As a fan of the Chicago Cubs, no trade has inspired more emotions than that of Starlin Castro to the Yankees. No, Castro was never really the player he was probably capable of becoming, but he was – at our darkest times – the only glimmer of hope. Moreover, he loved Chicago, he loved the Cubs, and he was constantly working to earn the support of the fans – he was, without a doubt, one of my favorite players of all time.
But now he’s on the Yankees, and that’s okay too.
When Castro was traded to the Yankees last winter, there was certainly a lot sadness to see him go, but there was a bit of optimism too. Most fans, I suspect, hoped that the change of scenery would do something to spark his career back up and allow him to really take off in New York. Well, this season hasn’t been all positives, so far – Castro is slashing just .265/.296/.429 – but he did just hit his career high 20th home run and for a Yankee second baseman, that’s a big one:
The homer was Castro’s 20th of the season (besting his former season high of 14, set in 2012 and 2014) and it was the only run the Yankees would need on the night. According to Statcast, the ball traveled 392 feet and came off the bat with a launch angle of just 19 degrees (below the normal angle for a regular home run). Although, when the ball leaves the bat at 106 MPH, you don’t need to worry about the launch angle quite as much.
More importantly, with that home run, Starlin Castro became just the 4th Yankee second baseman in the (very long, very storied) history of the team. He joins a short list which includes Robinson Cano (2009-2013), Alfonso Soriano (2002-2003), and Joe Gordon (1938-1940), with plenty of time to add more.
I couldn’t be happier for Starlin, and I continue to wish him all the best.