Starlin Castro

Technically speaking, some lists, like this one from Fangraphs, dispute Starlin Castro’s ranking as the best prospect in the Cubs system at the time, though most prospect gurus agreed the teenage shortstop was the best they had (side note: take a look at the rest of that list. It’s depressing… and an important reminder that even a system’s best prospects might not work out). Castro had a ton of helium following two seasons in the minor leagues where he did nothing but hit, and on May 7th, 2010, Castro was called up directly from Double-A Tennessee to make his Major League debut. 

Speaking of his debut: holy crap, what a debut it was! The first player born in the 1990s to play in an MLB game [feel old yet?], Castro drove in a record six runs against the Cincinnati Reds, homering in his first at-bat off of Homer Bailey. 

Castro would go on to have a fine rookie season, finishing with a .300/.347/.408 slash line and a fifth-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting. The debut was impressive from a mere 20-year-old, especially considering the struggles of the rest of the lineup in a down year for the Cubs. He kept it going from there, too, leading the National League in hits with 207 and earning the first of four All-Star appearances in his career (three with the Cubs, one with the Yankees). 

Castro was something of an ironman, a stat-sheet stuffer in his time with the Cubs, leading the National League in at-bats in three consecutive seasons (2011, 2012, 2013), playing all 162 games in both 2012 and 2019 (with Miami), and also posting double-digit stolen bases in each of his first three seasons in the majors (though he led the NL in caught stealing attempts in 2012). He was a ubiquitous presence on the Cubs during Theo Epstein’s rebuild, finally seeing his commitment to the team yield some success as he manned second base on the way to the 2015 NLCS. 

During his tenure on the team, the fanbase was split on Castro. Though he was an annual .300 batting average threat, his lack of plate discipline and fielding troubles (20-plus errors in each of his first four seasons) sometimes made his impact feel empty. He was also questioned for his focus during games, though in hindsight, those platitudes were more reactionary than grounded in empirical fact. For every down moment, there were several highlights that Castro would produce. 

Castro’s Cubs career ended once Epstein’s rebuild began to bear fruit, as he was traded away on December 8th, 2015, to the Yankees for Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan. Of course, fans knew at the time the move was really to free up some cash and a roster spot for Ben Zobrist, a favorite of manager Joe Maddon’s and long an apple of the front office’s eye. 

From there, Castro would finish his career with the Yankees, Marlins, and Nationals, leaving Major League Baseball after some personal troubles and serious allegations were levied against him. Though it was an unceremonious and troubled curtain call to a once-promising career, Castro delivered on the hype he had as a prospect. He ranks in the top 50 all-time with 1615 hits before turning 30, 991 of which were accrued with the Cubs. 

Starlin Castro may have been the face of the Cubs during some of the franchise’s most prolific losing seasons, but he was always there. Odds are, if you went to a ballgame at Wrigley between 2010 and 2015, Castro was starting in the middle infield for the Cubs. Though he wasn’t a part of the team that did win it all in 2016, his chapter in Cubs history will be remembered fondly.