NEWSLETTER
Has there been a more hyped Chicago Cubs prospect than Starlin Castro? Oh, I suppose the answer to that is an obvious yes – both Mark Prior and Kerry Wood were all universe prospects.
But nevertheless, every day it seems someone is singing the praises of Castro as the next great thing in Chicago. Yesterday, it was Cubs manager Lou Piniella.
“I might just start Castro at shortstop Thursday and give him some playing time,” Piniella said.
Fans aren’t the only ones who want to see the super-hyped infielder play.
“I’m anxious to see the kid myself, I’ll be honest with you,” Piniella said Monday. “He handles himself very professionally for a young kid out here. The more experience we can get this young man in Spring Training, the better.”
Just 19 years old, Castro has fit right in.
“He’s calm, he’s not awed by being here,” Piniella said. “He’s relaxed, he’s not starry eyed. If you didn’t know he was 19 years old, you couldn’t guess he was 19.” Muskat Ramblings.
What’s nice to see there is that Lou is complementing Castro’s maturity, in addition to his playing ability. Castro will need that maturity to overcome the likely disappointment of being sent back to the minors at the end of the Spring, despite all this heavy praise being lavished all over him. It’s no reflection of Castro’s future ability; but no one really expects him to break camp with the Cubs this year.
Also, there is a paranoid part of me that reads comments like this and thinks, “I wouldn’t believe he was 19 if I met him? I hope that’s not a reflection of him being, you know, not actually 19″…
Again, I’m just being paranoid.
