The Tigers have selected the contract of INF Willi Castro from Triple-A Toledo, the team reports.
Castro, 22, was acquired in a Deadline Day deal last season from Cleveland in exchange for Leonys Martin. The team’s 7th ranked prospect, per FanGraphs, was decent (his 112 wRC+ ranked 51st among all players with at least 200 plate appearances in the International League this season) in 525 PAs for Toledo in ’19, slashing .301/.366/.467 as the team’s primary shortstop. MLB.com lauds the prospect’s “soft hands, actions, and arm strength” at the position while noting that the switch-hitter will need to improve on both sides of the ball to become an everyday player.
Castro was called up to replace INF Niko Goodrum, whose most recent groin strain could be a season-ender. In 472 plate appearances for the club this season, Goodrum posted a solid 1.9 fWAR, though his strikeout rate took off on him during summer’s dog days, and the switch-hitter slashed just .215/.296/.393 against right-handed pitchers on the year.
Decent? .301/.366/.467 is pretty darn good for a shortstop known for his glove.
BTW, Goodrum is a switch hitter. ” the righty slashed just .215/.296/.393″
Agreed that line is better than decent. Especially in Detroit! Excited to see Castro get his shot. He earned it with his bat, not his glove. He accounted for more than 25% of the mud hens errors this season.
He’s always had a high amount of errors. I think a couple years he had 25 for the season. The prospect reports say he’s a good defender though, so hopefully on a major league field he does well. Looking forward to seeing him take over short. One of the few good deals Avila has made.
No doubt. When he dealt JW and his son to the cubs was his only other good trade. AA is likely a favorite to invite over for Thursday poker night
So getting Wentz & Demeritte for Greene isn’t a good trade? Uh, great trade. Besides his trades, Victor Reyes & Brandon Dixon cost the Tigers zero prospects & are part of the MLB team now & probably in 2020. Give credit where credit is due.
Demeritte is a good pick up, but he could have had him all year if he would have selected him in the Rule 5 Draft. As Wentz, less see if he makes it to the majors and stays away from any more injuries. As for AA other deals, we should cut him some slack, he was dumping salaries and taking who ever the other team was willing to give. Unfortunately, this approach will add years to the rebuild.
Reyes and Dixon were not trades. And, no, you can’t call a trade great until you see how Wentz and Demeritte pan out in the bigs.
Any trade that got rid of part of this team has to be good, Toledo could probably play .300 ball up there
As a Cleveland fan I was a little upset when we traded Willi, but he obviously wasn’t going to usurp Lindor for a starting position. I hope he gets a legit shot in Detroit.
As part of the Tiger rebuild – about damn time.
As a Tribe fan – it figures, right before the Tribe goes back to Detroit…
Um… a .301 BA & .823 OPS from a 22 y/o SS at AAA is “decent”? I’ve seen .260/.320/.440 called “great” on here. Leaving aside the need for standardization, there is no universe where Castro’s line is merely decent. It’s damn good.
agreed. the consistency of batting line standards here is suspect at best.
In the International league with the new balls flying like they are, that’s not all to impressive. Not saying he hasn’t hit well, but comparative to the way AAA offense has exploded in response to the baseball. That’s decent.
It’s all about context.
Numbers in one league or level aren’t equivalent to numbers in another. Offense is exploding in AAA, which is why it’s important to consider independent stats like wRC+. A wRC+ of 112 is obviously pretty decent, but being 12% above average isn’t necessarily otherworldly either.
Offense has exploded with the introduction of the mlb baseball at AAA which skews how you look at slash lines. It’s difficult to standardized slash lines, because leagues are so vastly different. You know that it’s extremely tough to hit in the FSL, because it plays so extremely pitcher friendly, much like the Midwest league. “Great” slash lines coming out of AA, because that’s where the jump off point to the majors has become and where you’re impact talent is concentrated, have a better barring to be excited. AAA you have to be beyond weary with “great stat” lines, because the talent is so watered down along with so many ballparks being launching pads. Add a juiced ball to launching pads and inferior talent, and you don’t get the greatest assessment by the “numbers.”
The kid could always hit while in the Tribe system, but his glove has at least 18 holes in it.
Sometimes they give up on youngsters too soon. The Eugenio Suarez for Alfredo Simon trade comes to mind
Simon giving up the homer in the playoffs! Why throw that lazy flipping curve every flipping time?
It was a choice between 3 infield prospects Cinci wanted & they kept the wrong two. Detroit didn’t give up on Suarez they liked the other two more. Wrong decision.
CASTRO will join Tigers !!
He will? What makes you say such a thing?
Domingo Leyba is another infielder that the Tigers ended up trading away. To Arizona in the Robby Ray / Sean Greene / Didi Gregarious deal. He’s going to be pretty good.
Sean Greene? LOL
You never answered my question as to who this Cruz you were talking about in the other thread.
Sean Greene? (Shane) Robby Ray? (Robbie). Plus you didn’t answer me as to who the Cruz is that you want called up in the earlier thread.
Maybe while the system is being slow I can double post on Gregarious. LOL It’s Gregorius. Ok spelling lesson over. LOL
Thank for the corrections. I think everyone knew who I was talking about.
I still want to know who this Cruz you referred to in that other thread.
I wish the Tigers would focus more on team defense. A pitching staff can’t survive with rocks in the field behind them.