Cubs Call Up Phenom Starlin Castro

The Starlin Castro era has officially begun, as the 20 year old phenom was called up today by the Cubs. After watching a lack luster offense over the past series, General Manager Jim Hendry finally decided it was time to call up top prospect Starlin Castro.  In order to make room for Castro on the team, the Cubs optioned Chad Tracy down to triple A- Iowa.

First let me applaud Jim Hendry on a rare good decision on his part, as I have been calling for the past month or so for the Cubs to call Castro up.  Because let’s be honest, Mike Fontenot is better suited for a utility role, which he is now going to be in, instead of playing everyday.  And, in my opinion Theriot will be a much better second basemen then he was a shortstop.

As for Castro, he immediately is being placed as the team’s starting shortstop. He will make his debut tonight against the Reds, and hit eighth in the lineup. While in double A- Tennessee, Castro hit .376/.421/.569 , while hitting 14 extra base hits. Castro is considered to have good speed, and instantly becomes one of the fastest players on the Cubs. Defensively, many scouts expect Castro to be a very good fielder  in the majors, and will give a boost to the Cubs middle infield defense.

Now, here is what you have to realize Cubs Fans, The Cubs would not have called up Castro if they felt he would not be with the team over the course of the long term. So, I’m warning you now, he may struggle offensively at first, but all young players do.  To be honest I see Castro progressing the same way as Gordon Beckham did last year with the White Sox.  Meaning, Beckham struggled originally when he was called up, but he went on to finish the season hitting .270/.347/.460 and was a candidate to win the rookie of the year. And, I would guess that Castro will project similarly to what Beckham did last year.

For the foreseeable future, Starlin Castro will be the starting shortstop on this team. Because, the one thing the Cubs have made clear is that Castro is going to get majority of the starts when he is on the major league team, and obviously that day has now come.If you ask most people around baseball, the best way to get a top prospect like Castro accustomed to the major leagues, is to have him play on a regular basis.

In addition to this roster move, the Cubs also moved pitcher Andrew Cashner to triple A- Iowa, and promoted third basemen Josh Vitters to double A- Tennessee. Both are among the top 5 prospects in the Cubs farm system.