The Kansas City Royals' 2022 season is upon us, and the excitement around this ball club is at an all-time high for good reason. The Omaha Storm Chasers kicked off their season on Tuesday and took to the field for Triple-A Opening Day, taking on the Indianapolis Indians. The Storm Chasers emerged victoriously and one pitcher stood out in particular. Those in Royals circles should become familiar with relief pitcher Jose Cuas.Cuas attended the University of Maryland, where he played a versatile role for the Terrapins. In three seasons, he hit .243/.320/.395 with 30 doubles, four triples, 17 Rodney Adams Jersey home runs, 112 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and 55 walks. In 2015, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Cuas in the 11th round of the MLB Draft.Cuas would enter the minors as a position player, but he struggled at the plate after just over a thousand plate appearances in six seasons (.200/.283/.318). In 2018, he took on a new role out of the bullpen as a pitcher. Early on, he showed signs of succe s in the Independent League with the Long Island Ducks. In 22 games, he came on in relief and threw 22-2/ Breshad Perriman Jersey 3 innings with a 2.38 ERA and a 2-1 record. His succe s as a pitcher was eye-opening and on June 17 of last year, the Royals purchased his contract from the Long Island Ducks. spoke about Cuas and his succe s, saying, "Jose has been lights out in the bullpen, he was deserving of his opportunity with Tashaun Gipson Jersey the Diamondbacks in 2019, and we are excited to see him get another chance at the big leagues with the Royals."Scroll to ContinueCuas would report to the Royals' extended spring training facility, then later got called up to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He dominated his competition, pitching in 22 games and throwing 32-1/3 innings. In his time with the Naturals, he faced 133 batters and allowed 31 hits resulting in just seven earned runs. Cuas also recorded 32 strikeouts, a1.95 ERA and a 1.175 WHIP, earning him a promotion to Triple-A Omaha. Cuas pitched briefly at Omaha before the season ended in 2021. He continued working on his craft in the Dominican Winter League in the offseason.So far in Cuas' minor league career, he has Eddy Pineiro Jersey to sed 107 innings with an impre sive 2.78 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He has struck out 99 batters and has a 13-4 record.In the Storm Chasers' season-opener, Cuas got the opportunity to pitch. He highlighted his 94 mph sinker paired with an 82 mph slider. The sinker works hard inside on right-handed hitters, breaking away from a left-handed hitter. His slider has a tight spin and is hard to pick up as he seamle sly repeats his motion. Cuas hides the baseball through his motion, released in the sidearm slot, which is naturally hard to pick up.If Cuas continues to pitch at a succe sful rate in Omaha, he could make his major league debut quickly. The 27-year-old has been around the block a few times and is Marqui Christian Jersey nearly a decade removed from his first season at Maryland, but he's going as strong as ever in a relatively new role. A suming that keeps up, he could be more than just a feel-good story for the Royals at some point moving forward.
