By now you may be tired of reading all the silly headlines about Starlin Castro. For example: A Starlin the Making, A Starlin is Born, Cubs Revolutionize Infield with Castro, Castro to Dictate Cubs Infield, etc. We’ve established that Starlin Castro is a great name for making headlines, but how good is he at playing baseball?
The simple answer is very good. Through 264 Minor League games, Castro slashed .310/.362/.421 while generally playing against guys two or three years older than him. A simple criteria I often use to eliminate prospects is .350 OBP and .400 SLG, Castro has surpassed this benchmark, while being the young’en on each team he’s played for.
A lot of Cubs fans will compare Castro’s quick promotion to the likes of recent flops, Corey Patterson and/or Felix Pie. Fear not Cubs fans, Castro is not the same type of player. Running through my comparable player database, Pie and Patterson just don’t share the same attributes as Castro. Patterson and Pie were both impatient hitters who both struck out more than twice as much as they walked. On the other hand, Castro only strikes out 11% of his plate appearances, while walking about 7%.
How about the power? He only hit 9 Home Runs in his minor league career, or 5.5 HR per 162 game season. However, he is still young, and that gap power can only improve as he matures. His minor league extra-base hit percentage is almost identical to Derek Jeter’s. Jeter has managed to average 17 HR per 162 games over his MLB career. I would say he is a 7-10 HR per year guy at worse, and 25 HR is probably his ceiling.
Here’s how his full scouting cards shakes out:
| Category | Grade | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Power | C | 25 HR = ceiling, 7-10 = likely |
| Contact | B+ | Doesn't K but also doesn't Walk |
| Speed | B+ | Still learning how to base run, has raw speed though. |
| Approach | B- | Can work a count, but doesn't walk much. |
| Opportunity | A | The SS role is now his to lose |
| Hype | A | 6 RBI debut adds a lot of hype |
| Intangibles | A- | Mature and experienced... for a 20 year old |
| Overall | 62 out 80 | A Top 10 hitting prospect, potential ROY |
Best Case Comparable Players: Hanley Ramirez, Derek Jeter, Jose Lopez
Worst Case Comparable Players: Jack Wilson, Willie Bloomquist, Jose Castillo
2010 Projection: 480 AB – 77 R – 8 HR – 49 RBI – 15 SB – .284 AVG
This projection is eerily similar to Ryan Theriot’s 2009 season, who will now be his middle infield mate.
Related posts:
- Rookie Spotlight: Michael Saunders As a Mariners fan, I should be ecstatic hearing the...
- Rookie Spotlight: Scott Sizemore Detroit Tigers Second Baseman, Scott Sizemore earned a lot of...
- Rookie Spotlight: Gaby Sanchez Continuing with possible Rookie of the Year candidates, Gaby Sanchez...
how about “Starlin Bright”? Thats what yahoo sports prefers.