Reds won’t let Johnny Cueto pitch in the 2013 WBC

By Drew SilvaFeb 20, 2013, 6:39 PM EST
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Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto was hoping to represent his native Dominican Republic in next month’s 2013 World Baseball Classic. But it’s not going to happen:

That tweet comes from Cueto’s agent, Bryce Dixon, of the Primo Sports Group.

Cueto suffered a minor right oblique strain during his NLDS Game 1 start against the Giants. He has been fully recovered from that injury for several weeks, but the Reds want to keep him in camp all spring.

Twins to retire Joe Mauer’s No. 7

AP Photo/Jim Mone
By Bill BaerDec 18, 2018, 4:45 PM EST
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Twins senior director of communications Dustin Morse announced that the Twins will honor former C/1B Joe Mauer by retiring his uniform number 7. Mauer announced his retirement from baseball on November 9.

Mauer will join Harmon Killebrew (No. 3), Tony Oliva (No. 6), Tom Kelly (No. 10), Kent Hrbek (No. 14), Rod Carew (No. 29), Kirby Pucket (No. 34), and Bert Blyleven (No. 28) as Twins to have their numbers retired.

Mauer, 35, spent 15 seasons in the majors, all with the Twins. He posted a career .306/.388/.439 triple-slash line with 143 home runs and 923 RBI. He won the AL MVP Award in 2009, won the batting title three times, earned three Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers, and made the AL All-Star team six times. Sadly, his career was limited due to injuries, including a concussion that caused him to move from catcher to first base.

Five years from now, Mauer will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot. There will certainly be some arguments for and against his candidacy. He retired with 55.1 career Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference, which definitely puts him in the conversation. But, as always, there’s never a consensus.