Starlin Castro

Castro played in all 162 games for Miami and was rewarded by the Marlins declining his team option, making him a free agent this winter. He signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Nationals in January. His compiler skills were allowed to be on full display with the Marlins because they had nothing else, and while Washington may not allow him to play quite as often as Miami did, Castro remains a strong bet to clear 600 PA. His skills have been rather consistent in that Castro rarely walks, makes decent contact and has used that approach to put up a career .280 batting average. He has made nearly 6,200 trips to the plate in the majors, so he feels a lot older than 30. A lot will depend on where he slots into the Nats' lineup. What he did last year for a rebuilding club should be commended, but his low-OBP profile figures to push him to the bottom half of the order, limiting his counting stats.

Even though he was just 28 years old, Castro must have felt like a senior citizen in the Marlins' clubhouse after the club’s fire sale last offseason. He returns, another year older, but still toiling for a squad looking at an extended rebuild. Castro didn’t pout, topping 150 games for the third time in four seasons even with taking time off for paternity leave late in the season. His numbers suffered compared to previous seasons, in large part due to moving from Yankee Stadium, one of the most generous hitting venues, to Marlins Park, among the stingiest. Castro’s skills were in sync with career norms, though he did set a personal best with a still-low 7.4 BB%. After posting a 15.5% HR/FB in his two years in the Bronx, Castro’s mark predictably slipped to 8.8% his first season in South Beach. There’s no upside, but if you’re looking for roster stability, Castro offers a solid floor, boosted by volume derived from durability.

Castro was on his way to a career-best campaign, making the All-Star team with a .313 average, 12 homers, 45 RBI and 52 runs in the first half. However, hamstring issues not only forced to him to miss the Midsummer Classic, but also resulted in a pair of stints on the disabled list, costing Castro a total of just over seven weeks. Still, he finished with 16 homers, the second-highest total of his career, while batting .300 for the first time since his rookie season. With the Yankees, Castro's HR/FB doubled compared to his time with the Cubs, but a low 30 percent flyball rate caps his power to the low 20s. That said, a contact rate consistently hovering near 80 percent offers a solid batting average floor. Despite last season's injury woes, Castro is durable and should be the regular second baseman for the Marlins after coming over in the Giancarlo Stanton trade.

Already a three-time All-Star entering his age-26 season, Castro was shipped away from the Cubs following a disappointing 2015 season and the emergence of young middle infield depth that made him disposable. Playing full time at second base for the first time, he socked a career-best 21 home runs in his first year in the Bronx and hit .270, but it wasn't all good for Castro. He continued to walk at a very low clip and saw his contact rate slip below 80 percent for the first time. Further, the speed element of his game that led to at least 20 steals in two of his first three seasons has all but disappeared, as he only attempted four steals in 2016. Nevertheless, his first season with the Yankees marked an improvement overall and he ultimately raised his OPS over 60 points from the year before to .733.

Just when it looked like Castro might have turned the corner in 2014, he had another disappointing season and found himself giving up shortstop to Addison Russell in the second half. Castro had some big moments in 2015, and when Russell went down with an injury in the postseason, he was ready to step back in at short, but he hasn't shown a lot of growth in his six years in the league. Last year he had a career-low 21 walks and 36 extra-base hits. Empty singles hitters who can't draw walks or steal bases (he has just nine thefts in the last two years) probably shouldn't be starting, but he is fully expected to open 2016 in a starting role after the Yankees made a play to acquire him in the offseason. A bottom-third lineup spot seems likely, although he should qualify at shortstop and second base in most formats.

Castro bounced back from a disastrous 2013 with a career-high .777 OPS and 14 home runs, but he only stole four bases all year - after topping 20 in both 2011 and 2012 - and missed most of September with an ankle injury. In the meantime, the Cubs brought up Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara, and also traded for Addison Russell. Any of that talented trio could potentially usurp Castro at short in the next couple of years. Castro isn't exactly playing for his position this year - he's still just 25 - but if he doesn't improve on his batting eye (35:100 BB:K ratio) and the younger alternatives continue to develop, he could be the type of player who gets dealt for help on the mound as the Cubs complete their rebuilding process.

Castro led the National League with 666 at-bats last year, and the rest of his numbers were just as evil. Despite reaching base more than 200 times, he tallied only 59 runs and 44 RBI – abysmal totals relative to the high workload. The 30:129 BB:K ratio is unacceptable for any hitter, but it's even more egregious when you consider that Castro is supposed to be one of the offensive leaders of the team and that he only hit 10 home runs. He turns 24 right before the beginning of the season, so he is still young enough to turn it around – he certainly has the talent to do so – but if he doesn't make huge strides in 2014 it may be time to put the “bust” label on him for good and give his starting job to uber-prospect Javier Baez.

A 29-point BABIP drop was essentially the only difference between Castro's 2011 season and a slightly disappointing 2012. He still hit 14 homers, stole 25 bases and scored 78 runs on a bad offensive team while playing shortstop. Nonetheless, there wasn't a lot of growth from age 21 to 22, either. It's possible this is all he'll ever be - a guy who can hit .300 with some pop, but won't take a walk - and for a shortstop, he'd certainly make a nice living doing that. But it's also possible at age 23 that he takes another step. One area of concern is the low stolen-base success rate - in a sabermetrically-savvy organization like the Theo-Epstein Cubs, that won't fly forever.

The crown jewel of the Cubs organization, Castro led the National League in hits as a 21-year-old. He makes good contact, and has developing power (eight of his 10 homers were in the season's final 69 games). Castro doesn't walk much, but that just makes his batting average even more at-bat heavy. Castro also stole 22 bases, but is still a little raw in that department as he was caught nine times. The bottom line, this slick fielding (though occasionally unfocused) shortstop has batting-champ hitting skills, improving power and good raw speed (nine triples). He'll be a fixture in the top third of the team's lineup for the foreseeable future, and at 22, he should only get better.

The Cubs' top prospect heading into 2010, Castro did not disappoint. He hit .300 in 463 big league at-bats and slugged .408 as a 20-year-old rookie shortstop. Castro did commit 27 errors, giving him the second-worst fielding percentage among qualifying shortstops, but his excellent range and strong arm largely made up for it. Castro doesn't draw a lot of walks, and despite having good speed, he was caught stealing eight times in 18 attempts. He enters 2011 as the unquestioned starter and one of the key pieces around which the franchise plans to build. Castro reportedly put on 15 pounds of muscle since the summer, enhancing the likelihood that some of his 31 doubles and five triples clear the fence this year.

Castro's performance at High-A Daytona and Double-A last season was impressive for a player who won't turn 20 until March. Castro hit for average, made contact and stole 28 bases. While he could stand to draw more walks, he wasn't allergic to the base on balls, either, especially at Double-A where he drew 10 in 111 at-bats. Castro's glove is major-league ready right now, and he'll get a long look during spring training. Chances are he'll start the year at Double-A, but if he continues to progress, it wouldn't be a shock to see him with the big league club this summer.