Matt
Canterino

4/12/19: The advertised right hander did not show up until about midway through his Friday start, but an adjusted start time, rain adjusted pre-game, and a 10 run second inning from his teammates may have led to some of the rhythm issues. Canterino has the ability to miss bats, but only received three swings and misses the first time through the Charlotte lineup. From the third inning through the sixth inning Canterino worked back into form, tallying another nine swings and misses. The slider created most of the success, ranging 83-86 and touching 87 a couple of times with depth when down in the zone. Tight and late, it did act more like a cutter early in the game, especially when elevated. The fastball reached 93 in the first and worked 90-92 for most of the outing, carrying the velocity through his 6 innings of work. The curveball lacked some deception, again elevated early in the outing, ranging 73-75. Working to create hard, downer action, the curveball was abandoned in favor of the slider in the 2nd half of the performance. A seldom used change-up did create some space for the fastball against a couple of left handed hitters. The hand is slightly slowed on the pitch but created a fourth pitch that had to be accounted for. Overall, Canterino's stuff may have been down a tick, but he did compete, attacking the zone with his fastball over the 6 inning, 104 pitch performance. Striking out 2 and walking 1, there were 8 balls put in play with authority by Charlotte, giving up four runs, all earned, but only 1 run after the 2nd inning. (B Hall)

3/1/19: With a strong, durable frame at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Canterino came as advertised this weekend and was, for the most part, similar to past looks. In a nutshell, he repeats pitches and misses bats. With a low-90s fastball, a 76-77 mph above average downer curveball and improved slider velocity now at 85-87 (up from 81 last summer), he is difficult for hitters to square up. During his college career he has averaged nearly 11 SO/9 while opponents are batting just .190 against him. He also does an exceptional job holding runners by varying his looks and hold times. I've seen Canterino since his senior year in high school and he's always had the same unorthodox, high-effort delivery and unfolding arm action as he delivers the ball to the plate. It would be tough to draft him in the top rounds and tinker with how he does it too much. He's the type of pitching prospect an organization may simply select and move quickly through their minor league system and into a ML bullpen. However, with more lead blocking, throwing against a firmer front side instead of running down the mound, he could see an uptick in his velo with more energy going towards speeding up his arm instead of losing it into the ground. He may also see added extension as well. Canterino ranks No. 2 in our Pitching Analytics List and should receive a boost in draft value based on his numbers. (Seifert)

8-14-2018: Previously scouted for USA CNT (report) this summer, Canterino was stellar in his Cape All-Star game appearance. Armed with a 91-93 mph fastball (2100-2300 spin rate), an 82-84 mph changeup (2000-2100 spin rate), 81 mph slider (2300 spin rate) and a 77 mph curveball (2100 spin rate), he struck out two of the three batters that he faced. Canterino is a likely early round selection in 2019. (Seifert)

6-26-2018: Strong, durable bodied 6-foot-2, 225 pound power pitching righty who misses bats. Has averaged nearly 11 SO/9 IP in his college career. Feature pitch is a hard, hammer curveball. It has all the components; shape, movement and velocity of a plus ML pitch. Ranged from 76-77 mph. Occasionally manipulated this pitch into an 81 mph slider shape offering with two strikes as a chase pitch. Induced a couple swing/miss and it played above average. Threw his fastball mostly to his arm side at 92-94 mph in his one inning appearance. More downplane than wiggle on this look. Also, had a fair feel for his change-up, more so as a useable complimentary pitch rather than an out inducer at the next level. Held a speedy runner at first base with a quick pick off move, a 1.10 slide step and 1.28 non slide. Canterino enough athleticism and stuff to start in professional baseball, yet the unconventional, high effort delivery with a head jerk may slide him to the bullpen down the road. Potential Day One selection for the 2019 draft. (Seifert)