All-Star shortstop Starlin Castro is in a serious slump. He has lacked focus on defense. He has also lacked focus at the plate. In 114 games, 487 PA, Castro is hitting .272 with 11 HRs, 56 RBI and .304 OBP. He has stolen 10 bases in 19 attempts. His fielding percentage is .969 with 17 errors.
Part of the problem with Castro is that his quick ascension to the majors may have impeded his development. He was always a free swinging batter. He had a knack of making contact with the ball. He has probably been the best player on his other teams for a long time; the game looks to come naturally to him.
The Cubs have made him the centerpiece of the New Cubs. As such, he has taken the brunt of criticism by managers Quade and Sveum. Some feel that veterans on the team have been given passes on their mistakes or lack of hustle. But with Castro, a manager with little cred, can get away with a woodshed session or two. Some call it "tough love," to make Castro stronger in the long run.
But young athletes have fragile egos. Especially when they were told their entire lives that they were special and great.
Now even Cub veterans who have run the clubhouse for years demand one thing: consistency. They want to know beforehand whether they will be playing the next day. They want to maintain their own personal routine. They like to know where they stand. They like to have the same position in the line up. It brings about a comfort level.
For some reason (possibly team desperation), Castro has not been given that same consideration. He has been moved around the line-up like a second hand couch at a flea market. Does he bat lead-off like a young Soriano? Does he bat second? Does he bat third because he is the "best" hitter on the team? Does he have the power to bat clean up? Does he have the consistent contact in the gaps to be an RBI machine batting fifth? Castro is being bumped around the line up from second to seventh without any consistent explanation.
ComcastSports tries to address the issue today on its website. But the responses from manager Sveum are more puzzling and instructive:
“I don’t think he really knows where he’s hitting in the lineup or
anything, so that makes me a little more comfortable with (moving him
around),” Sveum said. “He’s kind of a cut-and-slasher and no matter
where he is in the lineup it’s not really going to change his approach
right now.”
But that is the whole problem in a nutshell!! Castro is uncomfortable NOT knowing where he is batting in the line up. But the whole batting instruction mantra changes depending on where a player bats. A lead off hitter is instructed to take more pitches. A player batting second is told to move the runner on first along, sometimes sacrificing yourself or hitting pitches without power to the opposite field to protect the runner. A player batting third is supposed to drive in runs with power. A player batting clean up is supposed to do the same, with a reputation such as to give the hitter in front of him better pitches to see (and hit).
A young player comes to the majors with his personal skill set. His approach to the plate is determined by his hand to eye coordination, and individual trigger mechanisms that transfers the motion of his bat swing to contact with the pitch. CSN Chicago reports that the Cubs have talked a lot about smoothing out Castro’s mechanics
and believing that with more experience he will become more selective
and start to drive balls with more authority. But in reality, that is not "developing" Castro's natural talents, but changing him to fit the coaching staff preconceived notions of how a hitter should act at the plate in a given situation.
“People can say
what they want about where you are in the lineup: ‘I got to do this. I
got to do that,’” Sveum said. “But (it’s) the personalities of the
hitter. You can’t expect anybody to take what they are and put them in
the leadoff spot and expect them to take more pitches.
“Or hit
fifth and think they’re going to do this or hit second and (make them)
take pitches because the leadoff guy’s going to steal bases or whatever.
You can’t ask people to do that, especially at this stage of his career
and really the kind of hitter that he is. You’re asking way too much.”
Except, Sveum's comments make no sense. Good managers demand that players put into certain line up positions do their jobs. Lead off hitters take pitches to draw walks and higher on-base percentage. Second hitters protect runners and advance them. The meat of the line up drives in runs. And in order to have an effective lineup, managers need players in those slot who have the skill sets to succeed.
The Cubs are asking too much of Castro to be something that he is not. Castro's batting success has come from the #2 position. He is most comfortable batting behind the lead off hitter, and ahead of a good hitting third slot (in this case, Rizzo). Castro has failed as a #3 and #4 hitter. And he is struggling in the #5 hole because he is looked upon to drive in runs as a power hitter. He is not a power hitter but a line drive contact hitter. The Cubs management has failed to realize that by bouncing Castro around the line-up, the team is creating the problem.
