Starlin Castro Ripping Apart AFL Pitching

In his first six AFL games (five starts), Castro is hitting .522 (12-for-23).

over 2 years ago Al Yellon 20 comments 2 recs |

Comments

This is from Carrie Muskat's blog:

Starlin Castro shifted over to second base Monday for the Mesa Solar Sox, and went 1-for-4 in a 8-1 loss to the Peoria Javelinas in Arizona Fall League play. Castro has played shortstop in the Cubs’ Minor League system. Maybe the Cubs are considering him for 2010 at second? Mesa third baseman Josh Vitters, the Cubs’ No. 1 Draft pick in 2007, was 0-for-4.

We don’t need no more stinkin’ second basemen. Apparently, the kid has a great glove to do with the bat. He is 19!

Some people say the glass is half empty, some say half full. I say, are you going to drink that?

by BleedsbluinMI on Oct 21, 2009 9:11 AM CDT reply actions

Please no!

It would give Hendry another reason to keep the Riot at SS.

"Repetition is only good when you've been winning." - Valet

by propheteer on Oct 21, 2009 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions

2nd Baseman are a dime a dozen

Let him play SS. Man would this be a gift from above for us!

I would sleep with Blou if it meant the Cubs would win a WS. by Doggie Stalker on Aug 22, 2009 4:11 PM EDT

by cubsluver22 on Oct 21, 2009 9:27 AM CDT reply actions

I can't agree more

Numbers may not lie, but they don’t tell the whole truth (and nothing but the truth), either. -- Doug Glanville

by leothelip on Oct 21, 2009 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Castro is not being moved to second base. But the Red Sox also have a shortstop on the Mesa Solar Sox and they’d kind of like him to play too. Putting Castro at second base was just an alternative to benching him.

by Josh Timmers on Oct 21, 2009 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions

couple comments

a) I’m not too worried about the move to 2nd. Unless it happens with more consistency, for now, I am assuming that it is a simple case of trying to get another team’s prospect some time at short. Considering said prospect was the highly touted Cuban signing of Jose Iglesias for the Red Sox, that’s what I think led to the move.

b) In general, most people anticipate that Castro can stick at short and have a plus glove. If the power develops, as some suspect, then he really climbs up the ladder a bit, but even if it doesn’t, the expectations of a plus defensive shortstop that can make good contact is enticing. Short of it is, considering he’s 2 levels ahead of Hak-ju Lee, the only other guy in the system that has high level shortstop talent, Castro should stick at short until either Lee surpasses him or Castro shows he can’t stick.

c) Very happy to see Castro do well. Shows good endurance for that body, considering the long year and change he’s had since instructs from last year, which should bode well as he adds some weight and physically matures. I’m very high on Castro, much higher than I expected, and he’s surpassed all my expectations. He’s got a great approach at the plate right now and has a smooth swing. There’s a lot to like, but some quick notes that I want to make:

i) The AFL is more of a hitter’s league, partly because a lot of teams are fearful of overworking their top arms.

ii) What Castro is doing there is great, as noted, but for him to really take the next step in status would require power development.

iii) Getting time at 2nd is a good thing in case he, for some reason, can’t stick at short. As noted, I expect him to stay at short, but getting some experience at another spot isn’t a bad thing.

iv) There seems to be a smattering of belief out there that Castro will be in the bigs by midseason 2010. I read a Dave Keller comment on another site that suggested he thought it could happen. I would rather not rush him anymore than already, but it’s something to keep in mind for this offseason.

by toonsterwu on Oct 21, 2009 11:26 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Interesting stuff.

Castro’s stock definitely seems to be rising, and I really hope he can stick at shortstop as well.

Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.

by daver on Oct 21, 2009 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions

I agree

Don’t rush him, let him develop—that’s what the minors are for. My question is how many of those hits are for extra bases? That might be an indicator of future power potential.

"There is no tomorrow for you, and that makes you very dangerous people."--Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman) The Replacements

Time is an illusion--lunch time doubly so.

by snowyman28 on Oct 21, 2009 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions

BA had a blurb awhile back

which indicated that scouts thought that, as he added weight, his quick wrists would lead to more power.

But to answer your question, in

358 AB’s in A+, he had 23 XBH (17 2B’s, 3 3B’s and HR’s)
111 AB’s in AA, he had 9 XBH (6 2B’s, 3 3B’s)
23 AB’s in AFL, he has 1 triple

by toonsterwu on Oct 21, 2009 3:20 PM CDT up reply actions

Keith Law at ESPN.com agrees

Starlin Castro headed for Stardom

"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

by vonde6 on Oct 21, 2009 3:02 PM CDT reply actions

the last line

is very key. When I saw him earlier this year, when Castro chased pitches, you couldn’t really tell like some other players because he’s so smooth and steady. Even if the power doesn’t develop, this is still a potentially plus glove who will make enough contact to be potentially more than an 8th hitter.

by toonsterwu on Oct 21, 2009 3:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Wow, well I can't read the entire article...

…but, judging by the first paragraph, that’s quite a glowing review. Color me impressed.

Catch my act on Twitter as @dat_cubfan_dave.

by daver on Oct 21, 2009 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions

That's what I thought

I don’t pay for ESPN insider stuff, either, but Keith Law does not generally gush about prospects…

"When you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill

by vonde6 on Oct 21, 2009 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions

none of the stuff behind the pay wall

is about Castro. It’s about other players. Everything about Castro is there.

by Josh Timmers on Oct 21, 2009 5:09 PM CDT up reply actions

One of my worries for the Cubs over the past few years

is that they would give Ryan Theriot a big contract, chiefly because of his value over replacement interviewee. I’ve got a lot of hope invested in Castro, now, and am disinclined to worry about the too quick advancement, although probably for the wrong reasons.

Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.

by DGU on Oct 21, 2009 8:07 PM CDT reply actions

I'm not too worried about that

The organization is immensely high on Castro, by most accounts, and Theriot’s contract/age situation likely precludes him signing down a long term deal. Add in a solid group of middle infield talent, from Flaherty to LeMahieu to Watkins, to even Darwin Barney (who would be a solid backup MI), to the two shortstops, to raw assets like Junior Lake and Dwayne Kemp, amongst others, that I’ll be surprised if Theriot is held on longer than necessary.

by toonsterwu on Oct 21, 2009 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions

Let it be as you say!

Inspector #23 certifies that the above post is sarcasm free, most certainly not what she said, and chock full of intangibles, although regressing to the intangible mean, as you'd expect.

by DGU on Oct 22, 2009 8:00 AM CDT up reply actions

I wonder if the weight is right

I think it listed him at 160. That seems awful slender. At least it leaves him some room to put on some muscle.

by Nibbles on Oct 21, 2009 9:16 PM CDT reply actions

when i saw him

He’s not that much off 160, at least, not earlier this year when i saw him. I mean … could he be 170 or so? Sure. The 160 is probably the weight he signed at, but he hasn’t grown that much yet. The positive thing is that weight development is expected, and by most accounts, not expected to hinder his athletic ability potentially.

by toonsterwu on Oct 21, 2009 10:43 PM CDT up reply actions