Frank Victores, USA TODAY SPORTS
Johnny Cueto had an outstanding 2014 season for the Cincinnati Reds. Had it not been for Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cueto might have won the National League Cy Young Award last season, when he was 20-9 with a 2.25 ERA. He struck out 242 batters in 243 and two-thirds innings, and had a WHIP of 0.96.
In 2015, Cueto, at least to this point, has been even better, despite having serious issues in getting run support from his teammates. On Tuesday night, Cueto picked up his second win of the season, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2 at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.
Cueto did what Cueto does on Tuesday night, giving up just two earned runs in eight innings of work. Cueto struck out six, walked no one and lowered his season ERA to 1.95 while throwing just 85 pitches.
And he is picking the right time to have another great season. Cueto will be a free agent at the end of this season and he is setting himself up for a huge payday this offseason. The Reds hope to keep him as the ace of their staff for the foreseeable future, but it remains to be seen if Walt Jocketty and the Reds’ ownership will loosen the purse strings enough to keep Cueto, along with the big contracts already given to Homer Bailey, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips.
At this point, there is no sign of Cueto slowing down. And if there is a pitcher deserving that big money, it’s Cueto. He’s among the best in the big leagues right now, and he proved it again on Tuesday.
Tim Letcher is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimLetcher , on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
