Cincinnati Reds Starter Alfredo Simon Headed to All-Star Game

Jul 4, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Alfredo Simon throws a pitch during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

When four National League All-Star pitchers made starts for their own teams on Sunday, they became ineligible to pitch during the Midsummer Classic in Minnesota on Tuesday.  A prime beneficiary of this attrition was Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Alfredo Simon, who was announce this afternoon as a replacement for teammate Johnny Cueto, as reported on ESPN.com.

Simon landed in the Reds’ rotation at age 33 this spring after an injury to Mat Latos left the team short-staffed.   Despite coming up short in previous stints as a starter, Simon has flourished this time around and enters the break tied for the league lead with 12 wins.   In the process, he has posted a 2.70 ERA and a 136 ERA+ that kept him in the rotation even after Latos returned, at the expense of Reds youngster Tony Cingrani.

Simon had hoped to land an All-Star berth when rosters were announced a week or so ago but did not make NL manager Mike Matheny’s cut.  Cueto had long been slotted to pitch in the Reds’ final game of the first half though, so Simon’s ultimate inclusion was not really surprising.  He helped his cause on July 9 with four-hit performance against the Chicago Cubs.

Joining Simon as replacements on the NL All-Star squad are starter Tim Hudson of the San Francisco Giants, closer Huston Street of the San Diego Padres, and reliever Tyler Clippard of the Washington Nationals.  Simon was the fifth Red named to the 2014 team.