Jack Cust facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jack Cust |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Cust with the Seattle Mariners
|
|||
| Designated hitter / Outfielder | |||
| Born: January 7, 1979 Flemington, New Jersey, U.S. |
|||
|
|||
| debut | |||
| September 26, 2001, for the Arizona Diamondbacks | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 27, 2011, for the Seattle Mariners | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .242 | ||
| Home runs | 105 | ||
| Runs batted in | 323 | ||
| Teams | |||
|
|||
John Joseph Cust III, known as Jack Cust, is an American former professional baseball player. He was born on January 7, 1979. Jack played as a designated hitter and an outfielder. He was part of several Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. These teams included the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and Seattle Mariners.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Jack Cust was born to Jack Sr. and Faith Cust. His father played college baseball for the Seton Hall Pirates. His brothers, Kevin and Mike, also played minor league baseball. Jack went to Immaculata High School in Somerville, New Jersey. In 1997, he was named a first-team High School All-American at first base. Jack first planned to play college baseball for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Professional Baseball Career
Starting with the Diamondbacks
In 1997, right after high school, Jack Cust was chosen in the first round of the MLB draft. He was the 30th player picked by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his first 35 games in the Rookie League, he had a great on-base percentage of .447.
In 1998, Jack became a Pioneer League All-Star. He led the league in walks (86), on-base percentage (.530), and runs scored (75). The next year, in 1999, he led the California League in home runs (32). He also led in on-base percentage (.450) and slugging percentage (.651). Baseball America named him a 1st team Minor League All-Star DH. He was also a California League All-Star and the Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League Player of the Year.
In 2000, playing for El Paso in the Texas League, he had a .440 on-base percentage. He led that league in walks (117) and strikeouts (150).
Moving Up in the Minors
Jack continued to shine in the minor leagues. In 2001, he was a Pacific Coast League All-Star. He led the league with 102 walks. In 2002, he was named the Triple-A All-Star Game MVP.
By 2006, he again led the PCL with 143 walks. This was the most walks in all of minor league baseball that year. He walked 24.5% of the time and had a .467 on-base percentage with 30 home runs. Over 11 seasons in the minor leagues, Jack hit 200 home runs. He had a .286 batting average and a .429 on-base percentage. He hit a home run about once every 19 at-bats and earned about one walk per game.
Major League Debut
Jack Cust made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on September 26, 2001. He played for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In his first 3 games, he got 1 hit in 2 tries, which is a .500 batting average, and also had a walk.
Time with the Colorado Rockies
On his 23rd birthday, January 7, 2002, Jack was traded to the Colorado Rockies. He spent most of the 2002 season with the Rockies' Triple-A team. He played in 35 games for the main Rockies team. In those games, he had 11 hits in 65 tries, a .169 batting average, and hit one home run.
Playing for the Baltimore Orioles
The Rockies traded Jack to the Baltimore Orioles on March 11, 2003. He played in 28 games for the Orioles over two seasons (27 in Template:2003 Baltimore Orioles season and 1 in Template:2004 Baltimore Orioles season). He spent most of his time with their minor league team, the Ottawa Lynx. After the 2004 season, Jack became a free agent.
Success with the Oakland Athletics
On November 15, 2004, Jack signed with the Oakland Athletics. He played the entire season in Triple-A Sacramento. After that season, he became a free agent again. On December 6, 2005, he signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. He only had 3 at-bats in the 2006 season.
Jack started the 2007 season with the San Diego Padres' Triple-A team. On May 3, 2007, the Padres traded him back to the Oakland Athletics. The Athletics needed a designated hitter because of an injury to Mike Piazza. Jack quickly became a fan favorite by hitting 6 home runs in his first 7 games. During that time, he also had 14 RBI.
On May 13, 2007, Jack hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. This 3-run homer helped the A's win 10–7 against the Cleveland Indians. For the week ending May 13, 2007, Jack shared the American League Player of the Week award with his teammate Dan Johnson.
On August 10, Jack hit his first major league grand slam. This happened after he hit a 3-run double earlier in the game, giving him a career-high 7 RBI. He finished the 2007 season leading the Athletics with 26 home runs. He also led all major league players by walking 21.0% of the time.
For the week ending May 4th, 2008, Jack was again named the American League Player of the Week. He had 10 hits in 20 tries and hit three home runs that week. On September 19, he set a new AL record for most strikeouts in one season with 187. He also led the American League with 111 walks.
On December 12, 2009, the Athletics decided not to offer Jack a new contract, making him a free agent. He re-signed with the Oakland Athletics on January 7, 2010. However, he was sent to Triple-A Sacramento at the start of the season. After playing well in the minor leagues, he was called back up to the main team on May 15. On September 13, Jack hit his 100th career home run. After the 2010 season, he became a free agent again.
Time with the Seattle Mariners
On December 8, 2010, Jack signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. On July 29, 2011, the Mariners released Jack. He had a .213 batting average with three home runs and 23 RBI in 67 games.
Later Career Teams
After leaving the Mariners, Jack Cust signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on August 12, 2011. He played 6 games for their Triple-A team before being released a week later.
On January 18, 2012, Jack signed with the Houston Astros, but he was released before spring training ended. The next day, he signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees. He played 98 games for their Triple-A team, hitting 20 home runs and having 66 RBI. He was released by the Yankees on August 1.
Jack then signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on August 4, 2012. He played 16 games for their Triple-A team. On November 3, he became a minor league free agent.
In 2013, Jack signed a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on February 17. However, the Rays released him on March 23.
After not playing professionally in 2013, Jack signed another minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on February 5, 2014. His attempt to return to baseball lasted 44 days, as he was released on March 21, before the season began.
