I can’t find an article on this anywhere, but Brian McTaggart has tweeted that the Astros have signed Jack Cust, a guy who can NOT field at ALL, to a 1 year deal plus an option.
He’s one of those TTO (Three True Outcome) guys that the moneyball guys used to fall all ovah BITGOD – he walks a lot, strikes out a lot, homers a lot, can’t run a lick and has a lead glove.H e was drafted in the first round by the Dbax in ’97, got drooled all ovah by the stat geeks, but not by the Dbax Organization, who traded him to Colorado for a LOOGY. He spent the next 2 years in their monors, except for a cup of coffee, in which he stank. He was traded to the Orioles in 03 for some 4th OF – seeing as how the NL teams realized right quick that a DH is a DH.
He hit very well in his first serious ML callup – an .878 OPS over 85 PA, but then he seriously derailed his career with his infamous baserunning screwup when he was with the Orioles back in o3. This got him a 3 year stint strictly in the minors. He was signed as a minor league FA with the Athletics (his first stint) in 05, then as a minor league FA with the Padres in 06, in which he had a 1.016 OPS at Portland, but got only 3 ML ABs. He remained with the Pads, in their minor leagues to start 07, but was traded to the Athletics because they needed a DH.
You notice I keep talking about DH, right?
Anyway, he had a .912 OPS in 07, a .851 OPS in 08 (when he broke the K/season record, which would soon be shattered by Mark Reynolds) and a .773 OPS in 09.
The Athletics, who didn’t exactly have a roster full of hitters, didn’t want him back in ’10, but ended up with him as a minor leaguer – he went up and down during the year, as they didn’t have anyone else who could, you know, like HIT, and he ended up posting an .883 OPS, with a .272 BA, his highest as a major leaguer, over 426 PA.
They really REALLY wanted nothing to do with him last year – he signed with the Mariners, didn’t hit at ALL, a .,673 OPS over 240 PA, then was released. He played in 6 games as a Phillies minor leaguer, went 5 fer 20 with 2 doubles, a homer and 3 walks before getting released. Which reminds me – I want to know why suddenly guys can’t hit at Safeco. Remember it was just a few years back that they had Edgar Martinez and Griffey and ARod and Bret Boone and Johjima all killing the ball? Why can’t even a hitter as good as Adrian Beltre hit there any more?
And here, the Houston Astros, who definitely do NOT need a DH this year, have signed him to a ML contract. He hasn’t played 6 full years in the majors even at this time and is considered a 3rd year arb player, believe it or not.
You notice I keep talking about DH, right? Well, he’s played 670 ML games, 1725.1 innings and has 10.7 total WAR and a negative 2.9 defensive WAR (meaning he’s bad.) He has a negative 42 runs saved above average (per Sean Smith, bbref) and a negative 29 Total Zone total fielding runs above average. To compare, Michael Bourn, back in 2010, had 1189 innings, and his respective numbers were PLUS 25 and PLUS 16 – and you notice how many fewer innings we’re talking about. You don’t want to even hear about his fielding percentage or range factor – or the lack thereof.
To summarize, he’s worse than Clank at his worst. Remember Mike Lamb trying to play LF back in 05 (shudder) or Biggio in left in 04? That’s what I mean by DH. I’m hoping they intend to use him as this year’s lefty PH, unless he’s going in the minors. I don’t know what this means for JB Shuck or Bogusevic, but what can I say?
Oh yeah – before I forget – Cust was named in the Mitchell report. He denied it all, and was apparently believed – at least nobody called him before Congress to defend himself or accused him of perjury because he dared to disagree with George Mitchell’s report. Interesting that Roger Clemens didn’t get the same treatment, isn’t it?
Tags: Houston Astros
It’s a minor league deal, and they are paying $600 thousand for a one year deal.
DANG! I could live on that kind of money for a year! Becky
Dudes a train wreck,, He was available all last season on the 6 fantasy leagues i played in….He s a perfect fit here in the land of Misfit toys…. it truly is a circus at Enron, Now I cannot wait to watch this team hit the field, Mills is not gonna have a clue what to do…its like 8 monthes of spring training…Go Skeeters, See ya at Reckling..
becky,
it can’t be a minor league deal because they had to DFA craig tatum to get a spot on the 40 man. not that i think craig tatum is worth anything, but a 40 man spot on cust?
and i remember all the shtt mo ensberg took for staring at called 3rd strikes – cust is gonna make him look like a free swinger
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089530/quotes?qt=qt0357255
I think I’ve figured out what’s going on. Upper management had a big meeting where they watch a lot of tape on how underdog teams without a lot of talent could succeedt, and the conclusion that was reached was that there were only three possible ways to salvage the upcoming season:
1. Scout Little League teams for pitchers who recently experienced an increase in velocity as a result of a freak arm injury.
2. Have Houston’s foster children pray for divine intervention
3. Put together a team of misfits, overpaid veterans, wanna-be’s, has-beens, never-weres with the aim of losing a bunch of games and then moving the team the following year.
They chose option number 3. In this context, the Cust signing makes sense.
The film version will be called “Technically, Major League.”
If we want to roll dice on young guys, here’s another one I like…
http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/1/19/2718681/oakland-athletics-shopping-brandon-allen-mlb-rumors-2012
they’d do better with option 2, seeing as how there really is NO place to move a franchise to.
sigh
yeh brandon is a homie from conroe – i remember him with the dbax. i rather have him than cust – but there isn’t much room in the OF here neither. and he’s a lefty, too and we already goo a lot of leftys.
of course, all this assumes that mary jane schafer comes back and plays CF – and to put it mildly, i’d rather see a bourgois/shuck/bogu platoon
Lisa – yes, Miami’s taken now, but there’s a vacancy in the AL West. Judging by the blogging and comments here, they may as well be moving the team to another city.
I don’t think they’re going to be undressing Jim Crane piece by piece in the locker room a la Rachel Phelps, though.
neil,
well, judging by the actions of buddy boy and lew wollf, ain’t nobody moving back to oakland.
lew just hasn’t made the real estate killing he bought the team for, you understand. so of they go to rob the taxpayers of san jose. we just don’t have anywhere to move TO. san antonio has the population but not the $$$
Another former DBack with a little pop.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/01/astros-sign-chris-snyder.html
whoa – imagine them picking up someone who can actually, you know, like HIT. MUCH better pickup than craig tatum, even if he can’t catch much any more because of his back. at least he’s good righty hitter.
AND he’s a houston boy, too – went to u of h if i remember rightly
i don’t have much faith that jason castro is gonna hit at the ML level