In case you missed the news, Starlin Castro has been beckoned to the north side of Chicago, and has been given the keys to the car that is the Cubs infield immediately. Ryan Theriot will move to second base to accomodate Castro, who makes the move as 20-year-old coming straight from AA.
The question becomes, can Castro help your fantasy squad? The answer? Maybe.
Castro will not hit .370, like he has done for a month in the minors this year. He doesn't take a ton of walks and big league pitchers are going to test his strike zone judgment early and often. He does have speed, but isn't a blazer like Eric Young or Desmond Jennings. In AA he had four steals and was caught five times. A year ago, his ratio was 28/11, not great, not terrible. Also, Castro has just nine homers in over 1000 career minor league plate appearances, so don't expect the power to come in 2010.
So, how can Castro help? Two ways. He's a legit prospect, universally lauded by scouts this offseason, so, if you play keeper ball, you want him ASAP. If you are in a redraft league, Castro can help, but only as an Ian Desmond type. In other words, go ahead and pick him up, as there's always something better about cheering for a hyped prospect than a Edgar Renteria. Just don't expect that Starlin is going to be any better than the next guy you can pick up on the wire in a mixed league. In an NL only, he's a must add right away, merely due to the volume of ABs that are going to come his way.
Cheers,
TFAM
No comments:
Post a Comment