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Starlin Castro’s best future lies away from Chicago Cubs

By Josh Sippie

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Starlin Castro has had a tumultuous year with the Chicago Cubs. Putting up sub-par numbers has caused him to lose his starting short stop role to the younger and higher-touted Addison Russell. Castro has therefore been moved to second base, a move that he claims to be in favor of.

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“I feel pretty good they keep using me because I try to be in the game all the time and try to be prepared and not take me by surprise,” the natural short stop said via the Chicago Tribune.

The move has the makings of a stop-gag option to see if they can string Starlin Castro on a little longer, but his best future lies outside of the Chicago Cubs, where he can play his natural position. There are so many teams out there that need a true shortstop and despite Catro’s defensive woes (18 errors) he may just need a change of scenery.

If Joe Maddon‘s assessment of Castro’s work ethic is to be believed then the still-young Castro should have no trouble claiming a starting role away from the windy city.

I have spoken in favor of Castro’s move before. Not only is it the best move for the present and future of the Chicago Cubs, but it is the best move for Starlin Castro. At just 25 years of age he cannot accept a utility type role, which is his future if he were to remain in Chicago. He is not a natural second baseman and Javier Baez, while not a natural second baseman himself, is still drawing high praise for his work at the position.

He has major strikeout problems that he has displayed during his stays in the Majors but in the end, the improvements he has shown between this year and last hint that he is on track to surpass Starlin Castro in terms of usefulness. As SB Nation points out: “A Triple-A wOBA of .354 from last year has improved to .390, and his strikeout rate has dropped to 26.1%.”

Despite what Castro says about being happy to serve the club, being unseated and forced to play out of position is never good for one’s confidence and you can bet that Starlin Castro’s faltering confidence took a hit from this. That confidence is not helped by his batting average, OPS and OBP being the lowest they have ever been – by far.

To seek out a team like the Arizona Diamondbacks or a similar needy team would be beneficial to his career.

In terms of the Chicago Cubs, they need to dish Starlin Castro while his value is still high. However, they cannot be expecting a massive haul for a guy that they continue to show the value of by moving him to different positions. Addison Russell deserved to unseat Castro but you can bet that that takes a toll on his trade value.

That being said, Castro still has tremendous upside and he is still young. It is prime time to start brewing a move for the shortstop before he becomes a career utility player.

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