Eli is in his first season with the Cubs organization after being acquired from Cleveland for OF Alfonsin Rosario Nov. 20, 2024...In 161 career Major League games (19 starts), is 18-12 with a 3.97 ERA (117 ER/265.1 IP), one save and 262 strikeouts across four seasons with the Cleveland Guardians (2021-24)...Is 21-16 with a 3.12 ERA (124 ER/358.0 IP) and 397 strikeouts in 85 career Minor League games (62 starts)…Posted a career-low 1.93 ERA (9 ER/42.0 IP) in 32 relief appearances for Cleveland in 2024...Was named an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in 2018 and 2019...Was selected by Cleveland in the eighth round of the 2017 draft...Pitched three seasons at Gonzaga (Wash.)…finished second in career wins (21) and third in strikeouts (281)…Was a First Team All-West Coast Conference member in 2016 and 2017...Graduated from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (Calif.).
2024
Eli posted a career-low 1.93 ERA (9 ER/42.0 IP) in 2024 with the Cleveland Guardians, appearing 32 times in relief...Pitched in 14 games for Triple-A Columbus, registering a 2.70 ERA (5 ER/16.2 IP)…Held the opponents scoreless in 25 of his 32 outings and recorded at least four outs in 16...Opponents hit .188 (9-for-48) against his changeup and .176 (9-for-51) off his 4-seam fastball...Went 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA (2 ER/8.1 IP) in nine March and April contests...Was on the injured list twice, April 17-May 28 with right shoulder inflammation and May 30-June 29 with right elbow inflammation...Following his second activation, was optioned to Triple-A Columbus July 4...Was recalled by Cleveland Aug. 4 and pitched to a 1.91 ERA (6 ER/28.1 IP) in 20 games to end the regular season...Was on Cleveland's ALDS and ALCS roster, posting a 2.25 ERA (1 ER/4.0 IP) in six playoff games.
2023
Finished third on the club with 67.1 relief innings in a career-high 61 games (T-4th on the team)...Allowed 30 earned runs on the season in 61 games (4.01 ERA), with runs allowed in 15 of final 28 outings (23ER/30.2IP, 6.75 ERA, .308 avg.)…Earned his first career save on 4/3 at Oakland (1.0IP, 1H, 1R/0ER, 1SO)…Averaged 10.0 K per 9.0IP, giving him a career mark of 9.2 K/9...Increased the use of his changeup each season – 2021 (22.8%), 2022 (27.8%), 2023 (31.7%)…38 of his 75 strikeouts in 2023 came via his changeup...Owns a career 3.64 ERA (53ER/131.0IP) as a reliever compared to a 5.36 ERA (55ER/92.1IP) as a starter over his career...Boasted a 2.45ERA (11ER/40.1IP) at Progressive Field compared to a 6.33ERA (19ER/27.0IP) on the road…Worked a career-high 61 games (prev. high: 50 games in 2022).Pre-All-Star: 4-1, 1SV, 38.0IP, 34G, 1.89ERA, .230 avg. +Post-All-Star: 1-1, 29.1IP, 27G, 6.75ERA, .312 avg.
2022
Spent entire season in the bullpen, finished T-second on the club with 63.2 relief IP...Made one spot start, April 22 at NYY (L, 3.0IP, 1H, 2R/ER, 2BB, 5SO)…Tossed a season-high 3.1 innings May 8 vs. TOR...Worked into an early setup role, collecting 10 holds, May 30-July 31 (ended season second on the team in holds)…Posted a 0.75 ERA in 7 May games (12.0IP, 2H, 1R/ER, 15SO) and worked 14.1 consecutive scoreless IP, May 13-June 8...Posted a 2.83 ERA in the first half (28G, 13ER/41.1IP) and a 4.26 ERA in the second half (22G, 12ER/25.1IP), notching a combined ERA in July/August of 7.63 (13ER/15.1IP)…Rebounded from Sept. 1-on, posting a 0.59 ERA over his last 11 outings (15.1IP, 8H, 1R/ER)…Averaged 9.7 SO/9 IP and posted a WHIP of .885 (fourth-lowest among A.L relievers)…Club was 31-19 when he appeared in a game...MLB relief debut, April 10 at KC (two scoreless IP)…first relief win, 4/13 at CIN (3.0IP, 1R, 4K)…1.55 BB/9 in relief was third-lowest metric among league RP...fourth in the league in SO/BB ratio (6.1)…Recorded a 2.70 ERA in three Postseason outings (3.1IP, 2H, 1ER, 5SO)…Earned first Postseason win on in Game 3 of ALDS, 10/15 vs. NYY (1.0IP, 1SO).
2021
The 25-year-old rookie right-hander finished the 2021 campaign going 5-7 with a 5.34 ERA (53ER/89.1IP) in 18 games/starts, his first taste of Major League action in his fifth professional season... Started the year in AAA Columbus, making his MLB debut in tropical storm-like conditions on May 28 at Progressive Field against Toronto...Returned to Columbus before being recalled and pitching in the rotation, June 17-July 21...Returned to AAA for one start, July 27, and was with the club from Aug. 4 thru the remainder of the campaign...Overall spent three stints with Cleveland....The Gonzaga product finished the season with a 3.95 ERA (18ER/41.0IP) and a 4-2 record over his last 8 starts, holding opponents to a .247 clip (38-for-154)…If you extract his outing against Milwaukee on Sept. 10 (7ER/4.1IP), he had a 2.70 ERA (11ER/36.2IP) in the other 7 outings....Pitched up to the competition, posting a 2.18 ERA in four second half starts vs. AL East stalwarts Boston, New York and Toronto (5ER/20.2IP)…Overall in the second half he was 4-4 with a 4.37 in 13 starts (68.0IP, 62H, 33ER, 59SO, .239 avg)…Won his last three starts (@NYY, vs CWS, @TEX), posting a 2.55 ERA (17.2IP, 14H, 5ER)…Lowered his ERA every month in his rookie season (May: 20.25; June: 7.24; July: 5.40; Aug.: 4.45; Sept./Oct.: 3.90)…Fared better on the road, going 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA (17ER/44.1IP) over eight road starts compared to 2-6 with a 7.20 ERA (36ER/45.0IP) over 10 starts at Progressive Field...The debut start vs. Toronto (6ER/2.2IP) certainly didn't augment the home numbers (6.38 otherwise)…3.45 road ERA would have been sixth-lowest in the A.L. with the requisite amount of innings...Recorded his first Major League victory on June 28 against Detroit - a 13-5 Cleveland win...Had a career-high 9 strikeouts in an outing on June 22 at Chicago-NL...Logged a career-high 7.0 innings of work on Aug. 7 against Detroit...Made five starts/appearances for AAA Columbus this year, going 0-1 with a 4.03 ERA (22.1IP, 20H, 10R/ER, 11BB, 21SO)…Triple-A season began on May 8 for him, as he did not appear in a spring exhibition contest after experiencing some right forearm fatigue in the offseason and came in behind in his throwing progression...Stayed back in extended spring in Arizona for the month of April before joining the Alternate Site and AAA Columbus roster in early May...Right-handed AAA hitters hit .200 (8-for-40) against him with a 2B and home run allowed, while lefties hit .308 (12-for-39) with 2 doubles.
2020
Spent entirety of the 2020 season at the Lake County Alternate Training Site....Added to the 40-man roster on November 20.
2019
Split the 2019 season across three levels, making 18 of 25 starts with Akron...For the year, he went a combined 9-6 with a 3.39 ERA in 26 games (140.2IP, 124H, 53ER, 40BB, 146SO)...He led the system in innings, was second in strikeouts and earned an organizational all-star nod from MLB.com...Prior to the season, Eli was named as having the best change-up in the system (Baseball America)...Started the year in Single-A Lynchburg, was promoted to Akron in May and made a spot start in AAA Columbus on July 16.
2018
Named MiLB.com Organizational All-Star...Earned Pitcher of the Week honors three times, once with Lake County and twice with Lynchburg...For second straight year, named Best Change-up in Cleveland Farm System by Baseball America.
2017
Allowed just four earned runs across 35.0 innings for Mahoning Valley, and finished 2nd on the team with 58 strikeouts (14.91 K-per-9.0IP)...His 1.03 ERA was good for the 3rd-lowest mark in the New York-Penn League (min. 35.0IP).
