Cincinnati Reds fans are witnessing the greatness of Johnny Cueto for a second consecutive year. The Dominican starter has firmly entrenched himself as the Reds' No. 1 starter, their true ace. Cueto's numbers have been dazzling, and this season he's getting what he desperately needs for the Cy Young race: wins.
With a 14-5 record, Cueto shares the title of MLB's most wins along with highly praised names like David Price, Jered Weaver and R.A. Dickey. Fourteen wins marks a career best for the Cincinnati ace, and given the hot streak from the Reds' batters, that number should only climb.
Last season, Johnny Cueto was just as impressive as he is this year. He had a WHIP of 1.09. He held batters to .214 hitting. He made over half of the balls hit against him grounders, crucial in Great American Ballpark where the home run rate is 1.644/game, the second highest in the major leagues. All these numbers, even his 2011 2.31 ERA, were better than his current numbers. His problem last year, though, was one of innings pitched, missing qualification for the ERA title by just six innings, and garnering little attention with his nine wins.
This year's the new story, the story of a healthier Johnny Cueto. Although not quite as good as last year, his 1.21 WHIP is up there with well-established names like C.J. Wilson and CC Sabathia. Although batters hit .254 against him, he strands over 80 percent of those on base, rated seventh best in the majors. Pitching in Cincinnati, he's given up just seven home runs, fourth best in the majors with the second-lowest HR/nine.
Why is there no buzz about this guy?
The answer is depressingly obvious. Cueto doesn't fit the mold of a modern ace. Unlike his peers, his strikeout rate is pretty plain at 7.06 K/nine. Unlike his peers, he doesn't have overwhelming stuff, his fastball averages around 92 mph. He's not the anomaly of a pitcher that R.A. Dickey is. His name isn't on the trade block like Zack Greinke. He's not getting All-Star appearances, he's playing for a small-market team, and he's a relatively fresh face.
If the season ended right now and Johnny Cueto didn't win the NL Cy Young Award, MLB would have to answer some tough questions. Cueto holds baseball's ninth-best WAR and sits behind only the reigning AL MVP Justin Verlander when you shorten the list to just pitchers. He's the clear ace of baseball's best and hottest team. He's tied for fifth in number of quality starts, ahead of such NL fan favorites as Stephen Strasburg and Clayton Kershaw. He has the fourth-best ERA in the NL.
Three of his five losses are tough losses. None of his wins were cheap wins.
I can throw incredible stats about the guy at you all day. With him on the mound, 89 percent of baserunners are caught stealing. He hasn't thrown a wild pitch this year. Only three qualified pitchers have fewer earned runs than him.
Where is the talk about a pitcher finding himself among the league's best in almost every category?
If Cueto continues his dominance—and there's no reason he shouldn't; his ERA going back to the start of 2011 is second only to Jered Weaver's—and tops 20 wins this season, don't just pray that he wins the Cy Young Award, expect it.
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