Luis Cessa

31-Year-Old PitcherSP

Kansas City Royals AAA

2023 Stats

W-L

1-4

ERA

9.00

WHIP

2.23

Rest-of-Season Projections

W-L

ERA

WHIP

Unlock Our Projections

2023 Fantasy Outlook

Cessa began last season in the mix for saves for the Reds and ended the year in the rotation. He missed bats at less than a 20 percent rate in both roles but did post a 3.65 ERA in seven September/October starts. Cessa gets a decent number of ground balls and that rate has been climbing the last two seasons at right around 50 percent. It gives him a better chance at success given the lack of swings and misses, but at Great American Ball Park the margin for error is slim. Cessa might get another opportunity to start again in 2023, but that says more about the Reds' lack of options than it does the right-hander's ability. Read Past Outlooks

RANKSFrom Preseason

#601

ADP

League AAA

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man No

Height 6'0"

Weight 208

DOB 4/25/1992

Born Cordoba, Mexico

College None

Drafted 2008 NYM

Signs minors deal with Royals

PKansas City Royals AAA

November 18, 2023

Cessa signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Saturday.

ANALYSIS
Cessa appeared in seven games at the major-league level with the Reds early last season, posting a hefty 9.00 ERA and 2.23 WHIP over 26 innings. He also spent time with the Rockies' and Nationals' Triple-A affiliates, but he was released after putting up similar numbers. Cessa will now get another chance with the Royals, but he will likely have to prove himself in the minors before potentially returning to the big leagues.

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Pitching Stats

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2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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2019 MLB Game Log

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2018 MLB Game Log

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2017 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown

Average Pitch Count

Last 10 Games

Last 5 Games

How many pitches does Luis Cessa generally throw?

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

What part of the game does Luis Cessa generally pitch?

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

% Games Reaching Innings Threshold

% Games By Number of Innings Pitched

Left/Right Pitching Splits

Since 2021

-1%

BAA vs LHP

2023

-17%

BAA vs RHP

2022

-2%

BAA vs LHP

2021

-19%

BAA vs LHP

	BAA	Batters	K	BB	H	2B	3B	HR
Since 2021vs Left	.266	332	59	25	81	18	2	12
Since 2021vs Right	.270	397	65	34	96	14	3	10
2023vs Left	.436	62	4	6	24	8	0	3
2023vs Right	.361	70	7	6	22	3	2	0
2022vs Left	.247	160	27	14	36	6	1	4
2022vs Right	.253	176	32	14	40	5	1	10
2021vs Left	.202	110	28	5	21	4	1	5
2021vs Right	.250	151	26	14	34	6	0	0
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Pitching Splits

Since 2021

-27%

ERA on Road

2023

-44%

ERA on Road

2022

-46%

ERA on Road

2021

-22%

ERA at Home

	ERA	WHIP	IP	W	L	SV	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Since 2021Home	5.24	1.51	79.0	5	4	0	6.9	3.9	1.5
Since 2021Away	3.80	1.27	92.1	5	6	0	6.1	2.4	0.9
2023Home	12.54	2.89	9.1	0	1	0	1.9	5.8	1.0
2023Away	7.02	1.86	16.2	1	3	0	4.9	3.2	1.1
2022Home	6.08	1.49	37.0	1	2	0	6.8	3.4	2.2
2022Away	3.30	1.12	43.2	3	2	0	6.4	2.9	1.0
2021Home	2.20	1.13	32.2	4	1	0	8.5	3.9	0.8
2021Away	2.81	1.16	32.0	1	1	0	6.5	1.4	0.6
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Stat Review

How does Luis Cessa compare to other starting pitchers?

This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

K/BB

0.92

K/9

3.8

BB/9

4.2

HR/9

1.0

Fastball

92.0 mph

ERA

9.00

WHIP

2.23

BABIP

.408

GB/FB

1.71

Left On Base

59.5%

Exit Velocity

84.4 mph

Barrels/BBE

5.7%

Spin Rate

2173 rpm

Balls Hit 95+ MPH

30.9%

Swinging Strike

6.0%

Advanced Pitching Stats

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Defensive Stats

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Stats Vs Today's Lineup

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2022

2021

2019

2018

2017

2016

The Reds' bullpen was a source of angst for most of the season, but the addition of Cessa worked really well for them after he arrived from the Yankees ahead of the trade deadline. In 26.1 innings after the trade, Cessa had a 2.05 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, striking out 23 against just two walks. Cessa's FIP (3.39), xFIP (3.83) and xERA (3.76) all suggest that he was a little fortunate in 2021, but even a correction to that level would be fine for the Reds. Cessa will be in the mix for an important role in the Reds' bullpen, potentially even closing.

It was reported July 4 that Cessa had tested positive for COVID-19 and was demonstrating mild symptoms. He was said to be feeling much better a couple days later and he joined the Yankees a couple weeks later, but the lost time was enough to cost Cessa a spot on the Opening Day roster. He was activated Aug. 5 and went on to pitch well for New York, finishing with a sub-3.80 FIP for the second time in three seasons. Cessa lost a little steam on his pitches, but his swinging-strike and chase rates remained strong and the results were within range of expected variance. The right-hander has been strictly a reliever for two seasons now and has established himself as a quality major-league reliever, but it will be difficult for him to climb high in the bullpen ranks with so many talented arms in the Bronx.

Cessa once again filled a swingman role for the Yankees last season, making five starts and 11 relief appearances. The results on the field were his worst yet, with Cessa posting a 5.24 ERA over 44.2 innings, but his peripherals were his best yet with the estimators suggesting he was close to a run-and-a-half better than that ERA would suggest. Cessa posted a career-best 20% strikeout rate and shaved nearly four percentage points from his walk rate (6.7%). He also cut his home-run rate from 1.75 HR/9 to 1.01. The right-hander throws his fastball in the mid-90s and has two decent secondary pitches in his slider and changeup, which is the kind of repertoire which would afford him a long look as a starter in another organization. In his current organization, he's unlikely to see a significantly expanded role.

Cessa has served in a similar capacity on the Yankees' pitching staff over the past two years. He's capable of eating innings out of the bullpen or making a few spot starts in a pinch, though the righty was far more effective working in relief last year (3.14 ERA vs. 5.82 ERA in five starts). He was primarily a starter in the minors, as he also made 14 appearances (13 starts) with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. With the rotation appearing to be fully spoken for heading into the spring and a crowded bullpen behind the starting five, it may be difficult for Cessa to carve out a consistent role with the big-league club. The 25-year-old could once again occupy something of a swingman role, but it's also possible he stays stretched out as a starter in the minors.

Cessa was a surprise addition to the roster out of spring training, as he won a bullpen job out of camp. He essentially split time as a starter and a reliever, working his way toward a couple of spot starts before eventually joining the rotation full-time at the end of the season. The 24-year-old struggled at times with command and with the long ball, but he was more effective overall when working as a starter, where he put together a 4.01 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in nine starts. It's unclear exactly how the Yankees plan on using him next season -- whether he'll be in the bullpen or rotation, or even in the majors at all -- though the most likely scenario is he'll once again be deployed as a swing man.

While Cessa cannot match the mid-rotation upside of Michael Fulmer, the other pitching prospect Detroit received in the Yoenis Cespedes trade, he offers a nice combination of floor and proximity. The 23-year-old righty, now with the Yankees following an offseason trade for Justin Wilson, had a FIP below 4.00 across stops with the Mets Double-A and Triple-A affiliates prior to the trade to the Tigers. He then closed out the year with a 3.40 FIP and 34:15 K:BB in 37.2 innings with Triple-A Toledo — strong numbers, but he may have to head back to the Triple-A level to begin 2016 and prove himself to his new organization . He has four average or better pitches, so it will be Cessa’s command that determines how successful he can eventually be against big-league hitters.

More Fantasy News

Cut loose by Nationals

PFree Agent AAA

August 30, 2023

Cessa was released by the Nationals on Tuesday.