Cheslor Cuthbert has bounced back in a big way for the Royals
In the middle of a season in which Whit Merrifield established himself as an All-Star, Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler have proven themselves legitimate middle-of-the-order run producers and Adalberto Mondesi has shown star potential when healthy, Cheslor Cuthbert has quietly been arguably the second-best hitter on the Royals roster since being called up from the minors.
Cuthbert, 26, entered Thursday night batting .296 with six home runs, 50 hits and 25 RBIs in 44 games in the majors this season. Since his promotion from Class AAA Omaha on May 31, he’s recorded the second-most hits on the Royals behind Merrifield and second-most RBIs behind Soler.
Cuthbert has returned to the form he initially displayed when he got his first extended time with the Royals in 2016. In order to do that, he had to both learn from his past experiences while also looking at this offseason as a fresh start.
“I don’t see much difference in him now than I did when he was really productive,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “This, in my mind, is who he is — a productive offensive player at the big-league level.”
Cuthbert played in 128 games with the big club in 2016, and he batted .274 with a .318 on-base percentage, .413 slugging percentage, 12 home runs, 28 doubles and 46 RBIs as a rookie (he’d played 19 games in the majors in 2015). That’s after he hit the rookie wall in September, wore down and posted a slash line of .212/.287/.294.
He’d gotten that extended chance to play as a starter because everyday third baseman Mike Moustakas had suffered a torn ACL and played just 27 games in 2016.
In 2017, Moustakas reclaimed the starting job, and Cuthbert’s at-bats plummeted from 475 to 143. He posted a .231/.275/.322 slash line with two homers, seven doubles and 18 RBIs in 58 games.
“I looked at him thinking this guy is going to be our third baseman for a long time, a solid defender, can hit the ball to all fields, got some pop,” Yost said. “The one year after Moose came back, he didn’t play much and players lose sight of the fact that this is a skill that you gotta keep honed. He didn’t play much and didn’t want to go play winter ball, and here you go.”
Last season, injuries allowed him to play just 36 games. A lower back strain hampered him and limited him throughout the year. The club designated him for assignment in January, and Dozier has taken hold of the everyday third base job.
However, Cuthbert remained with the club on a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training.
Fresh start
“Last year and the year before, it’s been two rough years for me, but I just put away everything and I’m just looking forward and just trying to get better every day,” Cuthbert said.
The emphasis on looking forward started this winter when he played winter ball in Mexico. He got more than 200 at-bats and played on a daily basis.
For Cuthbert, the mindset was just as big as the repetitions. He went into the winter determined to play with a different outlook and approach to the game prompted by the injury and his declining performance since 2016.
“I decided that I wanted to be a new player,” Cuthbert said. “I said to myself, I need to get better at everything that I do, forget about my past, look forward and get better.”
This season, Cuthbert hit well in the minors this year (.310/.370/.528) and got added to the 40-man roster when Chris Owings was designated for assignment.
Cuthbert, who has predominantly played first base since being promoted, hasn’t looked at the last two years as a complete loss. He insists he’s learned a lot during that period, even when he wasn’t playing regularly.
He watched the way former teammates such as Eric Hosmer and Moustakas and current teammates such as Merrifield prepared for various situations that might come up in a game. That helped him have a better plan at the plate and a better idea of what to expect at certain times.
“My focus has been better, knowing the situation,” Cuthbert said. “I learned a lot the last couple years. On the bench, I just watched guys — how they prepare themselves — right now, I just put everything together.”
He’s batted .320 with runners in scoring position, and he’s produced in clutch moments. Ten of his 25 RBIs have given the Royals a lead.
Cuthbert said he didn’t come into the season with any statistical goals. It doesn’t matter to him if he plays third base or first as long as he’s on the field and can contribute to the team winning games.
“I just wanted to stay healthy and play every day, that’s all I wanted,” Cuthbert said. “You have the opportunity to play every day, then you have the opportunity to do good things.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2019 at 8:57 PM.
