Major League Baseball

M's think Cust can be needed left-handed hitter

Published Feb. 24, 2011 8:40 a.m. ET

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Strikeouts, walks, home runs.

Yep, that pretty much sums up Jack Cust.

OK, maybe it's not that simple, too limited a definition for a slugger about to enter his fifth full major league season. But when the Seattle Mariners signed Cust in the offseason to a $2.5 million, one-year deal, they understood what Cust's strengths - and limitations - are.

He hits the ball really hard. He's got a sharp eye at the plate and an ability to draw walks. And he strikes out, a lot.

Take it or leave it. That's who Cust is at the plate.

''It's kind of like second nature for me,'' Cust said. ''It's just the way I hit, sometimes to a fault.''

In an offseason lacking headline moves and limited by financial constraints due to the contracts of others, Cust served as Seattle's most significant free agent signing. Seattle hopes that Cust can prove to be the left-handed power bat the Mariners have lacked in their vast home ballpark since Ken Griffey Jr. first left the Pacific Northwest after the 1999 season. Only twice since Griffey left Seattle - Russell Branyan in 2009 and Raul Ibanez in 2006 - has a left-handed Mariners batter slugged more than 30 homers in a season.

But Cust isn't simply a slugger. He's a keen eye, an example of patience - sometimes too much - that the Mariners hope their younger players will watch closely.

''One of the many reasons we wanted him over here is the professional at bat he puts up, not just in regard to his production but the example he sets for our younger players in regard to his professional approach,'' Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. ''That's what we want, we want good at bats, good outs, stick your nose in there with two strikes and making sure whoever is on the mound knows who hit against him whether he got a hit or not.''

With Cust, though, that's not the end of his story. The sharp eye he possesses that helps draw walks and slug homers also comes with a downside: strikeouts.

For three straight years (2007-09) with Oakland, Cust led the American League in strikeouts. He went down nearly 200 times in 2008, at the same time leading the league in walks with 111. He also hit a career-high 33 homers that season.

The stats are confounding. How can a hitter with power and such a sharp eye for balls and strikes be the best at drawing walks and the worst at striking out at the same time?

Cust said his patience is sometimes his biggest drawback, a trait that started when his father taught him the philosophy of hitting based around Ted Williams. He followed those teachings all through his youth, into the minors and through his major league career.

In past years, Cust's philosophy was such that he waited for that perfect pitch, trying to square up a ball he could potentially hit out of the park. And while waiting for that pitch to come, he regularly found himself behind in counts and in bad count situations.

Cust nearly landed in Seattle last year, instead deciding on a fourth season in Oakland. Then he began the year at Triple-A and decided it was time for a change. He was still going to be patient at the plate, but he knew the strikeouts needed to decrease.

So instead of waiting for the perfect pitch in the hopes of cracking a long home run, Cust became a little less selective, instead looking for a decent pitch he could drive - just maybe not for a homer.

In 112 games last season, Cust hit just 13 homers, but also dropped his strikeouts to 127 after striking out 185 times the year before. Cust also raised his batting average to a career-best .275 and his on-base percentage was the second-best of his career, despite walking only - for him - 68 times.

And he's excited about the opportunity to hit with the likes of Ichiro Suzuki and Chone Figgins batting ahead of him in the Mariners lineup. Cust has never had more than 82 RBIs in a season.

''By putting the ball in play earlier in the count, not being as selective maybe the home runs go down a little bit but the productivity as an overall hitter goes up,'' Cust said. ''The more balls you put in play the more chances you have of success and some of these pitchers you can't be looking for cookies all the time. You're not going to get them.''

NOTES: RHP Michael Pineda and RHP Blake Beavan will be the starters for the Mariners intrasquad game on Friday. Wedge says the game will last about five innings and he intends to try to get all his players some time. Seattle opens spring play Sunday with its annual charity game against San Diego.

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