2 Rants to “Is Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Cueto the Best St...”
Leave a Rant
Agree? Disagree? Have a different opinion? Let us know what you think...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
Johnny Cueto’s improved ERA and WHIP are the result of a .226 BABIP. Before this season, his BABIP had always fallen between .290 and .298. It’s been five years since any pitcher maintained a hit rate that low over a full season, and he (Chris Young) was a strikeout-heavy extreme flyball pitcher who played half his games in Petco Park (i.e., the opposite of Cueto).
Why is Cueto’s low hit rate legitimate and not just good luck? What is he doing differently this year? And what makes him different from Ubaldo Jimenez and Trevor Cahill, last year’s biggest low-BABIP flukes?
I know it isn’t a technical or mechanical answer, but he is growing wiser each start and now realizes he isn’t going to strike out everybody. He is relying heavier on his defense and his placement is much better. When his first pitch to a batter is a strike, he has a BAA of .157.
The third inning of a game is when he usually gives up the most hits. Teams are batting .260 against him then, but under .200 in innings 1,2,6 and 7.
In the past when he would be pitching a good game, the bullpen would ruin it for him, making him feel that he had to pitch perfectly. His outlook now is better and without the defense he has supporting him, he will be good for a long time.
Thanks for commenting.