In December, the San Francisco Giants landed the signature of one of the best free agent pitchers, right-hander Johnny Cueto. They signed him to a six-year, $130 million deal.
Fast forward three months later to last Monday—Cueto lay crumpled on the pitching mound. An Oakland Athletics batter inadvertently hit a line drive right off Cueto’s head which caused his hat to fly off and land about a foot away from his body.
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After being verbally tested by Giants medical staff, Cueto returned to the game for three innings before being rushed to a nearby hospital to be more objectively tested for a concussion. After being evaluated, he showed no signs of concussion, just a bruise on his forehead.
Last week, Cueto told The San Francisco Examiner that while he commended the MLB for continuing to develop technology, he could sympathize with pitchers that do not want to use protective caps for the sake of not looking like a “bobblehead.”
The MLB is hoping that after this, Cueto can spearhead a bobblehead movement among pitchers, as they have contacted Cueto to discuss wearing the new protective “half-cap” that they are testing out this spring training.
We covered this move by the MLBPA before spring training, as they teamed up with Boombang to develop a protective cap that looks somewhat like a cross between a batting helmet and a sun visor. They sent the headwear to 20 pitchers to test during spring training, but so far the cap has not garnered a widespread following among players.
Cueto is on a list of many pitchers, five last year, that have been struck in the head by hits, and it is only a matter of time before one of these incidents turns tragic. This is an instance where the MLB absolutely needs to force technology upon players, and ignore the culture of baseball, so that they can keep their players on the mound.
More than anything, this should be a wake up call for the Giants and other MLB teams. Sure, the MLB has a duty to protect its players, but the Giants should recognize that they made a significant investment with Cueto. Having one of your pitchers look silly pales in comparison to potentially seeing $130 million lost down the drain.