John Joseph "Jack" Cust III (born January 7, 1979) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
designated hitter
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. The position is authorized by Major League Baseball Rule 5.11. It was adopted by the American League in 1973 and later by t ...
and
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. He 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 (A ...
(MLB) for the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
,
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...
,
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 ...
,
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
,
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...
, and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...
.
Early life
Cust was born to Jack Sr. and Faith Cust.
His father had played for the
Seton Hall Pirates
The Seton Hall Pirates are the intercollegiate athletic sports teams representing Seton Hall University, located in South Orange, New Jersey. The Pirates compete as a member of the NCAA Division I level (non-football sub-level), primarily compe ...
baseball team which went to the
1974 College World Series
The 1974 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was played at the end of the 1974 NCAA Division I baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series ...
and his brothers, Kevin and Mike, both played
minor league baseball.
Cust attended
Immaculata High School in
. In 1997, he was first-team High School All-American at
first base
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
. Cust initially committed to play
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...
for the
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...
.
Minor league career
In , Cust, out of high school, was the first round draft pick (30th overall) of the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
, and had a .447
on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
in 35 games in the Rookie League. Cust was a
Pioneer League All-Star in , where he led the league in
walks (86), on-base percentage (.530), and
runs scored
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...
(75). In , he led the
California League
The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major L ...
in
homers (32), on-base percentage (.450), and
slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
(.651), and was ''Baseball Americas 1st team Minor League All-Star DH, California League All-Star, and the Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League Player of the Year.
In , he had a .440 on-base percentage at
El Paso in the
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
while leading the league in walks (117) and
strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...
s (150).
In , he was a
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...
All-Star while leading the league with 102 walks, and in he was the
Triple-A All-Star Game
The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League ...
MVP. In , 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-bat
In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...
s, struck out once every 3 at-bats, and earned 1 walk per game.
Major league career
Early career
Cust made his Major League debut with the Diamondbacks on September 26, . On January 7, , his 23rd birthday, he was traded by the Diamondbacks with
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...
JD Closser to the
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...
for
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 dr ...
Mike Myers. Cust spent the majority of the 2002 season with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, the
Colorado Springs Sky Sox
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockies ...
. He played in 35 games with the big league club, going 11–65 (.169 batting average) with 1 home run.
Baltimore Orioles
The Rockies sent him to 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 ...
for
Chris Richard and cash on March 11, . Cust appeared in 28 games (27 in
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...
, 1 in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
) during his two seasons with the ballclub,
[Encina, Eduardo A. "Jack Cust's comeback attempt will go through Orioles' minor league camp"](_blank)
''The Baltimore Sun'', Wednesday, February 5, 2014 spending most of the time with the
Ottawa Lynx
The Ottawa Lynx were a Minor League Baseball team that competed in the Triple-A International League (IL) from 1993 to 2007. The team's home field was Lynx Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. Over 15 seasons, the team was an affiliate of the Montreal ...
. He was most noted as an Oriole for an infamous
baserunning
In baseball, base running is the act of running from base to base, performed by members of the team at bat.
Base running is a tactical part of the game with the goal of eventually reaching home base ( home plate) to score a run. Batters strive t ...
gaffe that resulted in his making the final out in a 12-inning 5–4 loss to the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...
at
Camden Yards
The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early ...
on August 16, 2003. Representing the potential tying run at first base after a two-out pinch-hit walk, he attempted to score on a double to right field by
Larry Bigbie, but was caught in a
rundown
In baseball, a rundown, informally known as a pickle or the hotbox, is a situation that occurs when the baserunner is stranded between two bases, also known as no-man's land, and is in jeopardy of being tagged out. When the baserunner attempts ...
after tumbling to the grass a few steps beyond third base. Even though he outmaneuvered
catcher
Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...
Jorge Posada
Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta (born August 17, 1970) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball catcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Posada recorded a .273 batting average, 275 home runs, and ...
and
third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
Aaron Boone
Aaron John Boone (born March 9, 1973) is an American baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 13 seasons from 1997 through 2009. As a player, ...
and was headed towards an undefended
home plate
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...
, Cust fell to the grass again and was tagged out from behind by Boone.
Cust was granted
free agency
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 ...
following the 2004 season.
Oakland Athletics
On November 15, 2004, he was signed by the Oakland Athletics. He spent the whole season in Triple-A
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, and was granted free agency after the season. On December 6, 2005, he signed a minor league contract with the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
. He just had 3 at-bats in the season. He began the with the San Diego Padres' Triple-A
Portland Beavers
The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL.
Franchise history
Many baseball teams ...
. On May 3, 2007, the Padres traded him to the Oakland Athletics, although he was rumored to be joining Japan's
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd.
History
The Marines franchise began in 1950 as the Mainichi Orions, an inaugural ...
. The Athletics needed another designated hitter due to an injury to veteran
Mike Piazza
Michael Joseph Piazza ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1992 to 2007. He currently serves as the manager of the Italian national baseball tea ...
. 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 that 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
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 ...
10–7, ending 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, Cust hit his first major league
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
off
relief pitcher
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...
Macay McBride
Joseph Macay McBride (born October 24, 1982) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and the Detroit Tigers.
Career High school
McBride attended Screven County ...
of 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 ...
after hitting 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, walking 21.0% of the time (tops in the major leagues) but striking out 41.5% of the time (also tops in the majors).
On September 19, , 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.
He also walked 18.8% of the time, the second highest rate in the majors, and led the American League with 111 walks.
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
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...
on a 1-year $2.5 million contract. 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
Eric Cesar Chavez (born December 7, 1977) is an American professional baseball coach and former third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics (1998–2010), New York Yankees (2011–2012), and Arizona Diamondb ...
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
Kauffman Stadium (), often called "The K", is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent Arrowhe ...
.
Seattle Mariners & Philadelphia Phillies
Following the 2010 season, Cust was non-tendered for the second year in a row, and became a free agent. On December 8, 2010, Cust signed a one-year deal with the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...
. 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
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
on August 12, 2011. He was released a week later on August 20.
Houston Astros
In January 2012 Cust signed a one-year deal minor league contract worth $600,000 with an option for a second year with the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
, but was released on March 27 before the end of spring training.
New York Yankees
On March 28, 2012 he signed a minor league contract with the Yankees and was assigned to its Triple-A affiliate
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pennsylvania, in the ...
, but was released by the Yankees on August 1.
Toronto Blue Jays
On August 4, 2012, Cust was signed to a minor league contract by the Toronto Blue Jays and assigned to their Triple-A affiliate
Las Vegas 51s. On November 3, he was declared a minor league free agent by Major League Baseball.
Tampa Bay Rays
On February 17, 2013, the
Rays
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
announced that Cust would be attending major league spring training on a minor league contract. On March 23, 2013 the Rays announced that they had released Cust.
Baltimore Orioles
After spending all of 2013 out of professional baseball, Cust resurfaced with the Orioles after signing a minor league deal on February 5, 2014. His comeback attempt lasted 44 days; he was released on March 21.
Mitchell Report
On December 13, 2007, Cust was named in the
Mitchell Report
The ''Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball'', informally known as the Mitchell Report, is the res ...
as a user of performance-enhancing drugs, although there was never any evidence outside of a conversation he once supposedly had with former teammate
Larry Bigbie.
[http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf ] Cust denied any wrongdoing or use of performance-enhancing drugs and said there were inaccuracies in his citation in the report.
See also
*
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cust, Jack
1979 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Arizona Diamondbacks players
Arizona League Diamondbacks players
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from New Jersey
Colorado Rockies players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
El Paso Diablos players
High Desert Mavericks players
Immaculata High School (New Jersey) alumni
Las Vegas 51s players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
Lethbridge Black Diamonds players
Major League Baseball designated hitters
Major League Baseball outfielders
Oakland Athletics players
Ottawa Lynx players
People from Flemington, New Jersey
Portland Beavers players
Sacramento River Cats players
San Diego Padres players
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players
Seattle Mariners players
South Bend Silver Hawks players
Sportspeople from Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Tucson Sidewinders players