2016 MLB Preview: 5 Spring Training pretenders

C Welington Castillo – ARI

In terms of winning first string back catching duties, Welington Castillo is far ahead of the competition. The position was a sore spot for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015. The club shuffled back and forth between unknowns Tuffy Gosewisch and Jordan Pacheco before claiming Jarrod Saltalamacchia from the minors when the Marlins released him.

Then in June, Arizona traded for Castillo, resulting in him playing for his third team in 2015. He finished the season with a pretty decent overall line of .243-19-55 despite all the bouncing around he did. His .255-17-50 line came over 80 games with the D-backs.

He’s going to get decent protection in the lineup and will undoubtedly get more starts than any other catcher. Castillo’s current spring line of .481/.545/1.148 is just way too high though. It might signal a hot start in April where he’s a .276/.320/.443 hitter, but his career line of .251/.316/.414 portends his numbers will be nowhere near worthy of NL MVP contention. If anything, Castillo might be a top 15 ranked fantasy catcher by seasons end with decent power numbers.

Next: Joe Kelly