An interview and player feature I conducted with Shorebirds player Jake Cunningham that was used in the official Shorebirds magazine.
Ready to break out: Jake Cunningham Player Feature
In a sport as long and laborious as professional baseball hardly anything is cut and dry. Jake Cunningham understands that well. The left fielder entering his second year with the Shorebirds has shown incredible flashes of elite fielding and power behind the plate but has struggled to stay consistent.
Cunningham explained, “Usually in your first season of pro ball you’re struggling a little bit and I haven’t had the best season behind the plate but mentally you have to just pick yourself and keep attacking the next one”.
Cunningham has followed this mindset of persistence and patience his entire career. After deciding to stay local and attend his hometown college, Charlotte University Cunningham would show stellar potential putting up a .264 BA and elite field over three seasons. After three seasons of patience, Cunningham would trust himself and opt out after his junior year declaring for the 2023 MLB draft. “The opportunity to play professional baseball was something I always wanted to do so when that became a possibility, I thought that was a no brainer.”
This decision would prove to be a correct one for Cunningham as he was drafted by the Orioles in fifth round of the 2023 draft. Even before draft day, Cunningham knew the Orioles had him tagged as one of their top players, “I was fortunate enough to go to a predraft workout at Camden yards with some other people was fun. Getting to take BP, throwing from the outfield at Camden yards was very fun for sure.”
In his first season with the Shorebirds, the left fielder would show demonstrate his upside putting up a respectable .229 BA over 12 games with 8 hits and 10 RBIs. For Cunningham, 2023 was an immediate indicator of the differences between college and professional ball. “It’s definitely a different game everyone’s bigger faster and stronger. The biggest thing is the amount of games we play 130 games and in college we have 50-60, so it’s fun but it’s definitely a longer season for sure.”
Outside of baseball has also been an interesting transition for Cunningham who in his first year with the Shorebirds had to find a balance between personal life and baseball. “It’s definitely different because in college I’d be waking up today getting ready for finance class, doing homework but here it’s pretty much eat, sleep, breathe baseball so you definitely have to find things away from the field to keep yourself sane. I like to play golf on off days, so you must find ways to balance out baseball and life.”
The 2023 offseason brought Cunningham his first ‘welcome to the league moment’ when he was invited down to Florida to join the Oriole’s Spring training roster. “I got to hit live at bats off some of our big-league arms and seeing Craig Kimbrel on the mound was pretty cool because I grew up watching him on the Braves so that was pretty cool to hit off him.” The experience also indicated to Cunningham how although he is in Single-A, the goal to reach the big leagues is closer than he thinks.
Entering the second half of the season, Cunningham is still looking for improvement that can carry him to the end of the season. After dealing with a quad issue in early May, Cunningham has found it difficult to continue a solid run of form behind the plate. Despite this he has continued to be patient and confident that the hits will come. “I’d just like to start seeing the work I put in hitting pay off in game. I think I’ve been playing solid defense, running the bases well and I feel like the hot streaks coming and I’m ready for it to start."
