Last October, in the days after the regular season was complete, Cheslor Cuthbert boarded a flight at Kansas City International Airport and headed to Arizona. Cuthbert was exhausted, running on fumes after his rookie season with the Royals. But his work was not done.
After starting 123 games at third base, Cuthbert was set to surrender his job to Mike Moustakas, who was concluding rehab from a season-ending knee injury. So as the Royals started to scatter, heading home to rest and relax, Cuthbert headed to the desert to learn another trade.
For close to two weeks, Cuthbert worked out at second base, sweating through sessions with Rafael Belliard, the former major-league infielder and Royals special assistant.