Johnny Cueto intends to step up as a clubhouse leader with the Cincinnati Reds this season.
Injuries limited him to just 11 starts in 2013.
"I did a lot of training. Now I can come back ready," said Cueto, who was 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA last season in those starts.
Two seasons ago, Cueto went 19-9 with a 2.78 ERA in a career-high 33 starts and 217 innings.
"These guys are getting here and they're developing not just as pitchers, but developing as people," Bryan Price said. "When these guys are so talented at such a young age, you'll form an opinion of a young person who is a young person. Sometimes, we unfortunately extract that dynamic out of the equation when we're evaluating. That's not fair. In Johnny's case, I think he is absolutely latching on to that role of being in a place of more leadership and just trying to be a bigger part of what's going on here.
"You're exposing yourself when you do something you're not comfortable doing. A willingness to offer up and say, 'I want to do this,' and him to be proactive in that way speaks a lot about that maturity and the type of role he wants to fill for our club, especially now that Bronson [Arroyo] is gone."
Via Mark Sheldon/MLB