The Chicago White Sox are winding down what was a very tough season for them as an organization. They thought that they were going to be good enough to compete for the division title at a minimum but have fallen flat on their faces.
However, they are in the middle of their final series against the Minnesota Twins trying to have a strong finish to what was an otherwise hard year. There were a few players that didn’t have bad years in spite of the team around them performing below par.
On Monday night, they defeated the Twins by a finals score of 3-2. It came just after the team announced that Tony La Russa isn’t going to back in 2023 as a result of some health issues that he is dealing with.
A player that should be considered as a potential candidate to return is Johnny Cueto. He was picked up as a free agent after the season already started because of an injury sustained by Lance Lynn.
Johnny Cueto was incredible for the Chicago White Sox during this 2022 season.
Well, he ended up exceeding expectations and could be argued as the Sox’s second-best pitcher this year. Only Dylan Cease is going to go into the offseason with a better feeling than Cueto as he was magnificent this year.
In Monday’s 3-2 win, Cueto made his final start of the season and was enchanted. He gave up two runs in the first inning which made it seem like his last start would end with a whimper but he buckled down and shut them down from there.
Those two runs ended up being the only two that he gave up over 7.0 innings. He allowed them on six hits with no walks. He struck out four in the effort. It was honestly one of his best starts of the season which is saying something because he has had a lot of elite performances.
Cueto finishes his season with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He had 102 strikeouts in 158.1 innings and an 8-10 record. It is unfortunate that the team didn’t give him more offense so that they can take advantage of his outstanding performances.
He changed his pitching style to adapt to his age. Instead of being a dominant power pitcher, he pitched to contact which helps him be effective at 36 years old. The White Sox defense failed him at times as well but it was the only way for him to be at his best in 2022. He was great at it.
This is a player that can be incredibly proud of his season that started with such little expectations. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by him. Now, he should be looking for another contract as he deserves a chance to do it again in 2023.
It would be nice for the White Sox to bring him back if they can. If he wanted to go to a team that has a better chance of winning the World Series, everybody would also understand. It is something to keep an eye on as it unfolds.