Former Palm Beach Central head coach Tony Gullo got his first look at C.J. Kayfus on the Little League fields at Wellington's Olympia Park.
Tony Gullo got his first look at C.J. Kayfus on the Little League fields at Wellington's Olympia Park.
"When he was 7 or 8, we knew he was a special player," Gullo said.
Years later, Kayfus was playing first base and anchoring the lineup at Palm Beach Central High, where Gullo was head coach. He went on to play three years at the University of Miami and was taken by the Cleveland Guardians in the third round of the 2023 draft.
From Little League to the pros, Kayfus never stopped hitting. That enabled him to advance quickly through the Guardians' minor league system — and earned him a call-up to the big club on Aug. 2.
Kayfus joined the team in Cleveland and was immediately inserted into the lineup for a game against the Minnesota Twins. Batting eighth and playing right field, he went 0-for-4 with an RBI in the Guardians' 5-4 victory.
Although first base is Kayfus' natural position, he is likely to see most of his action in the outfield. The Guardians are set at first base with Carlos Santana and Kyle Manzardo, so his minor-league managers made sure he got some playing time in right and left field this season to prepare him for a possible call-up.
Kayfus' rapid ascent to the majors is rare for a third-round draft choice. He signed in 2023 after his junior season at Miami, then played 17 games in Low-A, 41 games in High-A and 67 games in Double-A over the next year and a half.
He began this season at Double-A Akron but stayed there only three weeks, hitting .364 with nine extra-base hits and 11 RBIs. At Triple-A Columbus, he batted .283 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs.
When the Guardians made few moves before last week's trade deadline, Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said the team would be looking at players from the top levels of the minor league system to help down the stretch. Cleveland entered the weekend three games back in the American League wild-card race.
“C.J. has made great progress this year in his continued development as a player — offensively and defensively, now that he’s added some versatility,” Antonetti told Cleveland.com. ”The more positions players can play capably, the more chances they’ll have of impacting the major league team. C.J. is among those players in Columbus who we feel has a chance to help us in the second half.”
Kayfus was one of college baseball's best hitters at Miami, batting .350 with 24 home runs and 98 RBIs as a three-year starter, but his relatively small stature for a first baseman (6 feet, 180 pounds) may have lowered his draft stock.
Gullo describes Kayfus as "one of those guys who can just get off the bus and start hitting." As a junior at Palm Beach Central, he hit .407, scored 25 runs and drove in 17 to help the Broncos reach the Class 9A state tournament in 2019. (He also pitched eight innings, giving up one run and striking out 10.)
After he committed to Miami, Kayfus' senior season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kayfus is the second former Palm Beach Central player to get a surprise call-up this year. In March, the Houston Astros announced that Cam Smith had made the Opening Day roster after playing only 32 minor-league games.
Smith was a first-round draft choice in 2024 after a stellar two-year career at Florida State. Like Kayfus, he was moved to the outfield during spring training, even though he'd spent his career as a shortstop and third baseman. Smith earned the starting right field job with a torrid spring in West Palm Beach and has held onto it, entering the weekend with a .256 average, seven home runs and 45 RBIs while playing solid defense.
Gullo, who resigned as the Broncos' coach after this past season, said he learned of Kayfus' call-up when a friend texted him.
"Congratulations on another one," it read.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: C.J. Kayfus' high school coach: 'We knew he was a special player'
Category: General Sports
