CLEVELAND, Ohio — Collin Joseph Kayfus has banked a little more than two weeks of big league service time, but the Guardians rookie outfielder/first baseman is quickly making an impression since his debut back on Aug. 2.
The Boca Raton, Fla. native has hit .209 with a home run, six RBI and a .626 OPS in 43 at-bats across 14 games, but has not appeared overwhelmed at the plate as he makes the transition from the minor leagues where he was Cleveland’s No. 4 prospect at the time of his promotion.
Manager Stephen Vogt said he is still getting to know Kayfus, but recognizes that the third round pick out of Miami manages his at-bats well wherever he is playing.
“He doesn’t get too big,” Vogt said. “C.J. seems to really stay under control.”
But when Kayfus is away from the ballpark, he finds time to pour himself into a variety of interests. From auto restoration to riding dirt bikes to bingeing reality TV, Kayfus revealed in a recent interview with cleveland.com that there’s a lot more to him than the smooth left-handed swing he brought up from Triple-A Columbus at the start of August.
Below is a Q&A with the rookie who is hoping to add some punch to the Guardians lineup as Cleveland chases a postseason berth.
Q: Is there a teammate who was influential on your career?
C.J. Kayfus: The most influential teammates were definitely the guys that came down to Columbus (after spending time in Cleveland). Whether that was Will Wilson, Jhonkensy Noel — just being able to talk to them about their experiences up here was really eye-opening. They gave me a lot of insight and pointers on how to make the transition more seamless.
Q: Is there a cause or something in your life that you get behind or get passionate about?
CJK: I’m very passionate about cancer research. My mom was diagnosed with cancer when I was young. She luckily beat it and still has to go in for checkups every six months to a year. Seeing what she had to go through was very revealing, really showed me you can’t take tomorrow for granted.
Q: There was a lot of hype around here for the Superman movie. What about your favorite superheroes? Is there a superpower that you would you want to have?
CJK: I really like the Spider-Man movies. I think those were pretty sweet. I don’t necessarily have a favorite superhero, but I think the original Spider-Man films were all really good. If I could pick a superpower, I’d go with flying. I think that would be super cool.
Q: You’re from Miami, which is a tourist hot spot. What’s your favorite vacation spot that’s not South Florida? If you could travel anywhere, where would you pick?
CJK: When I was young, most of our vacations were baseball-related. The only other place I would travel to is Brazil because half my family is out there. We didn’t do many vacations outside the country that weren’t baseball-related besides going to see family in Brazil. But I can’t complain — the beaches in Brazil are beautiful.
Q: Would you like to travel more? Is there a spot that you would like to see yourself?
CJK: I love seeing pictures of Greece — it’s really beautiful. I think we’ve been talking about maybe going on vacation there. Everything I’ve seen from Greece has been pretty cool. I’m not really into the historical aspects, but I think the whole Greek gods and goddesses mythology is a really cool idea.
Q: If you weren’t playing baseball, what sport or what career would you think you would have chosen?
CJK: I’ve always been really hands-on. I wanted to go into mechanical engineering, design, work on car stuff. I’ve always really liked cars, motorcycles, stuff like that. But with baseball, that would have been really tough to major in. I studied business management, so I’d like to own a business one day.
Q: Do you work on cars in your off time?
CJK: Yeah, I got a Mustang back home when I turned 16, and my dad and I were in the garage on jack stands underneath the car all the time, taking apart the suspension, exhaust, working on the engine. I really enjoyed that kind of stuff.
Q: Favorite meal away from the ballpark?
CJK: Easily chicken parm. It’s my favorite — I can eat that for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My girlfriend’s mom makes the best. Every Italian restaurant I go to, I get chicken parm, but nothing ever compares to hers.
Q: What are your first impressions of Cleveland?
CJK: I really haven’t been here for that long, so I have a tough time answering that. But it’s a beautiful city, a lot different than Miami — a lot smaller, but nice. (00:07:22)
Q: Irrational childhood fear?
CJK: I think sharks is an easy answer. I don’t want to be in the water with any sharks. I’ve talked with a couple guys like Aaron Davenport and Andrew Walters — they’re big fishermen. They go out on the sea, swim with sharks. I could never do that. Honestly, my only real fear is drowning, but I can swim.
Q: Favorite player growing up?
CJK: I didn’t have one. I wasn’t big on watching baseball, let alone any sports, honestly. I grew up riding dirt bikes — that was like my first sport, if you call that a sport. That’s how I got into cars and motorcycles. Baseball was more of a secondary thing to riding dirt bikes until it became more serious when I was around 12 or 13.
Q: How far did you get into dirt biking? Is that big down in Florida?
CJK: I think it was more because my dad wanted to get into it and he used me as an excuse to get a bike (laughs). But a bunch of my friends also rode dirt bikes. We’d all go out on the weekends and ride the trails, ride the tracks.
Q: What’s your musical preference?
CJK: I love all types of music. I have a rock and roll playlist, like alternative rock — Linkin Park has been my go-to right now. But I also love Morgan Wallen and modern country.
Q: What was the last TV show you binged?
CJK: Love Island with my girlfriend. I don’t know if I should put that one out there!
Q: Do you have any pets?
CJK: I do. My dad’s side with my stepmom, they have three golden retrievers, and on my mom and stepdad’s side, we have an Australian Shepherd.
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