The Cleveland Guardians are known as a bit of a pitching factory.
Most arms that they can get their hands on turn out to be quality MLB pitchers.
Their hope is that the newest guy on their major league roster, Austin Peterson, fits the same mold.
Peterson was called up on Friday from Triple-A Columbus. If he gets into a game, it’ll be his MLB debut.
The move came in conjunction with some other transactions. The Guardians activated Slade Cecconi from the 15-day IL, put Colin Holderman on the 15-day IL, and designated Carlos Hernandez for assignment. So Holderman and Hernandez are out, and Cecconi and Peterson are in.
Who Is Austin Peterson?
Peterson is a 26-year old right-hander (who will turn 27 later in September).
He stands 6-foot-6 and is listed at 234 pounds, a big presence on the mound.
He’s originally from Valparaiso, Indiana, and he spent time in college first at Purdue and then at UConn.
The Guardians took Peterson in the ninth round of the 2022 MLB Draft, and he’s grinded his way through the minors since then.
Peterson reached Double-A Akron in 2024, as a starting pitcher, and had a 2.88 ERA in 13 starts there.
In 2025, he split the season between Akron and Columbus and had a combined ERA of 3.21 in 28 outings, 26 of those starts.
He has started 19-of-21 appearances at Triple-A Columbus this season and struggled a bit more, putting up a 4.53 ERA.
Peterson has struck out 9.6 batters per nine innings this season, which is a new career-high.
The problem? He’s also walking 3.2 batters per nine innings, the worst rate of his career, and he’s allowing 1.2 home runs per nine innings, also the worst rate of his career.
Given that Peterson isn’t new to the organization and rather just new to the big leagues, it’s not a guarantee the Guardians’ magic touch can work on him, but you have to think at least seeing the major leagues for a bit will give Peterson something to aspire toward.
Austin Peterson’s Arsenal
Pitchers at Peterson’s size often throw really hard, but he actually has a very varied pitch arsenal.
“He’s averaged 92.9 mph on his four-seamer this year and 93.1 mph on his sinker,” MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams wrote on Friday. “He’ll also incorporate a cutter (88 mph average), slider (81.1 mph), changeup (87.9 mph) and very occasional curveball (77.9 mph) as part of a deep six-pitch repertoire.”
Peterson is likely viewed more as a reliever at the major league level, because it can be hard to find consistency with such a big frame.
Certainly right at this moment, the Guardians would be planning to use Peterson out of the bullpen. If he ever wanted to start in the majors, it’d probably have to be in future seasons.
For now, he’ll get a chance to put on an MLB uniform, and he’ll be hoping to make his debut. It’d be a special moment for Peterson if he can do that.
Guardians Add 6-Foot-6 Pitcher for MLB Debut