Caleb Kilian

Caleb Kilian

27-Year-Old PitcherSP
Chicago Cubs
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Kilian has had a few cups of coffee at the MLB level the last two seasons, though he's yet to make a real impact. In 2023, the righty appeared in three games for the Cubs, posting a rough 16.88 ERA across 5.1 innings. He also appeared in three games in 2022, posting a 10.32 ERA across 11.1 innings. It's not a very promising start for Kilian, though it's of course still a fairly small sample size. The 26-year-old was part of the trade package San Francisco sent Chicago to acquire Kris Bryant, and the skills are there for improved performance. Kilian averaged 94 mph on his fastball last year, and while his K/9 sat below 8.5 for both the Cubs and Triple-A Omaha, he did post a 10.59 K/9 in the minors a season earlier. Heading into 2024, it seems unlikely that Kilian begins the year in Chicago's rotation, as Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad and Hayden Wesneski are all likely ahead of him in the competition for the final few starting spots. Kilian is worth keeping an eye on, particularly if he impresses in the minors and earns a promotion, though his fantasy value is limited at this point. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#580
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Cubs in March of 2024.
Pitches well in season finale
PChicago Cubs
September 29, 2024
Kilian tossed five scoreless innings but did not factor into the decision Sunday against the Reds. He allowed three hits and two walks while striking out four.
ANALYSIS
Kilian just made his season debut for the Cubs on Monday, allowing six runs (five earned) over 5.2 innings, but he looked much sharper Sunday in the last game of the year. The 27-year-old righty pitched well for Triple-A Iowa earlier this season, compiling a 3.22 ERA across 44.2 innings, and he could compete for a rotation spot with Chicago next spring. Kilian has a career 9.22 ERA at the MLB level, however, so his fantasy upside may be limited.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
84
Last 10 Games
84
Last 5 Games
84
How many pitches does Caleb Kilian 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 Caleb Kilian 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 2022
 
 
-22%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-15%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-31%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-39%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .358 63 8 7 19 6 0 1
Since 2022vs Right .281 74 13 13 16 3 0 1
2024vs Left .294 19 2 2 5 1 0 1
2024vs Right .250 29 5 4 6 1 0 1
2023vs Left .600 12 1 0 6 1 0 0
2023vs Right .412 21 4 2 7 2 0 0
2022vs Left .308 32 5 5 8 4 0 0
2022vs Right .188 24 4 7 3 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-62%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-100%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-100%
ERA at Home
2022
 
 
-59%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 5.14 1.43 14.0 0 1 0 6.4 5.8 0.0
Since 2022Away 13.50 2.63 13.1 0 3 0 7.4 7.4 1.4
2024Home 0.00 1.00 5.0 0 0 0 7.2 3.6 0.0
2024Away 7.94 2.12 5.2 0 1 0 4.8 6.4 3.2
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 16.88 2.81 5.1 0 1 0 8.4 3.4 0.0
2022Home 8.00 1.67 9.0 0 1 0 6.0 7.0 0.0
2022Away 19.29 3.43 2.1 0 1 0 11.6 19.3 0.0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Caleb Kilian 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
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
1.17
 
K/9
5.9
 
BB/9
5.1
 
HR/9
1.7
 
Fastball
93.6 mph
 
ERA
4.22
 
WHIP
1.59
 
BABIP
.281
 
GB/FB
1.27
 
Left On Base
77.5%
 
Exit Velocity
81.8 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
9.1%
 
Spin Rate
2147 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
22.7%
 
Swinging Strike
9.6%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Caleb Kilian See More
Three Up, Three Down: Brewers, Cubs, Pirates
306 days ago
Chris Crawford takes a look at the biggest movers in three NL Central organizations, including a disappointing debut from Matt Mervis.
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April 22, 2023
Todd Zola ranks starting pitchers for the upcoming week, with Spencer Strider's two-start week earning him the top spot.
Rookie Pitcher Tiers 2.0
Rookie Pitcher Tiers 2.0
March 13, 2023
March 13, 2023
James Anderson updates his pitching prospect tiers for 2023 value only, in which he explains why he is not paying the price to roster Orioles righty Grayson Rodriguez.
Rookie Pitcher Tiers 1.0
Rookie Pitcher Tiers 1.0
January 27, 2023
January 27, 2023
James Anderson ranks rookie pitchers for 2023 value within tiers, and Astros righty Hunter Brown is one of four pitchers in the top tier.
MLB Pitching Prospect Draft For 2023
September 15, 2022
James Anderson, Eric Cross and Chris Clegg draft pitching prospects for 2023 value only, with Astros righty Hunter Brown solidifying his place near the top.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
Kilian opened the season with Triple-A Iowa. The primary return in the Kris Bryant trade made his MLB in early June, fanning six Cardinals in five frames. Kilian started two more games, before being sent back to the farm. In those two outings, he walked 10 with only three punchouts in 6.1 innings. Kilian finished the season in Triple-A where walks were still an issue as he issued 59 free passes in 106.2 stanzas. Kilian will turn 26-years-old in June, so time is running out to lay claim to a career as a starter. The Cubs rotation is more about quantity than quality, so if Kilian exhibits better control, he has a chance to make the opening day roster. Chances are, he'll return to Triple-A and have to earn a spot. With his ability to miss bats, Kilian will always have the bullpen as a fallback, but for now the Cubs envision him as a starter.
Kilian was quite busy last season, first breaking out with the Giants, then getting dealt to Chicago as the headliner for Kris Bryant, and capping his season with Championship MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League. The right-hander has prototypical size (6-foot-4, 180 pounds) and athleticism. He repeats his delivery well and pounds the zone. All told, Kilian registered a 2.42 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 112:13 K:BB in 100.1 innings across High-A and Double-A with the Giants and Cubs before striking out 18 in 14 AFL innings. He used to be a control artist with back-end starter stuff, but Kilian was touching 98 mph with good run on his heater late in the year and his command has not suffered since his stuff ticked up. His curveball is a hammer and his changeup is trending up. A big riser in offseason prospect rankings, Kilian appears poised to be one the Cubs' top starters in the coming years if he can stay healthy. If he picks up where he left off last year, he could reach the majors mid-year.
More Fantasy News
Starting season finale
PChicago Cubs
September 28, 2024
Kilian will start Sunday's game against the Reds, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Takes loss in 2024 debut
PChicago Cubs
September 23, 2024
Kilian (0-1) took the loss Monday, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and four walks over 5.2 innings against the Phillies. He struck out three.
ANALYSIS
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Receives promotion
PChicago Cubs
September 23, 2024
The Cubs recalled Kilian from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Activated, optioned to Triple-A
PChicago Cubs
July 31, 2024
The Cubs reinstated Kilian (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Rehabbing as reliever
PChicago Cubs
Shoulder
July 17, 2024
Kilian (shoulder) made the fifth appearance of his rehab assignment Sunday for Triple-A Iowa, retiring the lone batter he faced on six pitches.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
May finish season in minors
PChicago Cubs
August 19, 2022
Kilian may not get another crack at the majors this season, reports Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune.
ANALYSIS
Cubs assistant general manager Craig Breslow said Wednesday that Kilian's development is the top priority, and that might mean finishing the season in Triple-A. The 25-year-old was roughed up in his first shot at the big leagues, posting a 10.32 ERA and 9:12 K:BB in 11.1 innings over three starts. He's been inconsistent for Triple-A Iowa and has a 5.79 ERA in nine starts since returning to the minors.
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