San Francisco Giants Pitcher Projections… As Hitters
There are pitchers who rake, like Bumgarner, and then there are pitchers who don’t, like Johnny Cueto. The Giants had five different pitchers go deep last season, but it would take a virtual miracle for them to repeat the feat this year if Cueto is in the rotation all season. Of course it’s not impossible, as the Giants did have a near-blind pitcher, a 40-year-old pitcher with a bad hip, and a 38-year-old pitcher with zero big league homers all clear the fences last season.
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Cueto is a career .107 hitter with just one extra-base hit, a double in 2012, who strikes out in 31.3 percent of his plate appearances that don’t end in a sacrifice bunt. He did show some improvement in his final three seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, jumping that batting average up to .144. That’s no Bumgarner-like total, but as Giants’ broadcaster Mike Krukow says, if he has an average, he’s dangerous.
Cueto wasn’t brought in for his hitting prowess, and his outstanding ability as a pitcher certainly overshadows his offensive deficiencies. His biggest entertainment value will come from his varied deliveries and shimmying on the mound, but he’ll likely provide a few chuckles as a hitter as well.
Projections:
Average – .123
Doubles – 0
Home Runs – 0
RBI – 1
Runs – 2
Sacrifices – 10
Next: Jeff Samardzija