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MLB.com: Cueto returning to Reds' rotation on Monday
In case you missed the news, David Villavicencio reports that Johnny Cueto will pitch against the Mets on Monday the 20th. Cueto has made two rehab starts for Class A Dayton. He allowed only one run across eight innings with the Dragons, striking out eight and walking none.
Beyond the Box Score: Stolen Base Rates for Pitchers and Johnny Cueto
James Gentile looked at which pitchers have most effectively shut down the running game since 2002. There are a handful of pitchers who bested Cueto in that time frame, but the Reds' ace has improved each season since Cincinnati called him up in 2008. Gentile points out that Cueto is almost too good at controlling the running game as opposing players have almost stopped running on him completely. Much of the value in preventing thefts on the basepaths lies in throwing out baserunners, and you can't throw out too many players at first base. Josh Tomlin is the poster boy of this effect as he threw 165.1 innings in 2011 without a single steal attempt. A similar phenomenon occurred with Johnny Bench. Once the National League got a look at Bench's arm, teams stopped running on him, and that limited the value of his defense.
The Hardball Times: NL Central division update: May edition
Redleg Nation's Jason Linden reviews early developments in the division.
Sports Illustrated: The 50 highest-earning American athletes
Joey Votto comes in at number 45. Hat tip to Red Hot Mama's Zeldink for the link.
BPro: Manufactured Runs: Listen to What the Heyman Said
Colin Wyers responds to a tweet from Jon Heyman. If you read only one of these links, then I highly recommend that you make it this one. Wyers asks some very good questions about WAR and its defensive component. I believe that both those who like WAR and those who dislike WAR will enjoy the article.
Rany Jazayerli offers his take on the Astros' rebuilding process.
Grantland: The Art of Pitch Framing
BPro's Ben Lindbergh investigates the increasing focus on pitch framing by organizations around baseball.
BPro: The Stats Go Marching In: Catcher Framing Before PITCHf/x
Max Marchi boldly goes where no pitch framing analyst has gone before: He uses Retrosheet play-by-play data to find the best pitch framers of the past 25 years.