The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 122

to Flemington's Jack Cust drafted by Diamondbacks 3 a 3 Cm 3 mm 5 n) i Jack Cust of Flemington, left, a recent graduate of Immaculata High School in Somerville, was selected in the first round in Major League baseball's ama-, teur draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Buck Showalter, now manager of the Arizona team, presented Cust with a Little League trophy six years ago. Showalter was manager of 0 a territory a lot of guys can't reach, and he is already there." Cust's hitting style evoked comparison's to Atlanta Braves slugging outfielder Ryan Klesko from Arizona scouting director Don Mitchell. "At this stage, he's not as big and physical as Ryan Klesko, but he has the same kind of approach," said Mitchell. "He gets his legs working.

He's a big guy. He's very aggressive. He has a high finish on his swing." Offered scholarship Since he was selected in the first round, Cust said he's heavily leaning toward forgoing a full scholarship to Alabama to sign with the Diamondbacks. Arizona paid the 30th pick in last year's draft, left-handed pitcher Nick Bierbrodt, a signing bonus of $525,000 to skip college. Cust said the money and the chance to work with Showalter are probably too much too pass up.

"I love the Yankees and I loved him when he was there," Cust said. "I just think of someone who wants his players to work hard and gets the best out of his players. I want to work hard for him, because he respects his players and they work "It's funny how those things come back with you." The Arizona Diamondbacks picked the Flemington 18-year-old, who was the 30th player chosen in the annual June draft of college and high school players. Cust joins former Scotch Plains-Fanwood and current Baltimore Orioles outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds as the only other local baseball prospect ever taken in the first round of the annual amateur draft. Hammonds was drafted fourth overall in 1992 after a All-America college career at Stanford.

Cust is the first local to be drafted in the first round out of high school. A 6-foot-2, 190-pound first baseman, Cust literally hit his way into the national scouting spotlight. The Flemington resident had 15 home runs this season, hitting a 370-foot blast in his last game as a Spartan. (Immaculata lost 9-7 in the Parochial A state championship game last Saturday.) In a recent tryout at Yankee Stadium, Cust displayed his much sought-after left-handed power by crushing three home runs into the right field upper deck. "He put three balls in the upper deck at Yankee Stadium with a wood bat," Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr.

said. "That's In 1991, one of Buck Showalter's -first official duties as New York Yankees manager was to fly up from his Florida home to give out trophies at the North Hunterdon Little League awards banquet. The league home run champ that year was a kid from Flemington named Jack Cust, a big Yankee fan, who was bowled over when Showal-ter handed him his trophy and said, "Someday maybe you'll be playing for me." "I said, 'Yeah, I'm going to play for you Mr. Showalter. We're going to be on the same Cust said.

"Later, when I was older, I was like, 'Yeah, like that might Six years later, it did happen. Someday arrived Tuesday when now-Arizona Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter made now-Immaculata High senior Jack Cust the 30th pick overall in Major League baseball's amateur draft. "I remember the banquet, I don't remember Jack," Showalter said last week. "I certainly remember the banquet, because I flew up just for the banquet and then flew back. It was something at the time that was kind of tough, but I had just gotten the job and wanted to develop a relationship with the Little Leagues around the area.

fi) ta ui hard for him. "Hopefully it all works out and one day I'll be playing in the big time, that's my real dream and this is a step in the right direction." Former Yankee and current Arizona manager Buck Showalter said the team was impressed by Cust's character as much as his hitting skills. "We think we have a very special thing going here and we're very excited about adding Jack to that," music shop studios 9 W. MAIN SOMERVILLE, N.J. 08876-2201 the Yankees at that time.

Courier -News file photo Showalter said. "We did a lot of background work on his makeup and personality and I think his parents are to be commended. "We have a category to rate hitting and throwing and we also have one for makeup, it's very important to us," Showalter said. "We think he's a special young man all around." By Jim Carty Courier-News Staff Writer speeioGs. pc7 Ta9s ssr CloOunj from Ofahtrt Cos -conscious ways to tccfcatgc a uttudnobe.

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