The Cleveland Guardians were patient with C.J. Kayfus and worked tirelessly on his development to polish his skills.
Now, that approach is paying off.
Kayfus didn’t miss a beat at the plate after being promoted from Triple-A and has given the team a boost since being called up.
The young player recently revealed what he believes to be the secret behind his offensive surge, via insider Joe Noga.
“Kayfus said that working at the bat speed clinics and the swing clinics that (the Guardians) had in the offseason in Arizona — they have them in November — really sort of increased his bat speed, increased his swing speed,” Noga said on the “Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast.” “He said he used to like the pitches in college out over the plate where you could extend your arms and drive to all fields. Now he can get to those pitches on the inside and turn on them because they worked to increase his bat speed.”
While everybody was waiting for prospect Chase DeLauter to get to the majors, Kayfus put his head down, got to work and absolutely crushed it in the minors.
More importantly, he stayed healthy and consistent, and it became evident that he was ready for a new challenge.
Kayfus proved to be special right off the bat, logging an RBI groundout in his first MLB plate appearance.
Days later, he hit his first career home run.
The 23-year-old had four extra-base hits and five RBIs in his first eight games, hitting .269 with an .821 OPS.
The Guardians needed to add some firepower to their outfield, and he’s been a contributor from the day he arrived.
Of course, Kayfus is still a work in progress, and he has plenty to do to become the All-Star-caliber player he looks destined to be.
Still, this is an encouraging start to his career, and props to the Guardians for the way they helped him grow.
NEXT: Carlos Baerga Gushes About Key Guardians Unit
