William Enrique Cuevas Osorio (born October 14, 1990) is a Venezuelan

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country. The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...

. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

and the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. He also played for the

KT Wiz KT Wiz ( ko, KT 위즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Suwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Suwon Baseball Stadium in Suwon. History On 11 January 2013, the Korea Baseball Organization offi ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. Listed at and , Cuevas throws right-handed and is a switch hitter.

Career

Path to the majors

Cuevas was signed by the Red Sox as an international free agent in July 2008. He spent two-and-a-half seasons with the

DSL Red Sox The Dominican Summer League Red Sox, often called the DSL Red Sox, are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball, playing in the foreign Dominican Summer League. The team, classed as a Rookie League franchis ...

spanning 2009–2011, before joining the GCL rookie team late in 2011. He then was promoted to the

Class A Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

in 2012, and played with them for the entire season. Cuevas emerged during his first season with Lowell, as he posted eight wins and two losses in 77⅓ innings of work,

striking out ''Striking Out'' is an Irish television legal drama series, broadcast on RTÉ, that first aired on 1 January 2017. Produced by Bl!nder F!lms for RTÉ Television, ''Striking Out'' stars Amy Huberman as Dublin-based solicitor Tara Rafferty, who is ...

72 batters while

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

only 15 for a solid 4.80 SO/BB ratio. He also set a Spinners record for the lowest

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in a regular season, as his 1.40 ERA bested the 1.50 mark set by

Kyle Weiland Kyle Edward Weiland (born September 12, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros. Career Weiland attended the University of Notre Dame, where he ...

in 2008. In addition, Cuevas ranked in the top of several statistical categories in the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

, tying for first in wins, for second both in ERA and innings, and for third in strikeouts. Cuevas was promoted to the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

in 2013 but struggled for most of the year. He posted an 8–9 record and a 5.05 ERA in 26 starts, while striking out 109 and walking 40 in 135⅓ innings. He returned to Salem in 2014, but spent two stints on the disabled list, including one that lasted roughly a month. He then went 2–6 with a 4.70 ERA in 24 appearances (10 starts), including 80 strikeouts and 32 walks in 95⅓ innings. Cuevas gained a promotion to the Double-A

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

in 2015, where he was used strictly as a starter and had a solid season, becoming one of five Sea Dogs players selected for the Eastern League All-Star team. ''SoxProspects.com. ''Retrieved on July 2, 2015. Overall, he was 8–5 with a 3.40 ERA in 19 starts for Portland, including 91 strikeouts and 41 walks in 95⅓ innings. He then joined the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

in early August, and ended his season on a high note. Cuevas went 3–2 with a 2.63 ERA in seven starts for Pawtucket, striking out 37 and walking 14 in 41 innings. As a result, he completed his seventh season in the Sox farm system setting career highs in wins (11), innings pitched (136⅓) and strikeouts (128), tying for the most wins in the system while ending second in strikeouts and seventh in innings.

Boston Red Sox

Cuevas started the 2016 season with Triple-A Pawtucket. He was selected by the Red Sox and added to their 40-man roster on April 20. He made his MLB debut the next day, pitching innings of relief against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, giving up three hits and two runs while taking the loss. He made two other appearances with Boston during the season, both in June. Overall, with the 2016 Red Sox, Cuevas made three appearances with a 3.60 ERA in five innings pitched, striking out three and walking six. He also pitched 25 games (18 starts) with Pawtucket, compiling a 6–8 record with 4.19 ERA in 131 innings pitched. He became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

after the season.

Detroit Tigers

On November 19, 2016, Cuevas signed a minor league contract with the

. The Tigers purchased Cuevas's contract on April 13, 2017, adding him to their active roster. He made his only appearance with the Tigers the next day, pitching of an inning against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

, allowing four runs on three hits. He declined an outright assignment to Triple-A on June 1, 2017, and elected free agency. ;Miami Marlins (minors) On June 7, 2017, Cuevas signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins. He played for the Triple-A

New Orleans Baby Cakes The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the New Orleans Zephyrs) were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They were located in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, ...

, appearing in 15 games (11 starts) with a 2–7 record and 5.43 ERA. Cuevas elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Second stint with Boston

In January 2018, Cuevas signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox. He was assigned to Triple-A and made 15 appearances (all starts) with Pawtucket through July 1, compiling a 5–5 record with 3.65 ERA in innings pitched. The Red Sox selected his contract on July 2, adding him to their major league roster. Cuevas made his season debut with Boston the next day, pitching two innings against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

, allowing one run on two hits; he was optioned back to Triple-A the following day. Cuevas was recalled back to Boston on July 8, and without making an appearance was optioned back to Triple-A on July 10. Boston activated Cuevas on August 11, as their 26th player for a doubleheader against the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

; he pitched in relief in the second game, and was returned to Triple-A the following day. Cuevas was called up to Boston on September 1, when rosters expanded. Cuevas finished the season with an 0–2 record and 7.41 ERA with Boston, while making nine appearances (one start) and striking out 20 in 17 innings. Cuevas was not included on Boston's postseason roster.

KT Wiz

On November 20, 2018, Cuevas was granted his unconditional release so he could sign with the

of Korea's

. Cuevas produced a 13–10 record with a 3.62 ERA and 135 strikeouts over 184 innings in 2019. He re-signed with KT for the 2020 season for $900,000 (and $100,000 in incentives). On December 13, 2020, Cuevas re-signed with the Wiz for the 2021 season on a one-year $750K contract with a mutual option for the 2022 season. In November 2021, Cuevas was designated as the starting pitcher for the first game of the Korean Series in franchise history. He earned the win, pitching innings and giving up one run on seven hits, with eight strikeouts. He was named MVP of the game. On December 30, 2021, Cuevas re-signed with the Wiz for the 2022 season on a one-year contract worth up to $1.1 million. He suffered an elbow injury following his second start of the season, and was later released by the club on May 18, 2022.

Diablos Rojos del México

On July 14, 2022, Cuevas signed with the

of the

Sources

External links

Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuevas, William 1990 births Living people Boston Red Sox players Detroit Tigers players Dominican Summer League Red Sox players Gulf Coast Red Sox players KBO League pitchers KT Wiz players Leones del Caracas players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Venezuela New Orleans Baby Cakes players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Turmero Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Tiburones de La Guaira players Toledo Mud Hens players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in South Korea Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States Venezuelan people of Colombian descent 2017 World Baseball Classic players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in Mexico Diablos Rojos del México players

Career

Path to the majors

Boston Red Sox

Detroit Tigers

Second stint with Boston

KT Wiz

Diablos Rojos del México

See also

Sources

External links