Despite a season filled with some surprises, it has lacked a genuine run of whimsy and unbridled joy. That’s where Johnny Cueto comes in.
He makes his season debut tonight after recovering from Tommy John surgery. He’s the breath of fresh air we’ve been missing in this post-second half malaise the Giants have been. He’s exactly what this team needs right now.
But maybe you don’t remember Johnny Cueto too much. Maybe you’ve forgotten that he was the Giants’ second-best pitcher from 2016-2018, even with an injury-shortened 2018. His Giants career to this point has consisted of 420 regular season innings and an 8-inning, 10-strikeout performance in the 2016 NLCS.
Compared to Bumgarner and Samardzija’s last 420 or so innings (so, 2017-2019), Cueto stacks up favorably:
BUMGARNER (69 starts)
19-24 3.50 ERA (3.90 FIP)
429.1 IP
117 ERA+
1.15 WHIP
8.3 K/9
2.1 BB/9
1.2 HR/9
SAMARDZIJA (71 starts)
20-31 4.31 ERA (4.19 FIP)
415.1 IP
97 ERA+
1.18 WHIP
7.9 K/9
2.2 BB/9
1.3 HR/9
CUETO (66 starts)
29-15 3.45 ERA (3.72 FIP)
420.0 IP
118 ERA+
1.22 WHIP
8.0 K/9
2.4 BB/9
1.0 HR/9
Cueto was worth 6.3 fWAR from 2016-2018, more than Samardzija (5.9) and not too far behind Bumgarner (7.3), whose career-best 146 ERA+ happened in 2016 and is doing all the work. He has been what the Giants had hoped when they signed him to a 6-year, $130 million deal before the 2016. He’s also been a whole lot more for the rest of us.
He’s the joy of baseball in human form. A man of mirth.
He’s a goofy dude who’s not afraid to self-promote. A true figure of our time. Perfect for this very moment.
Johnny Cueto wearing a hat of himself wearing a hat of himself wearing a hat of himself.
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An underrated athlete, nearly betraying his silly uncle on-field routine while simultaneously making clear exactly why he’s one of the best baseball players in the world.
Tonight’s game won’t be about anything beyond simply reacquainting him with the major league clubhouse, the major league game speed, and possibly the fans in San Francisco, who’ve seen a lot of roster turnover since he last pitched in front of them.
I expect the Giants will be aiming for three innings and will be happy with four and if it’s going okay, pitch count-wise, maybe he’ll get more. In the meantime, Johnny Cueto will be in a Giants uniform and on the mound tonight. That’s good enough for me and couldn’t make the Giants’ odds of winning at home any worse.