At the end of Spring Training, The A's surprised everyone by designating Cust for assignment, ultimately sending him down to Triple-A Sacramento. The A's had a healthy Eric Chavez and decided it was best to have him as the DH.
Cust, who was released and then re-signed over the offseason, sat at his locker, dumbfounded, quietly taking it like a man as he fielded questions from reporters. Then, after letting it sink in, he engaged a phone interview with the San Francisco Chronicle and blasted the A's for their decision, calling it a "joke", citing the A's lack of power without him.
After cooling off, Cust seemed very resolved to go back to Triple-A, prove his worth and come back to Oakland.
Psst!... Cust! This is the part where you prove you belong in the big leagues!
Cust has not been putting on a show of any kind so far in Sacramento. In fact, his numbers suggest he's spending more time eating sour grapes than working on improving his hitting. Even if Eric Chavez were to go down with an injury in Oakland, opening the designated hitter position, Cust hasn't exactly proven it's his spot to reclaim. I'd give the job to Landon Powell first.
In 14 games and 46 at-bats, Cust must be killing rallies for the Sacramento Rivercats. He sports nine hits, good for a dismal .196 batting average. The Rivercats cleanup hitter isn't cleaning up anything either. He has just two extra base hits (both doubles) and just two RBIs. His .239 slugging percentage is topped by every other lineup regular except for freshly promoted Anthony Recker.
The A's have tallied just 11 home runs in their first 19 games. So far, that hasn't stopped them from tallying 11 wins so far, but that can't last. Catcher Kurt Suzuki is the man flashing power so far this season with four, but he's not exactly a prototypical cleanup hitter.
That power-starved lineup in Oakland may come calling for reserves eventually. In the meantime, Cust needs to display that power that punched his ticket to the big show in the first place. It's only a matter of time before Chris Carter and Michael Taylor prove they're ready for the promotion, and if they beat Cust to Oakland, Cust may not make it all.
The time is now, Cust. You've talked the talk, now walk the walk. Er... I mean flash the power.
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