Biography
Dylan Edward Cease (born December 28, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox.
The Chicago Cubs selected Cease in the sixth round of the 2014 MLB draft and traded him to the White Sox in 2017. He made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2019 and played for them until 2023. Prior to the 2024 season, the White Sox traded Cease to the Padres, where he threw a no-hitter on July 25 against the Washington Nationals.
Early life
Cease was born in Milton, Georgia. His mother is Anne Cease, and his father, Jeff Cease, played high school football. His father's side of his family is Jewish. His paternal grandmother, Betty Cease, played professional baseball.
Amateur career
Cease attended Milton High School in Milton. Pitching for the school's baseball team, his fastball velocity averaged 91 to 95 miles per hour (146 to 153 km/h), while peaking at 98 miles per hour (158 km/h). In games in which he did not pitch, Cease played shortstop. In 2013, his junior year, he was 9–0 with an 0.81 earned run average (ERA) in 69+1⁄3 innings pitched with 100 strikeouts, and Milton won the state championship in baseball. Cease also appeared in a second straight state championship series, but lost to Lambert High School. During the summer seasons, Cease competed for Team Elite out of Winder, Georgia, and earned an invitation to the Perfect Game National Showcase and Perfect Game All-American Classic. Cease committed to attend Vanderbilt University on a college baseball scholarship to play for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
In August 2013, prior to Cease's senior year at Milton, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com considered Cease to be a potential first-round draft choice in the upcoming 2014 MLB draft. Cease left a game during his senior season, on March 3, 2014, due to elbow soreness, which was later diagnosed as a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) of the elbow in his pitching arm.
Professional career
Chicago Cubs
As a result of his injury, Cease fell in the draft, and the Chicago Cubs selected him in the sixth round. He signed with the Cubs, receiving a $1.5 million signing bonus, well above the $269,500 recommended at that slot. After he signed, he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the UCL.
Cease resumed throwing in May 2015, and pitched for the Arizona Cubs of the Rookie-level Arizona League. In 11 games (eight starts) batters hit .145 against him. At the end of the 2015 season, Baseball America rated Cease as the second-best prospect in the Arizona League.
In 2016, Cease pitched for the Eugene Emeralds of the Low–A Northwest League, where he posted a 2–0 win–loss record with a 2.22 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 44+2⁄3 innings pitched (averaging 13.3 strikeouts per 9 innings). He held batters to a .175 average. He was named a 2016 Northwest League Post-Season All-Star, and a Baseball America Short-Season All Star.
Cease began the 2017 season with the South Bend Cubs of the Single–A Midwest League. Cease had a 1–2 record with a 2.79 ERA in 13 starts for South Bend. He was named a Midwest League Mid-Season All-Star.
Chicago White Sox
2017–19
On July 13, 2017, the Cubs traded Cease, Eloy Jiménez, Matt Rose, and Bryant Flete to the Chicago White Sox for José Quintana. The White Sox assigned him to the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Single–A South Atlantic League. In 22 starts between South Bend and Kannapolis, Cease posted a 1–10 record with a 3.28 ERA along with 126 strikeouts in a career-high 93+1⁄3 innings pitched, averaged 12.2 K/9, and held batters to a .221 average.
Cease began the 2018 season with the Winston-Salem Dash of the High–A Carolina League, with whom he was 9–2 (his 9 wins were third in the league) with a 2.89 ERA. He earned a mid-season promotion to the Birmingham Barons of the Double–A Southern League. Combined he was 12–2 with a 2.40 ERA in 124 innings covering 23 starts, with 160 strikeouts (11.2 K/9) and a .189 batting average against. Cease was selected to represent the White Sox at the 2018 All-Star Futures Game. He was named MLB Pipeline Pitcher of the Year, and a Carolina League midseason All-Star. The White Sox added Cease to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.
Cease opened the 2019 season with the Charlotte Knights of the Triple–A International League. On July 3, the White Sox promoted him to the major leagues. In his debut he pitched five innings, allowed three runs, struck out six batters, and earned the win. He finished the season with a 4–7 record and a 5.79 ERA in 73 innings. His average of 9.99 strikeouts per 9 innings was the highest in White Sox history by a rookie (minimum 10 starts), and his fastball averaged 96.6 mph and reached 100.1 mph.
2020–21
In 2020 he was 5–4 with a 4.01 ERA. Cease led the AL in walks (with 34), and was second in starts (with 12), and fourth in hit batters (with five), as on defense he was fifth in putouts (with six). He led the AL in walks per 9 innings (5.25) and home runs per 9 innings (1.85). He was in the top 3% in average fastball velocity in the major leagues, at 97.5 mph.
On May 4, 2021, Cease recorded his first career major league base hit during a game against the Cincinnati Reds. Cease went 3-for-3 at the plate and pitched six scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out 11, as the White Sox won 9–0.
In 2021, Cease made 32 starts, finishing with a record of 13–7 (his 13 wins were 5th-most in the AL, and his .650 win-loss percentage was 8th) and an ERA of 3.91 (9th). He pitched 165.2 innings while striking out 226 batters (3rd; 9th-most in White Sox history) and walking 68 (2nd), and led the American League in K/9 with 12.3, starts (32), and wild pitches (13) while giving up 7.55 hits per 9 innings (6th). Cease made his first career postseason start in Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS against the Houston Astros, only lasting 1.2 innings and giving up three runs while striking out two batters in the White Sox' 12–6 win.
2022
In June 2022, Cease had a 0.33 ERA, allowing one earned run in 27+1⁄3 innings pitched in five starts, while striking out 45. He won the American League Pitcher of the Month Award. Cease was also named the July AL Pitcher of the Month after pitching to a 5–1 record and a 0.76 ERA with 40 strikeouts in six starts in 35+2⁄3 innings. On September 3, Cease carried a no-hitter through 8+2⁄3 innings against the Minnesota Twins before second baseman Luis Arráez hit a line drive single into right-center field. Cease finished the complete game shutout after this (the first complete game of his career), allowing one hit and two walks with seven strikeouts.
For the 2022 season, Cease had a 14–8 record (his 14 wins were 7th in the AL, and his .636 win-loss percentage was 9th) with a 2.20 ERA (2nd in the AL) in 32 starts (3rd) covering 184 innings (10th) with 227 strikeouts (2nd). He was third in the AL with 12.28 K/9, allowed 6.16 hits per 9 innings (2nd), led the majors with 78 walks allowed, his 10.4% walk percentage was the highest in the majors, had a WHIP of 1.109 (8th), threw sliders 42.9% of the time (more than any other pitcher in the major leagues), and at 77.8 mph threw the slowest changeup in the major leagues. He primarily threw an 87 mph slider and a 97 mph four seam fastball, while also throwing an 81 mph curveball. Cease was second in the voting for the Cy Young Award behind Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros, and was named to the All-MLB Second Team.
2023
On January 13, 2023, Cease agreed to a one-year, $5.7 million contract with the White Sox, avoiding salary arbitration. Cease was on the preliminary rosters for both Team Israel and Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but decided not to pitch in the WBC. Cease had a 4.58 ERA in 177 innings pitched in the 2023 season.
In January 2024, Cease and the White Sox avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $8 million salary for the 2024 season.
San Diego Padres
On March 13, 2024, the White Sox traded Cease to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Steven Wilson, Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, and Samuel Zavala. On July 25, Cease threw a no-hitter in a 3–0 win over the Washington Nationals. Cease allowed 3 walks and struck out 9 batters and threw 71 of his 114 pitches for strikes. The no-hitter was the second in Padres franchise history, after teammate's Joe Musgrove's in 2021.
Personal life
Cease has a twin brother, Alec, who also played on the Milton High School team as a catcher and third baseman.
Cease is an amateur disc golfer who has recently teamed up with six time world champion Paul McBeth to purchase two properties that will feature disc golf courses. Cease practices mindfulness and wears the uniform number 84 because of the 84 asanas.