Cincinnati Enquirer piece on Johnny Cueto

Johnny Cueto, a 20-year-old right-hander, had another spectacular outing for Single-A Dayton Thursday. He pitched seven innings of one-hit ball in a 5-0 win over Fort Wayne. He struck out seven and walked none.

He didn't allow any hits in a five-inning stint in his last outing.

Cueto is 4-1 with a 2.93 ERA. He has allowed 23 hits in 40 innings. His most impressive stat: 52 strikeouts and six walks.

"He was throwing up to 95 (mph)," said director of player development Johnny Almaraz. "He was still at 91, 92 at the end."

Cueto might get a bump to high-A Sarasota.

"If he continues to dominate the league, we'll move him," Almaraz said.

Cueto, one of the first graduates of the Reds' new academy in the Dominican Republic, is 5 feet 10 and weighs 192 pounds.

"He's a strong-built kid," Almaraz said.

Cincinnati Enquirer

It looks like Cueto might have the making to be a pitching prospect that rockets up the Reds charts. Coming into the season, Cueto was not even in Baseball America's top 30 list for the Reds, but if you were to go through that list again, he would probably be in the top 10.