Biographical

Jack Cust DH

Career Summary

Years	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	WARP
15	2581	.242	.374	.439	113	5.7

Birth Date	1-7-1979
Height	6' 1"
Weight	250 lbs

Age	45 years, 3 months, 12 days
Bats	L
Throws	R

WARP Summary

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MLB Statistics

YEAR	TEAM	AGE	G	PA	H	2B	3B	HR	BB	SO	HBP	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	DRAA	BRR	FRAA	BWARP
2001	ARI	22	3	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	.500	.667	.500	92	0.0	-0.2	0.0	0.0
2002	COL	23	35	78	11	2	0	1	12	32	0	0	1	.169	.295	.246	70	-2.6	-0.3	-0.7	-0.2
2003	BAL	24	27	84	19	7	0	4	10	25	1	0	0	.260	.357	.521	99	0.2	-1.1	-0.7	-0.1
2004	BAL	25	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	69	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2006	SDN	27	4	3	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	.333	.333	.333	77	-0.1	0.2	-0.1	0.0
2007	OAK	28	124	507	101	18	1	26	105	164	1	0	2	.256	.408	.504	132	22.4	-3.9	-5.9	2.0
2008	OAK	29	148	598	111	19	0	33	111	197	2	0	0	.231	.375	.476	130	23.3	-1.5	-2.2	3.0
2009	OAK	30	149	612	123	16	0	25	93	185	2	4	1	.240	.356	.417	106	5.9	0.4	-9.0	0.5
2010	OAK	31	112	425	95	19	0	13	68	127	5	2	2	.272	.395	.438	114	7.7	-2.1	0.7	1.2
2011	SEA	32	67	270	48	15	1	3	44	87	1	0	0	.213	.344	.329	70	-8.8	-0.9	0.0	-0.7
Career			670	2581	510	96	2	105	444	819	12	6	6	.242	.374	.439	113	47.9	-9.4	-17.9	5.7

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

YEAR	Team	Lg	LG	G	PA	oppAVG	oppOBP	oppSLG	BABIP	BPF	BRAA	repLVL	POS_ADJ	DRC+	DRC+ SD	FRAA	BRR	DRAA	BWARP
1998	SBN	A	MDW	0	67	.000	.000	.000	.357			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1998	LTH	Rk	PIO	0	313	.000	.000	.000	.468			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
1999	HDS	A+	CLF	0	553	.000	.000	.000	.432			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2000	ELP	AA	TXS	0	566	.000	.000	.000	.401			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2001	ARI	MLB	NL	3	3	.229	.328	.375	.500	104	0.5	0.1	0	92	6	0.0	-0.2	0.0	0.0
2001	TUC	AAA	PCL	135	554	.000	.000	.000	.376			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2002	COL	MLB	NL	35	78	.256	.323	.397	.303	118	-5.5	2.2	-0.4	70	13	-0.7	-0.3	-2.6	-0.2
2002	CSP	AAA	PCL	105	450	.000	.000	.000	.335			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2003	BAL	MLB	AL	27	84	.255	.311	.408	.341	102	3.8	2.3	-1.5	99	16	-0.7	-1.1	0.2	-0.1
2003	OTT	AAA	INT	97	415	.000	.000	.000	.374			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2004	BAL	MLB	AL	1	1	.225	.277	.333	.000	105	-0.3	0.0	0	69	14	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2004	OTT	AAA	INT	102	413	.000	.000	.000	.320			0.0		0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
2005	SAC	AAA	PCL	134	600	.285	.352	.455	.339	96	12.9	9.6	-3.9	120	0	-6.1	0.5	18.3	1.7
2006	SDN	MLB	NL	4	3	.250	.309	.381	.500	94	0	0.1	0	77	9	-0.1	0.2	-0.1	0.0
2006	POR	AAA	PCL	138	591	.274	.347	.426	.345	104	41.3	15.1	-4.3	164	0	-11.6	0.7	41.6	4.1
2007	OAK	MLB	AL	124	507	.265	.331	.418	.355	93	40	15.0	-7.2	132	8	-5.9	-3.9	22.4	2.0
2007	POR	AAA	PCL	25	100	.271	.332	.424	.357	99	14.8	3.0	-1.2	194	0	-1.1	-0.3	11.7	1.2
2008	OAK	MLB	AL	148	598	.264	.329	.413	.306	98	26.5	17.3	-7.2	130	9	-2.2	-1.5	23.3	3.0
2009	OAK	MLB	AL	149	612	.261	.330	.417	.319	101	9.5	17.6	-9.6	106	9	-9.0	0.4	5.9	0.5
2010	OAK	MLB	AL	112	425	.257	.322	.406	.387	100	18.7	11.7	-6.8	114	10	0.7	-2.1	7.7	1.2
2010	SAC	AAA	PCL	33	144	.276	.349	.429	.356	90	10	4.4	-2.2	144	0	-0.4	-1.6	8.4	0.8
2011	SEA	MLB	AL	67	270	.255	.319	.400	.333	95	-1.9	7.3	-4.6	70	9	0.0	-0.9	-8.8	-0.7
2011	LEH	AAA	INT	6	23	.266	.327	.417	.250	94	-0.6	0.7	-0.5	110	0	0.0	0.7	0.3	0.1
2012	LVG	AAA	PCL	16	68	.252	.315	.383	.333	98	0.2	2.0	-1	89	0	-0.6	0.1	-0.6	0.0
2012	SWB	AAA	INT	98	425	.260	.332	.396	.333	100	20.5	12.6	-8.1	147	0	0.0	0.3	21.6	2.6

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.

Year	Team	lvl	LG	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	ISO	SF
1998	LTH	Rk	PIO	313	223	75	77	20	2	11	134	56	86	71	15	8	.345	.534	.601	.256	0
1998	SBN	A	MDW	67	62	5	15	3	0	0	18	4	5	20	0	1	.242	.299	.290	.048	0
1999	HDS	A+	CLF	553	455	107	152	42	3	32	296	112	96	145	1	4	.334	.452	.651	.316	0
2000	ELP	AA	TXS	566	447	100	131	32	6	20	235	75	117	150	12	9	.293	.442	.526	.233	0
2001	TUC	AAA	PCL	554	442	81	123	24	2	27	232	79	102	160	6	3	.278	.419	.525	.247	0
2001	ARI	MLB	NL	3	2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	.500	.667	.500	.000	0
2002	CSP	AAA	PCL	450	359	74	95	24	0	23	188	55	83	121	6	3	.265	.409	.524	.259	0
2002	COL	MLB	NL	78	65	8	11	2	0	1	16	8	12	32	0	1	.169	.295	.246	.077	1
2003	OTT	AAA	INT	415	333	55	95	18	1	9	142	58	80	94	5	2	.285	.424	.426	.141	0
2003	BAL	MLB	AL	84	73	7	19	7	0	4	38	11	10	25	0	0	.260	.357	.521	.260	0
2004	BAL	MLB	AL	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.000	.000	.000	.000	0
2004	OTT	AAA	INT	413	344	55	81	15	1	17	149	55	65	127	4	0	.235	.360	.433	.198	0
2005	SAC	AAA	PCL	600	479	95	123	28	1	19	210	75	115	153	2	4	.257	.404	.438	.182	0
2006	SDN	MLB	NL	3	3	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	.333	.333	.333	.000	0
2006	POR	AAA	PCL	591	441	97	129	23	0	30	242	77	143	124	0	3	.293	.469	.549	.256	0
2007	POR	AAA	PCL	100	80	17	24	7	0	9	58	20	19	29	0	0	.300	.434	.725	.425	0
2007	OAK	MLB	AL	507	395	61	101	18	1	26	199	82	105	164	0	2	.256	.408	.504	.248	6
2008	OAK	MLB	AL	598	481	77	111	19	0	33	229	77	111	197	0	0	.231	.375	.476	.245	4
2009	OAK	MLB	AL	612	513	88	123	16	0	25	214	70	93	185	4	1	.240	.356	.417	.177	4
2010	SAC	AAA	PCL	144	110	21	30	6	0	4	48	19	33	33	0	0	.273	.444	.436	.164	0
2010	OAK	MLB	AL	425	349	50	95	19	0	13	153	52	68	127	2	2	.272	.395	.438	.166	3
2011	SEA	MLB	AL	270	225	19	48	15	1	3	74	23	44	87	0	0	.213	.344	.329	.116	0
2011	LEH	AAA	INT	23	20	3	5	2	0	1	10	2	3	3	0	0	.250	.348	.500	.250	0
2012	SWB	AAA	INT	425	337	63	84	14	1	20	160	66	81	127	2	0	.249	.400	.475	.226	2
2012	LVG	AAA	PCL	68	50	7	10	1	0	0	11	6	16	21	3	0	.200	.397	.220	.020	1

Plate Discipline

YEAR	Pits	Zone%	Swing%	Contact%	Z-Swing%	O-Swing%	Z-Contact%	O-Contact%	SwStr%	CSAA
2008	2499	0.5050	0.3814	0.6422	0.5887	0.1698	0.7120	0.3952	0.3578	-0.0048
2009	2565	0.5123	0.4008	0.6868	0.6180	0.1727	0.7586	0.4167	0.3132	-0.0073
2010	1742	0.5057	0.3944	0.6769	0.6084	0.1754	0.7705	0.3444	0.3231	-0.0064
2011	1083	0.5125	0.4007	0.6544	0.6198	0.1705	0.7297	0.3667	0.3456	-0.0048
Career	7889	0.5086	0.3932	0.6660	0.6068	0.1721	0.7425	0.3871	0.3340	-0.0059

Injury History — No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On	Date Off	Transaction	Days	Games	Side	Body Part	Injury	Severity	Surgery Date	Reaggravation
2012-02-28	2012-03-03	Camp	4	0	Right	Knee	Soreness		-	-
2011-03-27	2011-03-27	Camp	0	0		Back	Stiffness		-
2010-04-01	2010-04-01	Camp	0	0		General Medical	Allergies		-
2009-06-04	2009-06-05	DTD	1	1		Low Back	Tightness		-
2009-05-29	2009-06-01	DTD	3	4		Low Back	Tightness		-
2009-05-27	2009-05-29	DTD	2	1		Low Back	Tightness		-
2009-03-24	2009-03-25	Camp	1	0		Low Back	Tightness		-
2008-08-23	2008-08-24	DTD	1	1			Blurred Vision		-
2008-08-07	2008-08-09	DTD	2	2	Right	Thumb	Infection	Thumb	-
2008-03-09	2008-03-10	Camp	1	0		Head	Laceration	HBP	-
2007-07-14	2007-07-14	DTD	0	0		Foot	Contusion	Foul Ball	-

Compensation

Year	Team	Salary
2013	TBA	$
2012	HOU	$148,000
2011	SEA	$2,500,000
2010	OAK	$2,650,000
2009	OAK	$2,800,000
2008	OAK	$410,000
2004	BAL	$305,000

Years	Description	Salary
6 yr	Previous	$8,813,000
6 yr	Total	$8,813,000

Service Time	Agent	Contract Status
5 y 103 d	Gregg Clifton	1 year (2014)

Details

1 year (2014). Signed by Baltimore as a free agent 2/5/14 (minor-league contract). Released by Baltimore 3/21/14.
1 year (2013). Signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent 2/17/13 (minor-league contract). Released by Tampa Bay 3/23/13.
1 year/$0.6M (2012), plus 2013 club option. Signed by Houston as a free agent 1/17/12 (non-guaranteed contract). 12:$0.6M, 13:$1M club option. Released by Houston 3/27/12 (due 45 days' salary, about $148,000). Signed by NY Yankees as a free agent 3/30/12 (minor-league contract). Released by NY Yankees 8/1/12. Signed by Toronto as a free agent 8/5/12 (minor-league contract).
1 year/$2.5M (2011). Signed by Seattle as a free agent 12/10/10. Performance bonuses. DFA by Seattle 7/29/11. Released 8/4/11. Signed by Philadelphia as a free agent 8/12/11 (minor-league contract).
1 year/$2.65M (2010). Re-signed by Oakland as a free agent 1/7/10. $0.35M in performance bonuses based on PAs. Accepted assignment to Triple-A by Oakland 4/10/10 after being DFA 4/3/10. Contract purchased by Oakland 5/15/10. Non-tendered by Oakland 12/2/10.
1 year/$2.8M (2009). Re-signed by Oakland 1/14/09 (avoided arbitration). Award bonuses: $50,000 each for All Star, Gold Glove LCS MVP. $0.1M each for Silver Slugger, WS MVP. $0.1M for MVP ($75,000 for 2nd in vote, $50,000 for 3rd). Non-tendered by Oakland 12/12/09
1 year/$0.41M (2008). Re-signed by Oakland 2/28/08
1 year (2007). Re-signed by San Diego 3/07. Acquired by Oakland in trade from San Diego 5/3/07
1 year (2006). Signed as a free agent 12/05 (minor-league contract). Contract purchased 9/06
1 year (2005). Signed as a free agent 12/04 (minor-league contract)
1 year/$0.305M (2004). Sent outright to Triple-A 4/04
Acquired by Baltimore in trade from Colorado 3/03.
Acquired by Colorado in trade from Arizona 1/02.
Drafted by Arizona 1997 (1-30) (Immaculata HS, Somerville, N.J.).

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT	PA	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	DRC+	VORP	FRAA	WARP
Weighted Mean	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	0	0	?	?	.000	.000	.000	0	0.0	?	0.0

BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

Date	Question	Answer
2019-03-14 15:00:00 (link to chat)	Is Jack Cust the greatest Mariner ever? (JACkC6969 from Seattle)	If you want to rephrase it "Is Jack Cust the Most Mariner ever?" I am willing to hear your argument in his favor. (Nathan Bishop)
2017-08-28 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Who in your humble opinion is the greatest 3 True Outcomes player of all time? And who is the greatest playing today? (Paul from DC)	I always always always want to say Jack Cust here. And I'm sure there are purer versions out there -- Wily Mo Pena maybe? Wladimir Balentein? -- but Cust's 2007,where he walked over 20 percent of the time, struck out over 30, and had about a quarter of his hits as home runs is pretty remarkable. He should've never declined, in a just world. The best today? That's kind of tough -- I would've said Nick Williams, but he doesn't walk enough and his major league output has been kind of different. Joey Gallo is tempting, but he also isn't a big, big walker. Probably, it's Aaron Judge, who's flirting with Cust's 20/30 bb/k rate and has about 25 percent of his hits as HR. (Trevor Strunk)
2016-09-19 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Which MLB prospect would most appreciate Hegelian dialectic and why? (KlamHeptomaniac from online)	I was really unsure as to this answer until the last question, and now I know it's definitely Joey Gallo. The three true outcomes are far and away the most Hegelian of all baseball's qualities, in which the walk is the thesis, the strikeout is the antithesis, and the home run is the synthesis that resolves the two into utopia. Gallo is clearly a Hegelian, though whether or not that means he can play baseball is another question. You didn't ask, but the truest Hegelian MLBer ever was Jack Cust. (Trevor Strunk)
2012-05-31 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Which one (or more) of the A's' non-hitters are closest to running out of chances? (edwardarthur from Illinois)	Daric Barton comes to mind. A's fans have been frustrated with him for years now, though some of that is his approach more than his actual performance. Turns out that not even followers of Team Moneyball appreciate guys who strike out because they take a lot of pitches. Me, I have a Jack Cust shirsey in my drawer, so I love the guy. One wonders about the length of Kurt Suzuki's leash, too. He appears to be a good defensive catcher with the blocking of balls, and I don't recall him doing too badly by Mike Fast's pitch-framing studies, either, but a repeat of his 2010 year offensively might open the door for Derek Norris sooner rather than later. (Jason Wojciechowski)
2010-12-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Are those of you in the saber community bullish or bearish on Carlos Pena in a Cub uniform? Park effect should help but the higher ground-ball rate seems worrisome. (Matt from Chicago)	Pena is considered a saber darling because he is a three-true outcomes player, and all of those players are generally undervalued by the majority of fans. In that case the saber community usually overcompensates to even out how such players are perceived. I mean, Jack Cust is good, but come on. The groundball rate increase is definitely worrisome, as his numbers took a dip but a lot of it seemingly had to do with that change in balls in play distribution. I also think people forget it was only three years ago that Pena just, well, wasn't that good. I feel like he'll have a decent year for the Cubs, something like .245/.370/.510 with 34 HR, but if he is a groundball machine again that obviously changes. (Eric Seidman)
2010-12-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Am I the only one that thinks passing on Cust to sign Matsui is silly? The Dek costs more, is 5 years older and was outplayed by Cust last year. Should we restart the free Jack Cust campaign? (colbylee from LA)	I can see where you're coming from, but the guy's been a regular for four years, and just got a contract to do so for somebody else in a fifth. Keep in mind, Cust was just OK, in that he was and is a platoon DH with modest power. The A's decided they wanted a DH who would produce similar or better power, a healthy share of walks, but one who could also more consistently deliver hard-hit balls in play. As easy as it is to accept that RISP walk as a positive result, the A's lineup didn't have the kind of depth to cash in on those opportunities passed along. (Adding DeJesus helps, as getting a full season from Crisp might help.) That's not Cust's fault as much as it represents a particular problem in what you wanted or needed from him, but squeezing a platoon DH among the near-standard 13 position players is a tough fit for a lot of teams; the A's decided they were one of them. (Christina Kahrl)
2010-11-23 13:00:00 (link to chat)	If the A's go into next season with the team as currently configured and the Rangers fail to sign Cliff Lee, are the A's legitimate contenders for the AL West? (Dave from Chicago)	I like the pitching but where the hell is the offense supposed to come from on that team? They had three guys with TAvs above .275 last year, Jack Cust, Coco Crisp, and Daric Barton, and the first two are gone now. Yes, they'll have Chris Carter, but that's not enough. Billy Beane's inability to build an offense in Oakland over the past several years is downright depressing. (Jay Jaffe)
2010-11-11 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Hey Matt, Today in the GM for a Day article on the Red Sox, Jay Jaffe said he would cut bait on David Ortiz and bring in someone else at a lesser cost (he mentioned Jim Thome, Jack Cust and Russell Branyon as possibilities). This struck me as thinking too hard. Sure Ortiz will be over paid, but he's also likely to be better than those guys, and in the end isn't this a perfect opportunity to flex that big payroll? What do you think? (mattymatty2000 from Portland, OR)	I haven't gotten a chance to read it, but I'll probably hear him out later this afternoon. I certainly wouldn't let Ortiz go this year-- he's a great DH, and he's worth as much to the Red Sox as any team they'd trade him to. Maybe going forward, they might have some concerns before bringing him back in 2012 though. (Matt Swartz)
2010-05-05 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Marc, I need some serious help. I thought I drafted really well with a bunch of 4 and 5 star guys, but here I sit in 12th place. I have Kinsler back and Wright and Teixeira seem to be turning things around, but Justin Upton, Brett Anderson, Bucholtz and Kershaw have been disappointments and Ianetta, Jurrjens, Javi Vazquez and Scherzer have been awful. There trade value is non-existent to low. Time to cut bait on any of them? (DanDaMan from 12th Place)	DanDaMan, it's been just over a month. Here's my take on fantasy: you get frustrated before you get worried. I try to be very patient, because if you get rid of a player that you had that much faith in just weeks ago based on a small sample, then you're going to regret it later far more often than not. I'm currently in a super-deep AL-only league where you need five outfielders--three of mine were Jack Cust, Mike Cameron and Rick Ankiel. I'm panicking a little more in that league just because there are literally no replacements (the best available OF on waivers has 8 at-bats), but in all of my others that have bad things going on (injuries, early struggles, etc.) I'm just waiting it out. Don't panic. (Marc Normandin)
2010-04-28 13:00:00 (link to chat)	How odd was it to interview Chris Davis after he had just been sent down? What do you think of his big league future? (SprungOnSports from Long Island)	I actually talked to Davis right before he was sent down, either the day or the day before. If he saw it coming, he didn't let on. He was calm, cool and collected. Prior to formally starting the interview, we chatted about strikeouts and how statheads view them different than most casual fans. He seems quite aware that his value is that of a TTO hitter [who also plays good defense]. His future is likely tied to Smoak more than looking into a mirror and seeing Jack Cust with a glove. (David Laurila)
2010-01-13 13:00:00 (link to chat)	What is the opinion of Jack Cust outside of the Bay Area? I know he can't field & strikes out a lot. What else? How does he compare to other Dhers? Are there stats on how many of his HRs tied or put the A's ahead? I was very unhappy to see the A's resign him. Another season of watching him swing wildly and take strike three right down the middle. (jwpend from Oakland)	Basically, the view of him, which is why he wound up re-signing with Oakland. There was minimal interest from other teams. (John Perrotto)
2009-12-11 13:00:00 (link to chat)	If the A's don't dump Jack Cust, where do you see Jake Fox playing in Oakland? Can he fake it at 3B or does he just embarrass himself? (ashitaka from long beach, ca)	Jake Fox makes Cust look like a gold glove candidate at any position. He is, like Cust, a DH only. (Kevin Goldstein)
2009-11-24 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Does Jack Cust make any sense for the Mets? What would be Oakland's asking price, maybe Daniel Murphy in a straight swap? (Robin from NJ)	I have no idea why the Mets would want Jack Cust. He can't play the outfield, the NL doesn't have a DH, and unless they were going to use him in a Matt Stairs with the Phillies type of role, it makes no sense. And even if they did want him to be their Stairs, there are plenty of freely available guys like Andy Tracy who could do the same thing without expensing much. (Eric Seidman)
2009-10-13 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Is it time to non-tender Jack Cust and move on to Chris Carter? Is Ryan Sweeney really the solution in right? Can Daric Barton ever hit in months that don't start with "S"? It was nice to see the team play well down the stretch, but there are still a ton of question marks. (ashitaka from long beach, ca)	Cust has been a fine placeholder at DH, but he needs to be seen as such. If he's game for a one-year deal, the A's can afford to buy the time and see if Barton fends off Carter initially. While slotting Cust in an outfield corner if both Carter and Barton earn their keep wouldn't be lovely, nobody's going places with an outfield trio of Sweeney/Rajai Davis/Scott Hairston. (Christina Kahrl)
2009-08-04 14:00:00 (link to chat)	What do you think of A's prospect Chris Carter? Future middle of the order bat or future Jack Cust? (Eric from Denver)	I'm a skeptic until the power comes up a few more notches. As much as it's a good year for a 22-year-old in Double-A, he's having a good-not-great season for a first-base prospect. (Christina Kahrl)
2009-04-16 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Jack Cust "3 True Outcomes" Award? Or does Rob Deer have the rights to that? (Tex Premium Lager from NJ)	I think Rob Deer has that nailed down. I mean, he should. He was a pretty good ballplayer people tend to forget about. What's strange about him too, is that you tend to think of goofy players that can't field or run when you think of some TTO guys, but Deer could field pretty well. His value wasn't just wrapped up in his homers and walks. (Marc Normandin)
2008-12-23 14:00:00 (link to chat)	If the A's sign Jason Giambi, how would that impact Jack Cust, Daric Barton, and Travis Buck? Does Giambi play first with Barton going to the bench or minors? Does Giambi DH with Barton staying at first and then Cust moving to the outfield, thus displacing Buck, or does Cust go to the bench? (Eric from Denver)	I think this potentially impacts Barton more than anybody, because while the A's don't see Cust as unplayable in the outfield, it seems more likely that he'll get more DH time than outfield play, and that means Giambi'd be playing a lot of first base. (Christina Kahrl)
2008-09-15 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Who is the least athletic person you've seen play baseball at high level? (Rob from Brighton)	Wow. Billy Butler? Jack Cust? Great question. And taking nominations from the readers. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-05-09 14:00:00 (link to chat)	So at what point do the nay-sayers admit that Jack Cust is "for real" and that he should have gotten a shot years ago? (Alex from SF, CA)	Good question, Alex, in part because there's still a body of opinion that says he's a one-year wonder (our own Kevin Goldstein, for one), and another that feels he's as much of an outfielder as Kevin Reimer ever was, and a third that thinks he'll be able to do this for another year or two, tops, but that his window's already closing. All of that said, I'd lean towards that latter school; he's more Russell Branyan than Matt Stairs, but he certainly isn't Jim Traber. (Christina Kahrl)
2008-04-23 13:00:00 (link to chat)	Right now, Jack Cust is getting fed almost nothing but off-speed pitches following his mashing of HRs last year. Did AAA pitchers do the same thing to him? (Arnold Layne from Cambridge)	Look, the guy hit .256 last year while striking out 164 times in 395 at-bats. It doesn't take an Ivy League education to figure out that's not sustainable. You'll never see that again. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-04-23 13:00:00 (link to chat)	How long do the A's wait for Jack Cust to come around? Chris Carter has been red-hot lately...could he fill the DH hole this year, or is it too early? Also, will Carlos Gonzalez replace Ryan Sweeney in center this season? (Matt from St. Paul)	I'm just not sure what they replace him with right now -- you're WAY too early on Carter. Gonzalez SHOULD replace Sweeney, but they might be saving him for '09. C-Gon is the far better player, and I've never been a Sweeney fan. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-03-14 13:00:00 (link to chat)	What's the funniest player comment/line out in me this year? Some of my readers aren't going to finish with me until the All-Star Break and may want to hit the highlights. (Baseball Prospectus from Coffee Tables and Bookshelves Everywhere)	Jack Cust, and it's Kevin Goldstein's. (Steven Goldman)
2008-03-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)	80 wins for the A's!? isn't this team much worse than last year's squad that was sub 80 wins? not to mention the probability of a Billy Bean firesale at the allstar break? (hsrhee from southport ct)	The A's had an awful lot of things go wrong last year. I mean, both Chavez and Crosby were just awful. Shannon Stewart sucked up more than 600 plate appearances for them. They got essentially replacement level performance out of the 1B and DH slots, at least until Jack Cust came along. Rich Harden was (predictably) unhealthy. They also somewhat underperformed their Pythagorean record. So this is a team that was due for some regression back upward toward the mean, which in this case is enough to outweigh the losses of Swisher and Haren. (Nate Silver)
2008-02-28 14:00:00 (link to chat)	What are the odds Dan Johnson sticks with the A's out of ST? (dwiest12 from Vienna VA)	It would have to seem like a dodgy proposition, wouldn't it? Daric Barton's also a lefty, and also only plays first, and the roster's got a full-time DH in Jack Cust, which bites into any possibility of keeping two like players. Add in the fact that Johnson's out of options, and the stakes get higher still, because if he doesn't win the job, he's going to have to go through waivers. (Christina Kahrl)
2008-02-19 13:00:00 (link to chat)	How is Chipper looking this season? He has been awfully good in his mid-thirties when hes been able to play. (twayda from Chicago)	Haven't seen him yet. I answer this question bc there's a lot of similar questions. I honestly haven't been checking in with sources yet except on specific cases. In the first week of training camp we get the "best shape of their careers" stories and the "Jack Cust put on 20 lbs of muscle" stories, plus the "damn, what did Josh Beckett eat this off-season, everything?" stories. Chipper's risky and I think he'd be better off in some sort of platoon to reduce his playing time. (Not a R/L platoon, but something where he could just play 4 times a week.) (Will Carroll)
2008-01-17 14:00:00 (link to chat)	Todd Linden is no Jack Cust...or is he? Could he find a place in a not so-experienced-outfield with the A's? (Manprin from Sacramento, CA)	No, he's no Jack Cust. He's just another Fresno Grizzlie who fizzles outside of his den. (Christina Kahrl)

BP Roundtables

Date	Roundtable Name	Comment
2009-11-02 17:00:00	2009 WS Game Five	No. Jack Cust is the poor man's Matt Stairs. Matt Stairs is the poor man's Hank Sauer. (Jay Jaffe)
2008-10-02 11:00:00	Thursday Playoff Games	Quick question with Jim Thome getting to lead off the second. Is Jim Thome suddenly Jack Cust, or is Jack Cust suddenly Jim Thome. Also, and I hate to harp on this as I'm a bit of a videophile, but it's ironic that TBS' little ads about how cool it is that they're in HD with 5.1 audio arent' really in HD. (Kevin Goldstein)

PITCHf/x Hitter Profile

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