NEWSLETTER
Chicago Cubs super prospect Starlin Castro has been raking at AA this year, and, together with his AFL dominance last fall and his impressive Spring Training, he’s proving that he’s just about ready to try on his big boy shoes.
The Cubs, apparently, have noticed.
Chicago Cubs prospect Starlin Castro’s ascension to the major leagues could be right around the corner, according to a major-league source.
The 20-year-old shortstop is being monitored on a daily basis by the Cubs organization to determine when the time will be to start his major-league career.
Castro has been hitting over .300 and playing solid defense all month at Double-A Tennessee.
There are more than a couple of issues involved in promoting Castro. One is moving current shortstop Ryan Theriot to second base, and the other is deciding to move one of their backup infielders, either Chad Tracy, Mike Fontenot or Jeff Baker.
Before the Cubs organization decides to promote Castro, it wants to make sure a gameplan is in place for playing him at least five or six times per week. Manager Lou Piniella and his staff will be a part of that process and will help general manager Jim Hendry and his staff make that determination. ESPN Chicago.
Thoughts:
1.) Defensively, the move would make the Cubs better. Castro is likely to be better than Theriot at short, and Theriot at second is likely to be at worst a push, and perhaps slightly better than Fontenot/Baker.
2.) Offensively, the move could very well make the Cubs worse. Castro, for all his AA dominance, is going to be a 20-year-old kid facing big league pitching for the first time. There are only so many Jason Heyward and Ike Davis stories out there. Most kids are dominated when the first step up to the bigs.
3.) I don’t think anyone would shed a tear at this point to see Chad Tracy released.
