It’s hard not to like Johnny Cueto. He’s talented, has a likable personality and, by all accounts, is a great teammate.
He’s living up to the hype right now in Chicago.
Just a couple days before Opening Day, Cueto took a minor league deal with the White Sox, who promoted him to the majors last month. In the four starts since, he’s gone deep into games and given Chicago a chance to win in most of them. The White Sox are 2-2 in games he's pitched this season, and he currently has a 0-2 record with a 2.92 ERA heading into Wednesday's start against the Dodgers.
That’s been huge for a team that is missing Lance Lynn and needs consistent quality starts in order to avoid slipping in the American League Central, a division they have the talent to win handedly.
Both as a player and person, Cueto has fit right in. Appearing on the “Chris Rose Rotation” podcast, fellow White Sox starter Lucas Giolito raved about his 36-year-old teammate.
“He’s amazing. Watching him pitch is like watching Picasso paint. It is really something else,” Giolito said. “The control he has over his body, and I’ve always seen it on TV, I see the centier-field view, the TV view. Seeing it from the side, all the upper-body (control), oh my god. I have no idea how he does it. I would fall over, I can’t do any of that stuff, that’s crazy. Of course, I tell Dylan Cease and he’s like ‘Well, I could do that.’ No shot, man. You’re like a robot out there.
“Johnny is amazing. Amazing,” Giolito continued. “He was playing great music on the back of the plane last night, having a fun time in the card game, just fitting right in and honestly has been huge for us when it comes to the pitching side, the starting pitching staff. Like, a true veteran. I’ll just walk by him and he’ll just give me a little wink, you know? He’s got that presence. It makes me feel good.”
Lynn continues to make progress in his rehab assignment, and it’s unclear what his looming return could mean for Cueto. Quality starting arms – especially ones with Cueto’s experience – are tough to come by, so if nothing else, he should be able to provide depth at a pivotal position going forward – whether that’s every five days or the occasional spot start.
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