Milton Cuyler, Jr. (born October 7, 1968) is a former major league

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 c ...

drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the amateur draft. He finished third behind Juan Guzman and winner

Chuck Knoblauch Edward Charles Knoblauch (; born July 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1991 through 2002, for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Kansas City Royals. He play ...

for the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

Rookie of the Year award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

Early life

Cuyler graduated from Southwest High School in Macon, Georgia. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round, 46th overall, of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. Also a standout football player, Cuyler had signed a letter of intent to play college football at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, where he would've joined Deion Sanders as the top incoming defensive backs. He opted to play baseball full time when the Tigers offered a $75,000 signing bonus, although FSU defensive coordinator

Mickey Andrews Mickey Andrews (born May 20, 1942) is a former American football coach. He is most known for his tenure as the defensive coordinator at Florida State for 26 seasons, from 1984 to 2009, under head coach Bobby Bowden. Andrews also served as the ...

left open the opportunity to return to football. Cuyler was considered among the Tigers best prospects for four consecutive years by '' Baseball America'', ranking 5th in 1988, 4th in 1989, 5th in 1990, and 3rd in 1991. 1988 Florida State League

Professional baseball career

Cuyler made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers on September 6, 1990 at the age of 21 as a defensive replacement in right field for John Shelby. He saw consistent playing time in centerfield and batting ninth to close out the 1990 season, with

Lloyd Moseby Lloyd Anthony Moseby (born November 5, 1959) is an American former Major League Baseball player. A center fielder, and good all-around athlete, Moseby's nickname, Shaker, was said to stem from his ability to get away from or "shake" players who at ...

moving from center to leftfield. Cuyler was named the Detroit Tigers Rookie of the Year in 1991, and finished 3rd overall in

American League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

voting behind winner

and runner-up Juan Guzman. After failing to live up to his early promise, he was released by the Tigers following the season. He signed as a free agent with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

for , but saw very little activity with the Sox (110 at bats in only 50 games for a .200

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

). He signed with the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

following the season, but failed to make the team that

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

. He appeared in seven games for the Texas Rangers in September , and spent the season in their minor league system before calling it a career. In 490 games from 1990–1998, Cuyler tallied 329 hits, 10

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 119

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

with a .237 career average. Following his playing career, Cuyler served as the hitting coach for the

Gulf Coast League Twins The Florida Complex League Twins are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays in Fort Myers, Florida, at the Lee County Sports Complex. Prior to 2021, th ...

until 2013. In 2011, Cuyler was named to the Macon, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Milt Cuyler
at Baseball Almanac 1968 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Boston Red Sox players Bristol Tigers players Detroit Tigers players Fayetteville Generals players Lakeland Tigers players London Tigers players Major League Baseball center fielders Nashua Pride players Oklahoma RedHawks players Texas Rangers players Toledo Mud Hens players Tulsa Drillers players 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople {{US-baseball-outfielder-1960s-stub