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NL Cy Young Award: Johnny Cueto conspicuously missing from the list of Top 3 candidates

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NL Cy Young Award: Johnny Cueto conspicuously missing from the list of Top 3 candidates
He is unparalleled. He is fast and he is unplayable.
He is everything, but conspicuously missing in this year’s Cy Young Award was his name. A name that the fans would love to see: Cincinnati Reds' Johnny Cueto.
New York Mets' R. A. Dickey won the MLB 2012 Cy Young Award. When Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced the award, Cueto – paradoxically, was not in the Top 3 nominees.
That was largely because of something unexpected, and probably, quite inevitable. Johnny Cueto was instrumental in solidifying the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation, making it one of the strongest in the league.
While the Reds went on to win 97 of their regular season games, Cueto was doing his bid with pitching whereby he would come down hard on the batters, outwitting them and outshining the rival pitchers.
With 2.78 earned run average, he won 19 games during the regular season, garnering attention and resounding recognition. The fact that he was the Opening Day starter was actually an acknowledgement of the place he retains in the 40-man roster; especially in the rotation.
As successful as his bid was in the regular season, he was duly slated to start the Game of the National League Division Series against the San Francisco Giants. However, much to his and the fans’ chagrin, something unanticipated happened.
He had to leave the mound after tossing only eight pitches because of a strained muscle in his back. The Reds, which seemed all capable of making it beyond NLDS, was in a dilemma. Up until Game 3, he was not replaced as the club expected to edge their way past to the NLCS.
However, he had to be replaced finally by Mike Leake. The Reds, on the other hand, could not go beyond the NLDS.
Resultantly, the pitcher who was being highly touted as the potential Cy Young Award winner was missing from the top 3 list. It was rather R. A. Dickey, Clayton Kershaw and Gio Gonzalez who made it there.
Dickey won it with 27 first place votes, having got 209 points. As for Cueto, he won 93 points. There is no denial of the fact that his presence would alter the outlook of the post-season games if only he did not fall victim to that back injury.
In the upcoming season, however, the Reds hope Cueto not only help the club in their bid for glory, but also win this much deserving Cy Young Award.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect the official editorial policy of Bettor.com.

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