Jack Cust Interview Questions Submitted by Readers
Here are the questions that were submitted to Jack Cust by
our readers. His answers follow each question. Enjoy!
Question #1: What are your earlist baseball memories and what
role does it play in your game today? From: Paul in Rock Falls,
IL
Well Paul I've got a lot of memories of playing ball when I was
young. I can remember when I was about 3 or 4 my dad used to take me to a
tennis court and he would throw to me. I remember how much fun I had. The
only problem was I didn't know if I was lefty or righty. At first I tried
hitting right handed because that's what everyone else did.(at least
that's what I thought) But I always had a smoother more natural swing left
handed. But I didn't want to be different so I did both until I was about
11. That's when I could really tell the ball was jumping better off my bat
left handed. I remember my first home run and all that stuff, but the main
thing I remember about when I was young was going to Yankee Stadium. I
loved that place. My Dad would bring my brothers and me. We would go early
because my Dad always wanted to watch batting practice. I loved watching
the guys take hacks. Especially the ones who hit bombs. But I would always
watch the way Don Mattingly worked. Same routine every time. Throw with
Willie Randolph, take his grounders, get his work off the tee, and then
hop in the cage. I loved watching him hit off the tee. He was so intense.
I guess that's one thing that I got from an early memory. Don't ever be
satisfied. Go out and work hard every day. You can improve something in
your game every time you step on the field. I also like to hit off the tee
and play a little home run derby every once in a while during batting
practice. I guess those are just things that have always excited me about
the game.
Question #2: Jack, with your high on base percentage, I was
wondering if you went up to the plate looking for an area for a pitch or
do you sit and wait on a certain pitch early in the count. I believe on
base percentage is an easy early way to predict stardom. From: S
AdmsPats@cs.com
When I go up to the plate I'm generally looking for a fastball I can
drive. As I get ahead in the count I stick with that philosophy. I look in
a certain area. As I've gotten older I've learned and have been able
to handle more pitches (meaning location). So I can drive a lot more
pitches now then say 3 years ago. So obviously that lets me open my zone
up. But pitchers fall into patterns a lot. So I always like to know how a
certain pitcher may have worked me from at bat to at bat. A lot of times
you can eliminate certain pitches or certain locations because a pitcher
gets caught up in trying to throw you a lot of the same pitch in a certain
location. The more pitches you can eliminate the easier hitting becomes.
You only have to worry about a certain area or zone. Now if I get behind
in the count I just open my zone up a little more. Obviously with two
strikes you have to battle. Again, when you move up and face better
pitching you're not going to be able to sit on a fastball when you are
ahead in the count. You just have to stay back and stay through the ball.
You can't try and do too much.
Question #3: Many folks observe that young players today seem
to be rushed to the majors faster than in the "old days." Obviously, young
players want to get to the show as quickly as possible. But do you
think/worry about this? Do you believe you will be truly ready by next
year? What's your take on all this? From: Paul in Bristol,
NY
Well Paul obviously everyone’s dream and goal is to make it to the
big leagues. And of course no one wants to be in the minors instead of the
bigs. Personally, my goal since I was young was to be up in the bigs at
some point when I was 21-years-old. Now I don't know if I will be up this
year. But you can bet I've been working my butt off this off-season so I
at least have a chance. All I can do is play my best and my hardest all
the time. The decision of when I get called up is not up to me. But all I
can tell you is that I'll be ready for that challenge, whether it be this
year or next.
Question #4: I read somewhere that you looked at specific zones
on each pitch. That approach sounds a lot like Ted Williams' hitting
style. Are you a proponent of the Williams' style of hitting? If not, who
were your influences? From: Shelby in Houston, TX
My family is definitely a baseball family. And being from a family
that loves the game obviously the best hitter in the game has been
mentioned quite a few times. That hitter is Ted Williams. My Dad always
got all the hitting books and read them all, but I can only think of one
book I've read front to back and that's Mr. Williams’--I think it was "The
Science of Hitting." My grandfather loved Ted Williams and would always
talk about how confident he was and how he knew he was the best and that
no-one could beat him. Now I would not say that I take the same approach
as Mr. Williams, but I'm sure we share some of the same beliefs on
hitting. My biggest influence has always been my dad. He came up with a
simple plan when I was young that will allow a hitter to hit for average
and power. He listened to and read theories from all different players and
coaches and formed his own little plan and checklist.
Question #5: Many young players have difficulty with their
strike zone judgment. Your minor league history thus far demonstrates a
fairly high number of strikeouts, but also an enormous number of walks. To
what do you attribute this unusual combination of aggression and
patience? From: Rick Whitt
Well I'd have to say the umpires. No, I'm just kidding. That's the
easy way out. I think sometimes I may get too deep into counts. Other
times I may miss my pitch and then not get another hitters pitch and I'm
forced to swing at a good pitchers pitch. A lot of times I just try and do
too much--trying to hit a bomb instead of taking what the pitcher gives
me. So I get too selective looking for that pitch I can crush instead of
taking a single the other way. And also some of the umps have some
pitcher-friendly zones. My father always taught me to hit strikes and the
importance of plate discipline. He always stressed zone hitting. It's a
hard thing to pick up as you get older. The earlier you learn the better.
If I swung at a ball in batting practice that wasn't a strike the next guy
was jumping in. My dad didn't accept that.
Question #6: I've never seen you play. However, a buddy of mine
who saw you play in the AFL says that you remind him, in hitting style and
patience at the plate, of a young Jim Thome. Which major leaguer would you
compare yourself with in terms of your hitting style? From: Brad Keller
in Windsor, CT
Well Brad I couldn't tell you who I hit like. I don't really know. I
don't think Thome ever really hit a lot of homers in the minors, but I'm
not sure. I can tell you who my favorite players are. I always loved
Mattingly and after him it was Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Bonds. I also
really get pumped up watching Manny Ramirez. He has great at bats all the
time and just absolutely crushes the ball. I love the way he uses the
whole field and stays through the baseball.
Question #7: Having played with both John Patterson and Brad
Penny, in your observation who will be the dominating pitcher? Is Abraham
Nunez the next Manny Ramirez? From: Daniel
Answer #7: John Patterson and Brad Penny are both going to be
outstanding big league pitchers. I think both have the ability to hold
down a pitching staff and be a #1 type pitcher on a World Series
contender. I cannot say who is going to be more dominant. Only time will
tell. As far as my man Nunie. He's got all the tools. Runs, hits, arm, and
the best defensive outfielder I've ever seen. I wish you guys could have
seen the stuff he did this year. He's one of my best friends and he's a
class act on and off the field. As far as being the next Ramirez, I don't
know. He's a better outfielder, but I think Manny is the best hitter in
baseball right now. I don't think Nunie will hit for that kind of
average., but he does have some juice. To me he looks like a young
Vladimir Guerrero. Same body, same hose. If he reaches his potential he's
going to be a very, very special player. I'm sure you guys will get a
chance to see him in the bigs shortly. I just hope he doesn't rob me of
any knocks.
Question #8: Given the recent John Rocker debacle, is there an
underlying problem with racism that needs to be looked into? What kind of
steps has pro baseball taken to ensure harmony and sensitivity among the
many cultures that play our great game professionally here in the
States? From: Chad Trampel
Answer #8: Well I can tell you that in the D-Back orginization we
have no problems. Basically everyone gets along. It's like any other
working place. Myself, I hang out with everyone. I'm from New Jersey and
stuff like that doesn't go on around here. I don't think one incident
should cause people to question baseball and its players about
racism.
Question #9: Hi, Jack. Congratulations on an excellent 1999,
both in the California League and in the Arizona Fall League.
Here's my question: I've read a lot of criticism of your defensive
abilities. Do you feel that it's justified? If so, do you feel like you've
made much improvement defensively in the past year?
Thanks, and good luck with your career. I have a good feeling that
you'll be anchoring my fantasy team within the next couple of
years. From: Rick Diamant
Thanks for all the support and
your nice comments Rick. Well I'll tell it to you from the beginning. I
was drafted as an outfielder by the D-Backs because Travis Lee was at
first. I probably played two games in the outfield my senior year in high
school. And that was with 350-foot fences and a lot smaller guys hitting
the ball. When I got to the Arizona League my first year I was horrendous.
Fly balls were impossible for me to judge. The sky was so high and there
were no clouds. I didn't want the ball hit anywhere near me. I remember my
manager, Don Wakamatsu, saying to me, "Do you think you're the only one
that can hit 'em that high?" Well as I got more games under my belt I felt
a lot more comfortable. This past year I felt a lot better, especially in
the second half. Now the Cal League is no walk in the park for an
outfielder, but I felt really comfortable in the field. I'm not going to
accept being an average outfielder. I want to be good. I don't want to be
someone my teammates and coaches have to hold their breath about when a
fly ball is hit to left field. As far as the Fall League. I took that as
an opportunity to challenge myself. The fields were a little bigger and I
could try and go get some stuff. I felt it was a time when I could make an
impression on some other players and coaches who have never seen me play
before. I felt really good about myself when guys were saying to me, "I
don't know why people bag your glove so much, you're pretty good out
there." That kind of stuff makes me want to go out and work harder. Also
Abraham Nunez was always there busting my butt to long toss and getting
good jumps throughout the whole season. Watching a guy like him can only
help.
Question #10: Did you always dream of becoming a professional
baseball player or is it something you picked up over the years? What
positions did you play in high school and were you always good at baseball
your whole life? From: Jamie in Garfield Heights, OH
I've always been a good baseball player. But I was always good
because I always wanted to be the best and would sacrifice and work to be
the best. When I was 5, I knew I wanted to be a big leaguer. If I was the
best player in my little league I wanted to be the best in the district.
If I was the best in the district I wanted to be the best in the state. If
I was the best in the state I wanted to be the best in the country. And so
on. And I still think like that today. As far as in high school. I mostly
played first base. But I also played a little third and some outfield at
times.
Well I just wanted to thank everyone for writing in. I hope I gave
you some of the answers you were looking for. I hope to see you all at the
park someday.
Jack Cust
Thanks Jack! You really did a great job! -The TopProspectAlert
Team
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