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Chicago Cubs: Castro’s season reflects his remarkable perseverance, earned him a postseason role

By Paul Steeno

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Infielder Starlin Castro has hit .369 since Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon benched him in early August.

Many writers, including myself, wrote off Chicago Cubs infielder Starlin Castro to varying degrees at some point this season. Castro is enjoying the last laugh in this conversation with his performance as of late. Castro’s season has been incredibly disappointing at times, but his ability to persevere through all the lows has allowed him to come on when it matters most: the end of the season. In fact, Castro’s performance as of late should earn him a role on this team during the playoffs.

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In the Chicago Cubs 4-0 victory on Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Castro went 2-4 at the plate and hit a double in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored two and padded the Cubs lead going into the late stages of the contest. This performance comes amidst a late season hitting tear that has allowed Castro to once again become an important part of this lineup.

Castro’s comeback began after Cubs manager Joe Maddon benched him in early August. Since he was first benched, Castro has slashed .369/.388/.604. His hitting surge began in August where he slashed .296/.315/.437 but he has really picked it up in September where he has a .407 batting average and 18 RBIs since the start of the month.

Despite his recent hot hitting, there was a time when things weren’t going so well for the 25-year-old, Dominican Republic native. In fact, a few months ago Castro was in the midst of the worse season of his career.

Sep 27, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro (13) hits a two RBI double during the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

In the first half of the season, Castro slashed .247/.283/.321, all of which were well below his career batting splits. In the month of July, Castro’s hitting numbers dropped to a season low batting line of .170/.194/.202. In July, he had more strikeouts (21) than hits (16) in 98 plate appearances.

Castro’s fielding also suffered. At shortstop this season, he has committed 18 errors and has a fielding percentage of just 96.3 percent. In addition, in 31 games at second base, he committed six total errors and had a 94.7 percent fielding percentage.

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    • Eventually, Joe Maddon had seen enough and elected to bench the struggling infielder indefinitely on August 7 amidst a critical series with the San Francisco Giants. At the time, Maddon remained non-committal about how Castro would be utilized for the remainder of the season.

    Fast forward one month and Joe Maddon’s decision to bench Castro turned around his entire season. The entire situation was a wake-up call for Castro. He used the benching as motivation to improve. A large part of his turnaround was a swing adjustment. He focused on stepping straight towards the pitcher with his front foot rather than stepping off to the side. This allowed him to keep his head down towards the ball for a longer period of time and allowed him to reach pitches on the outside corner more efficiently.

    Although it is hard to pinpoint exactly when Castro made the swing adjustment, he has seen results in August and September. Not only are his hitting statistics better, but he hasn’t struck out as much in these months. He struck out only seven times in August and has struck out nine times in September, both of which are monthly lows for the 2015 season (assuming the September total stays below 13).

    Sep 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro (13) hits an RBI sac fly during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

    While his defensive issues make starting Castro a problem, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon should continue to insert him into the lineup as a pinch hitter. In big moments for the rest of the season and into the playoffs the Cubs could use his hot bat.

    According to ESPN statistics, Starlin Castro has the second highest batting average on the Cubs in the month of September only trailing outfielder Chris Denorfia. In August, he had the third best monthly batting average on the team. With the playoffs fast approaching, the Chicago Cubs can’t afford to take Castro’s hot bat out of the lineup.

    Furthermore, Castro’s rebound may earn him some end of the season hardware. The annual Major League Baseball Comeback Player of the Year Award goes to the player in each league that “re-emerged on the baseball field during a given season.” Castro’s story this season certainly meets the criteria for this award.

    Castro’s recent performances are remarkable considering how lost he looked at certain points earlier this season. It is the classic comeback story and deserves more media attention. Castro embodies everything that the 2015 Chicago Cubs pride themselves on: resilience and an overwhelming determination never to give up.

    Stats don’t include the game on Monday night against the Kansas City Royals.

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