Nick Castellanos Will Be One of Detroit Tigers’ Most Improved Players In 2015
By Brad Faber
@Brad_Faber
Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Last offseason, there were many who wondered what the Detroit Tigers might do at the hot corner if Nick Castellanos proved to be unready to tackle MLB. Although the 22-year-old Castellanos certainly rode his fair share of ups and downs, he ultimately stayed with the big league club for the entire 2014 season.
At the end of the day, Castellanos slashed a respectable .259/.306/.394 with 11 home runs, a 94 wRC+ and .307 wOBA. At first glance, the numbers do not appear to be bad for a rookie of his age, but they are not exactly in the off-the-charts department either. That said, it is important for one to dig beyond the surface.
One of the bigger knocks on Castellanos was his propensity to strike out as he whiffed 140 times and had a K-rate of 24.2 percent. However, not everyone can post an infinitesimal strikeout rate such as Victor Martinez‘s mark of 6.6 percent, for example, and it is important to take a look at the damage that Castellanos was doing when he was in fact making contact.
According to Fangraphs, Castellanos had a line drive rate of 28.5 percent, which ranked first among qualified hitters in the AL and second in all of baseball behind only Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves. While that is not necessarily a statistic that will garner too much attention, it is still a pretty impressive feat for a player who was in his first full season.
Although it will remain to be seen whether or not his .326 BABIP will be sustainable, Castellanos’ proclivity to line the ball could only bode well for him going forward. Obviously, he also plays his home games in the spacious confines of Comerica Park, where it is particularly important for a player to be able to drive the ball through the gaps. It would not be shocking to see Castellanos bat in the .270-.280 range with 20-ish home run pop in 2015.
Castellanos’ defense in 2014, other the other hand, was a bit more of a concern as he posted a -19.1 UZR/150, which ranked dead-last among all qualified third basemen in baseball.
It is important to remember, however, that Castellanos will still only be 23 years old at the start of next season. Keep in mind, legendary Hall of Famer Wade Boggs was in his age-24 campaign during his rookie season back in 1982, and he did not become a full-time third baseman until 1983. There is still plenty of time for Castellanos to enhance his skills at the hot corner, and he has the added advantage of having Omar Vizquel as his infield coach.
Look for Castellanos to be much better than the -0.5 fWAR player he was is 2014 and ultimately become one of the Tigers’ most improved players on both sides of the ball next season.
Brad Faber is a Detroit Tigers writer and Sabermetrics columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
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