Rembering Johnny Cueto, Harbinger of Hope

Between 2006 and 2007, I found Hope.

Between tangling with my own Jim Stark-esque teenage demons and brandishing my diverse musical palette by blasting The Police, Lil Wayne, and everything in between from the stereo of my 2000 Nissan Maxima, I found Hope.

Hope was Johnny Cueto.

Hope was signed as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2004 and began his ascent with the Reds in 2005, pitching most of his 49 innings for the Reds rookie affiliate in the Gulf Coast League before a cup of coffee at High-A Sarasota.

I located Hope in 2006, my first year playing fantasy baseball. Anyone worth their salt knows that research is king in fantasy baseball, and that it’s impossible to avoid…