Teammates impressions of Cueto's debut

[BRM]

From Fay:

The Reds were not surprised by Johnny Cueto's one-hit, one-run, 10-strikeout, seven-inning debut. But they were giddy. Some examples:

Bronson Arroyo: "I never saw Pedro (Martinez) throw in his younger years in person. But he reminds me somewhat of him -- smaller guy, Dominican, throws the ball on a really low plane, 94 to 96, not an unbelievably big curveball -- Pedro's is bigger -- but a pitch to get them off the fastball and then good change. It was an unbelievable debut. A young guy, great circumstances -- not much of crowd, more of spring training feel -- any way you cut it it's a nerve-racking day. To do what he did, especially command-wise. When someone's throwing that hard, you'd expect them to be up in the zone a lot. He was just painting at the knee all day. Pretty nasty. The only debut I saw that came close to that was (Jonathan) Papelbon. He's turned out to be pretty damn good."

Francisco Cordero: "Unbelievable. Everything was downhill. Everything was a strike. He attacked the hitters. He made the pitches he wanted to make. Even the home run pitch wasn't bad. The guy just put a good swing on it. It was just amazing. I just wanted to get my job done so he got the win. When you pitch like that, you deserve a win, especially in your big debut."

Adam Dunn: "He's fun to play behind. He gets the ball and throws. He doesn't take a lot of time between pitches. He throws strikes. He's one of those special guys. You can tell it on the mound. He's total different on the mound than he is in the clubhouse. I don't know how describe it."

Paul Bako: "He's tough. He's going to be tough for quite a long time. It was nice to see him come out and be himself, not try to do too much. He obviously wasn't rattled. It really doesn't surprise me. It was very nice to see. Just the way he handles himself, the confidence he has and the ability he has, it doesn't surprise me. He's nice and cool and collected. He knows he's good. He doesn't exude cockiness but he's got confidence about him that just every time out we're going to have a chance to win."

Mike Lincoln: "That was a special outing. But we saw that in spring. He's got that kind of stuff to be able to pitch like that every start. You can see it in him. He's a competitor and he has the stuff to carry him to another level."

Dusty Baker: "What can I say about Johnny Cueto? Great debut. He threw strikes. The linescore says it: Seven innings, one run, one hit, 10 strikeouts. That is some debut right there."

[Matt700wlw]

From Trent:

This from Orlando Hudson:

"He was poised. He pitched a good game. The kid’s got a good arm. He’s got some good stuff. Good change-up, good slider. He was throwing that fastball where he wanted to. He had great stuff."

"The win he had today is just another boost of confidence. I’m pretty sure he’ll be just as dominant in his next start."

Tough when he’s putting 95-96 where he wants?
"Yeah. That’s Jake Peavy-like. He’s got that type of stuff. Like Griffey told me, he reminded him of a young Pedro. If he holds out -- and I hope he does -- he’ll have a great career."

When did Griffey say that?
"Two days ago."

"He threw me everything in the book. He had everything working today. He’s feeling confident. That’s good for a young pitcher to go out and do that in his first start. That’s a great boost of confidence right there. He made one mistake and that was to J-Up and you saw where that got him."

What did you think when Juinor told you that?
"You never know. I was like, ‘OK, we’ll see.’ He wasn’t lying. He’s going to be good."

[RedLegSuperStar]

I got to believe he is the best pitcher on this staff after watching him pitch today. He mixed his pitches well and he was consistent. 10K's and 0 walks says a lot about this youngster. He was hitting 95 back to back in the 7th inning and mixing the change in a 82-84 mph. Very smooth delivery and the ball just zips out of his hand with good movement. Was well worth the cold damp weather watching Cueto's debut.

[RedEye]

This is all very exciting. Great to get this news today, especially with Chris Henry's release dampening my football spirits. Thanks, Johnny Cueto!

[wheels]

J.C....The Savior.

[lollipopcurve]

My impression?

He's the best Reds pitcher since Rijo. Stay healthy, kid.

[Highlifeman21]

I'm glad The Dusty kept him under 100 pitches.

[Ron Madden]

Originally Posted by Highlifeman21

I'm glad The Dusty kept him under 100 pitches.

So am I.

[Ron Madden]

Why do we not have a game thread of Cueto's debut?

[HumnHilghtFreel]

Originally Posted by Ron Madden

Why do we not have a game thread of Cueto's debute?

The site was down for a few hours, unfortunately.

[Ron Madden]

Originally Posted by HumnHilghtFreel

The site was down for a few hours, unfortunately.

Ahhh, that's a shame. Thanks for the reply.

[WMR]

There's a game thread on the peanut gallery.

[KronoRed]

Originally Posted by lollipopcurve

My impression?

He's the best Reds pitcher since Rijo. Stay healthy, kid.

I think he's the best Reds pitcher since Harang

[OnBaseMachine]

Cueto merits comparisons to Martinez, Peavy

BY NICK PIECORO | THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
E-mail thisE-mail | Printer-FriendlyPrint | digg us! |

With Reds phenom Johnny Cueto set to make his major-league debut Thursday, Diamondbacks second baseman Orlando Hudson did some digging to find a scouting report on the young right-hander.

Hudson was told by a friend that Cueto was reminiscent of Pedro Martinez.

Ken Griffey Jr. might make a good advance scout one day.

"I was like, 'OK, we'll see,' " Hudson said. "He wasn't lying."

Cueto dazzled for seven innings Thursday, allowing just one hit and striking out 10 to lead the Reds to a 3-2 victory over the Diamondbacks.

The 22-year-old retired 21 of the 22 batters he faced. Justin Upton's solo home run in the sixth was all that stood between Cueto and seven perfect innings.

"He's got great stuff and he pounds the zone with it. That's what makes him effective," Upton said. "He's just a great pitcher."

After Cueto struck out the first batter of the game, Chris Young, on a low, 96 mph fastball, it was evident the Diamondbacks might be in for a long afternoon.

"He's got great stuff," Eric Byrnes said. "Fastball spotted to both sides. Good breaking ball, threw his change-up. He had everything."

How's this for stuff? A fastball at 96 mph, a slider between 88-90 mph and a change-up in the upper-80s.

"That's Jake Peavy-like - he's got that type of stuff," Hudson said. "If he holds out (stays healthy), and I hope he does, he'll have a great career."

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...T04/804040388/

[Guacarock]

The housing market might be in the tank. The stock market mired in a churning or bear cycle. Gold peaking. But at least this week, Johnny Cueto baseball cards have proven the most lucrative investment for your financial portfolio.

His Bowman Chromes were selling on E-bay for a buck or two this winter. Check out the fierce auctions today for those same cards -- with prices pushing in the $15-$35 range.

Of course, it won't hold. The bubble will eventually burst and the boom abate.

But Cueto has sure made it fun to be a Reds fan this April. So glad he didn't get swapped for Blanton. Here's hoping his flashy debut rubs off on the Reds vets as well as the prospects coming up behind him.