South Side Sox Player of the Week (June 13-18): Johnny Cueto

Some White Sox fans had premonitions of doom as their team rolled into Houston last weekend.

With the South Side offense finally firing on, well, most cylinders, who else but the Astros to remind us that we can’t have nice things? Luckily for the Sox, an offseason pickup has proved vital to the team’s rotation, and stopped Dusty Baker’s space cowboys dead in their tracks.

Johnny Cueto, signed very late this offseason, in April, has been sturdy on the mound across his six starts. Following his Tommy John surgery in 2018, the 36-year-old Dominican is now reminding his new fans in Chicago exactly what he was about in the first half of his career: two All-Star appearances, a World Series ring, and three near-misses of a Cy Young Award.

In Houston last weekend, when the Sox needed him most, Cueto came through with flying colors. The Sox rotation has struggled eat innings this season, and the resulting tax on the bullpen has cost a number of games. But Cueto wheeled-and-dealed, allowing only two hits through seven scoreless frames and ushering in a 7-0 shutout victory.

With Cueto giving Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Lance Lynn a chance to catch their breaths, the Sox may have the support they need to climb above .500, and start gunning for the top of the Central Division.

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2022 South Side Sox Players of the Week

Tim Anderson (April 8-17)
Tanner Banks (April 18-23)
Lucas Giolito (April 24-May 1)
Dylan Cease (May 2-8)
Michael Kopech (May 9-14)
Davis Martin (May 15-21)
Jake Burger (May 22-29)
Andrew Vaughn (May 30-June 5)
Jake Burger (June 6-12)
Johnny Cueto (June 13-18)

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MVP Standings

Michael Kopech (46.6)
Dylan Cease (44.3)
Andrew Vaughn (37.2)
Johnny Cueto (34.6)
Lucas Giolito (26.5)
Tim Anderson (26.2)
Jake Burger (22.4)
Luis Robert (19.6)
Tanner Banks (14.1)
José Abreu (13.6)

Cold Cat Standings

Tony La Russa (-53.0)
Leury García (-45.8)
Josh Harrison (-28.4)
Liam Hendriks (-22.0)
Joe Kelly (-21.0)
Kendall Graveman (-19.8)
Gavin Sheets (-18.6)
Aaron Bummer (-18.5)
Yasmani Grandal (-14.0)
Yoán Moncada (-10.8)

Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease may finally see a challenge at the top of the MVP list, as both Andrew Vaughn and Johnny Cueto are coming on strong.

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Writer Standings

While order is restored to the standings, with both Zach Hayes and Chrystal O’Keefe on top, covering a “.500” team creates little separation; 15th place still is just four games worse than first.

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If you’re interested in seeing more of Mitch’s work, or if you’d like to purchase original drawings or prints, contact him via Twitter (@soxsketcher), Instagram (@southsidesharpie), or by e-mail at southsidesharpie@gmail.com. Thanks for supporting local artists!