league.
But this week belonged to Cecconi. A postseason strikeout — let alone two in a single ALCS inning — is the kind of résumé line that doesn't come with an asterisk. For a Hurricanes program that has long prided itself on churning out big-league-ready arms, watching one of its own pitch in the American League Championship Series is the clearest proof that the pipeline from Coral Gables to October baseball remains open.
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