Baltimore Orioles: Catcher Welington Castillo Is a Prime Target
Free agent Welington Castillo is reportedly the top target of the Baltimore Orioles to be their catcher next season.
As the Baltimore Orioles hunt for a new catcher, Welington Castillo has emerged as the top candidate, reports Dan Connolly of Baltimore Baseball. He states that industry sources have tracked negotiations between the catcher and the O’s since the winter meetings. The talks are allegedly considering a multi-year contract, but it is certainly worth remembering that this is still in the beginning stages of any potential contract.
Castillo, 30 in late April, has spent his major-league career almost exclusively in the system of the Chicago Cubs. After joining the team at the young age of 19, he spent a few seasons developing before reaching the major leagues at the young age of 23 in 2010. The Cubs shuttled him back and forth before he finally settled in in 2013, playing 113 games behind the dish.
The catcher then spent the next season on three separate teams: the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, and Arizona Diamondbacks. 2015 was just his third year of full-time duty, and he continued to serve the Diamondbacks in that role this past season.
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Despite his youth and more recent experience, he never bloomed into a top player. In fact, one would have to make a convincing argument for him to be considering even a league-average player. Last season’s batting average of .264 was his highest since his first full season in the big leagues.
He does, however, bring a useful amount of power to the table. He has slugged at least ten home runs in each of the three last seasons, including a torrid stretch of 2015 in which he launched 17 dingers in just 303 plate appearances. Digging deeper reveals solid breakdowns of hard-hit balls, although this does come along with a noticeable preference for pulling the ball.
Of course, there is more to a player than just his bat, and much of Castillo’s value comes from being a catcher. It is acceptable for a catcher to provide less production than many other positions – granted that he can subsidize this work elsewhere. As would be expected, the righty does not provide this value on the base paths.
He may not bring speed, but he does exhibit decent defense. Advanced metrics seem to be a mixed bag for Castillo, but they generally feel that he is above-average in that sense. This said, he allowed a league-worst ten passed balls last season while having neutral to bad pitch-framing skills.
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Even though he may not be a headline player, Welington Castillo certainly has his merits. His offense may not be anything special, but sometimes the bargain players are the best additions to a team. He could also play well as a part-time catcher with Caleb Joseph after the departure of Matt Wieters. A Wieters reunion is still on the table, but Castillo could represent a solid alternative.