While rummaging through my archives at Ducksnorts in preparation for the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual, I came across this gem on everyone’s second favorite superhero, Jack Cust. Check out his preseason projections:

 
BA
OBP
SLG

Bill James
n/a

Chone
.228
.365
.377

Marcel
.278
.343
.444

ZiPS
.232
.366
.403

Average
.246
.358
.408

So, yeah, his .256/.408/.504 performance for the A’s in 2007 qualifies as a surprise. Just a tad…

In the interest of accountability, I thought we’d start looking back at my preseason predictions. I’ll run one division a day and make a few comments where appropriate.
First off, the American League West:

Angels – They’ve won the division, as expected. The team from Anaheim still has a chance to finish with the best record in all of baseball; that’s good because I also picked the Angels to win the World Series.
Rangers – What was I thinking? Probably that their offense couldn’t be too bad in that park. Sammy Sosa is a feel-good story. Well, sort of… I guess. The rotation …read more

With the season winding down, I thought it might be fun to look back at some of the bigger surprises this year. In no particular order, here are nine things that have blown my mind:

There are a lot of fun stories this year in baseball: Josh Hamilton, Jack Cust, Rick Ankiel. How about YALHH (yet another left-handed hitter), Carlos Pena?
Pena, in case you missed it, ranks second in the American League with 33 homers through September 1. This is a guy who hit 23 home runs all last year at Triple-A (plus one with the Red Sox). Hot prospect? Well, yeah, like in 2000 and 2001. Pena had his shot with the Tigers, did okay before fading away, and now has come back with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Somewhere along the line, Pena turned …read more

You may have missed it in the all the hoopla surrounding, oh, pretty much anything else going on in the world, but right-hander Colby Lewis got the start Tuesday evening for Oakland. Lewis hadn’t made a big-league start since 2004, when he still wore a Texas Rangers uniform.
The previous year, Lewis’ only full season in the big leagues, he went 10-9 in 26 starts with a 7.30 ERA. He finished in the top 10 in walks allowed (and just missed the top 10 in earned runs allowed) despite throwing only 127 innings.
On Tuesday, against the American League’s worst offense (White …read more

You’ve heard the legend of Jack Cust by now. The veteran DH came to the A’s from San Diego in a trade a few weeks ago and has gotten off to a great start with his new club. But is he better than Superman? You be the judge:

Jack Cust vs Superman

 
Cust
Superman
Advantage

Birthplace
Flemington, N.J.
Krypton
With all due respect to New Jersey, this goes to the Man of Steel.

Drafted
Arizona, 1st round ‘97
Never
Cust. In fairness to Superman, had he played baseball, he likely would have been a first-round pick as well.

Earth Name
Jack Cust
Clark Kent
Tie. I can’t tell the difference.

Height
6′1″
6′3″
Superman.

Weight
205 lbs
225 lbs
Superman.

Speed
None
Faster than a speeding bulllet
Superman.

Vision
Good …read more