Oklahoma baseball: Cade Cavalli goes in 1st round to Washington Nationals

Many smart people projected Oklahoma baseball pitcher Cade Cavalli would be taken in the first round of this year’s MLB Draft, and they were dead on.

Some had him going earlier in the opening round than he did, but Cavalli became the top pick of the reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals, the 22nd player selected overall in Wednesday’s night’s virtual draft.

A native of Bixby, Oklahoma, a southern suburb of Tulsa, Cavalli has been the Friday night starting pitcher for the Sooners the past two seasons. The right-hander made four starts in the shortened 2020 season cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic. He posted a 1-2 record and an earned run average of 4.18 in 23.2 innings of work. He struck out 37 and allowed just five walks.

As a three-year starter on the mound, Cavalli was 9-7 with an ERA of 4.09 and 114 strikeouts in 101.1 total innings.

Cavalli began his career at Oklahoma as a two-way player and was used as both a pitcher and as a utility infielder. His best season as a hitter was his sophomore year in 2019. He hit .319 that season with 17 runs batted in and four home runs.

He was the 2020 Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year and was named a Preseason All-American by Baseball America.

Cavalli is the 10th Oklahoma player to be taken in the first round of the annual June MLB First-Year Player Draft, the second in the last three years and the third since 2013. Kyler Murray was selected ninth overall in the opening round of the 2018 draft; pitcher Jonathan Gray was taken third overall in 2013.

At least one player from Oklahoma has been selected in every MLB Draft since 1970.

This year’s draft has been shortened to just five rounds instead of the 40 rounds that are typically the case in more normal years.