Postal workers look just like you and me. You’d never guess the guy delivering your Amazon package could throw a baseball 95 mph. For Jose Cuas, that was the truth.
Cuas was drafted out of the University of Maryland as an infielder by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2015. The Brewers converted him to a pitcher in 2017 but released Cuas a year later.
After his release, Cuas found his way to the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, where he pitched well enough to get signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019. Due to Covid-19, he was released by the Diamondbacks in March of 2020.
With baseball then out of the question, Cuas picked up a job as a FedEx driver to support his family. He was prepared to simply mail in baseball and work a normal job moving forward. His brother would not allow that, however, playing catch with Cuas after his shifts would end to keep him in throwing shape. This paid dividends when the Kansas City Royals came calling, and signed Cuas out of the Dominican Winter League in 2021.
Then, Tuesday before last, May 31, Jose Cuas earned the opportunity to pitch in a major league baseball game for the first time. “It’s a dream come true, being a kid from [Brooklyn] New York, everything I’ve been through in my playing career, to be here in a major-league stadium with a chance to pitch – I can’t even say I dreamed about it,” Cuas told MLB.com. “It’s beyond my dreams.”
Cuas was called upon to pitch in the fifth inning of the Royals’ game against their divisional rival Cleveland Guardians. He came into a runner on first, nobody out situation, and displayed a stone-cold demeanor throughout. Cuas struck out Oscar Mercado with a 95mph fastball. He
then went on to induce groundouts off the bats of Austin Hedges and Myles Straw, thus completing his first inning of work in “one-two-three” fashion.
After the game, Cuas was greeted by his children and the rest of his family to take a round of congratulatory pictures. Teammates, and even the opposition, were ecstatic for the pitcher.
In Triple-A Omaha, Cuas posted a 1.74 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched. Though it’s been a dark season for the Royals thus far, the potential Cuas offers is a bright spot that won’t soon be ignored.
Cuas was out of baseball two years ago, but never gave up and now can say “I made it.” We’ve asked this before, and we’ll continue to do so every time it applies. To quote Brad Pitt’s interpretation of Billy Beane; “how can you not be romantic about baseball?”
