| Jack Cust | |
|---|---|
| Free Agent – No. -- | |
| Designated hitter / Outfielder | |
| Born: January 7, 1979 Flemington, New Jersey |
|
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 26, 2001 for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |
| Career statistics (through July 27, 2011) |
|
| Batting average | .242 |
| Home runs | 105 |
| Runs batted in | 323 |
| Teams | |
John Joseph "Jack" Cust III (born January 7, 1979, in Flemington, New Jersey) is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder who is a free agent. Cust attended Immaculata High School in Somerville, New Jersey. In 1997, he was first-team High School All-American at first base and did not attend college as he was drafted out of high school.
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In 1997, Cust, coming out of high school, was the first round draft pick (30th overall) of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and had a .447 on-base percentage in 35 games in the Rookie League. Cust was a Pioneer League All-Star in 1998, where he led the league in walks (86), on-base percentage (.530), and runs scored (75). In 1999, he led the California League in homers (32), on-base percentage (.450), and slugging percentage (.651), and was Baseball America's 1st team Minor League All-Star DH, California League All-Star, and the Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League Player of the Year.
In 2000, he had a .440 on base percentage at El Paso in the Texas League while leading the league in walks (117) and strikeouts (150). In 2001, he was a Pacific Coast League All-Star while leading the league with 102 walks, and in 2002 he was the Triple-A All-Star Game MVP. In 2006, he led the PCL with 143 walks (also leading the minor leagues), walking 24.5% of the time, while sporting a .467 on-base percentage with 30 home runs.
In 11 minor league seasons with five different organizations, he hit exactly 200 home runs, had a .286 batting average, and a .429 on-base percentage. Statistically, he hit a home run once every 19 at-bats, struck out once every 3 at-bats, and earned 1 walk per game.
Cust made his Major League debut with the Diamondbacks on September 26, 2001.
On January 7, 2002, Cust was traded by the Diamondbacks with catcher JD Closser to the Colorado Rockies for pitcher Mike Myers. Cust spent the majority of the 2002 season with the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. He played in 35 games with the big league club, going 11-65 (.169 batting average) with 1 home run. On March 11, 2003, he was traded by the Rockies to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Chris Richard and cash.
During an August 16, 2003, game between the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees, Cust was the tying run in the 12th inning with two outs when he tried to score from first base on a single to the gap by Larry Bigbie. Cust however, stumbled and fell between third and home plate, where the Yankees got him in a rundown. Cust outmaneuvered the defense, and eventually found himself sprinting towards home plate with nobody covering it, however, Cust fell down for the second time in the same play and was tagged out by third baseman Aaron Boone to end the game.[1]
Cust finished the 2003 season batting .260 (19-73) with 4 home runs in the majors after being with the Ottawa Lynx (Orioles Triple-A team) for the first 4 months of the season. He would have just 1 one at-bat in the majors with the Orioles in the 2004 season and was granted free agency after the end of the season.
On November 15, 2004, he was signed by the Oakland Athletics. He spent the whole season in Triple-A Sacramento and was granted free agency after the season. On December 6, 2005, he signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. He just had 3 at-bats in the 2006 season.
Cust began the 2007 with the San Diego Padres Triple-A team, the Portland Beavers. On May 3, 2007, the Padres traded Cust to the Oakland Athletics, although he was rumored to be joining Japan's Chiba Lotte Marines. The Athletics needed another designated hitter due to an injury to veteran Mike Piazza. Cust quickly endeared himself to A's fans by hitting 6 home runs in his first 7 games. Cust would hit .346 with 14 RBI during the seven game stretch. On May 13, 2007, with two outs and an 0-2 count in the bottom of the ninth, the A's rallied to score 5 runs to beat Joe Borowski and the Cleveland Indians 10-7, with Cust hitting a walk-off 3-run home run.
After hitting .348 with 1 double and 5 home runs along with 13 RBI, Cust shared Co-American League Player of the Week honors along with teammate Dan Johnson for the week ending May 13, 2007. On August 10, 2007, Cust hit his first major league grand slam off relief pitcher Macay McBride of the Detroit Tigers. He also hit a 3-run double earlier in the game to give him a career high 7 RBI. He finished the 2007 season leading the Athletics in home runs with 26. In 2007, he walked 21.0% of the time, tops in the major leagues, and struck out 41.5% of the time, also tops in the majors.[2]
On September 19, 2008, he broke the AL record for most strikeouts in one season with 187. For the season he struck out 41.0% of the time, the highest percentage in major league baseball, once every 2.4 at bats.[3][4] He also walked 18.8% of the time, the second highest rate in the majors.[3]
On December 12, 2009, Cust was non-tendered by the Athletics making him a free agent. On January 7, 2010, Cust re-signed with the Oakland Athletics on a 1 year $2.5 million contract.[5] However, he was designated for assignment on April 3, at the end of Spring Training.
On April 7, Cust cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. During his 33 minor league game tenure, he hit .273 with 4 home runs and 19 RBIs, and matched his 33 Ks w/ 33 walks. On May 15, he was added to the 40-man roster and recalled. In the first game he appeared in, he made a comedic error in left field. He appeared mostly in the outfield until Eric Chavez ended up on the DL, then assumed the primary DH spot. On September 13, Cust hit his 100th career home run in a 3-1 Athletics victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
Following the 2010 season, Cust was non-tendered for the second year in a row, and became a free agent.[6] On December 8, 2010, Cust signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners. On July 29, 2011, the Mariners released Cust after he hit just .213 with 3 home runs.
Cust signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on August 12, 2011.[7] He was released a week later on August 20.[8]
On December 13, 2007, he was named in the Mitchell Report as a user of performance-enhancing drugs.[9] Cust however denied any wrong doing or use of performance-enhancing drugs and there were inaccuracies in his citings in the report.[10]
In Cust's hometown in Flemington, New Jersey, he as well as his two brothers and father operate one of the largest youth baseball facilities on the east coast. Cust's father bought a small warehouse property in the mid-1990s and eventually turned it into the Jack Cust Baseball Academy, which was completed in 1997. Three astro-turf fields were built along with an indoor batting and video review center as was a health and fitness center. In the winter, a dome is put over all three fields, where various youth indoor baseball leagues and high school and college showcase tournaments run throughout the winter. All of this would total out to be 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2).
In 2009, of another portion of the Jack Cust Baseball Academy was completed when ten more turf fields were built on property across the street from the original three turf fields. This property is referred to as Diamond Nation. The entire academy and complex is over 700,000 square feet (65,000 m2) and attracts some of the most talented teams and players in youth, high school, and college on the east coast.[11]