Jairo Cuevas

From BR Bullpen

Jairo Joel Cuevas

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 2", Weight 215 lb.

BR minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Jairo Cuevas peaked at AA after being his league's Pitcher of the Year in 2005.

Cuevas signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2003 and spent his first summer in the Dominican Summer League. In 2004, he was with the GCL Braves (2-3, Sv, 3.09, 39 K in 35 IP) and Danville Braves (4 BB, 1 H, 0 R in 4 IP). He excelled for the 2005 Danville Braves, going 5-1 with a 1.95 ERA, 69 strikeouts in 55 1/3 IP and a .179 opponent average. He was among the Appalachian League leaders in wins (tied for second, 3 behind Yohan Pino), ERA (second to Adam Hawes) and strikeouts (tied for 5th with Sergio Severino). He was named the league's All-Star right-handed pitcher (Alexander Smit was the lefty) and took home the circuit Pitcher of the Year. In the finals, though, he lost game one to the Elizabethton Twins' Ryan Mullins. Baseball America named him the league's #13 prospect, between John Drennen and Eli Iorg.

In 2006, he struggled with the Rome Braves at 7-12, 5.55 with 65 walks in 129 2/3 innings, though he did fan 117. He tied for 5th in the South Atlantic League in losses, tied for 6th with 87 runs allowed and tied James McDonald for 8th in walks (65). Among Braves farmhands, only Chris Waters allowed more runs, only Jo-Jo Reyes and Matt Wright had more strikeouts and only Waters had more losses.

With the 2007 Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Cuevas had a similar won/loss record (6-12) but a much better ERA (3.55). He was among the Carolina League leaders in losses (tied for first with Clayton Richard, Kyle Bloom and Todd Redmond), walks (1st with 71, 4 ahead of Chorye Spoone), ERA (7th, between Blake Johnson and Richard) and strikeouts (116, tied for 6th). In the Atlanta chain, he tied Kelvin Villa for second in losses, led in walks and was 4th in whiffs.

Cuevas struggled in 2008 with the Mississippi Braves (0-2, 7.50 in 3 G) and was briefly with the GCL Braves (1-0, 2.00) before surgery ended his season. The Braves waived him and the Kansas City Royals claimed him, but the Braves reclaimed him in November, only to have Kansas City reclaim him in December. He missed 2009 due to injury. In 2010, he was 4-9 with a 5.85 ERA for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. He tied for 8th in the Carolina League in losses. With the independent Lake Erie Crushers in 2011, he was 1-2 with a 7.17 ERA to end his playing career.

After his playing career, Cuevas became a minor league pitching coach in 2013. He was scheduled to be the pitching coach of the Salt Lake Bees in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

In addition to his regular coaching responsibilities, Cuevas served as a coach for the 2019 Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. He gained international experience as the pitching coach for the Tigres del Licey during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 Venezuelan League seasons.

Notable Achievements[edit]

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