Boston Red Sox to Finally Give Rusney Castillo a Chance
By David Hill
Yesterday, the Boston Red Sox did the unthinkable and actually managed to find a team willing to take on the corpse of Shane Victorino. Not only did the Los Angeles Angels, in desperate need of outfield help, take on Victorino, but they gave up an actual player in Josh Rutledge. That is quite the impressive move by Ben Cherrington and the Red Sox front office.
Even more importantly, this could give the Red Sox time to take a long look at Rusney Castillo. One of the prized Cuban free agents last season, Castillo has not had much of a chance with the Red Sox, with a combined 117 plate appearances over the past two seasons. While he looked solid in his brief trial last year, Castillo struggled in limited time thus far in 2015, producing a .230/.260/.284 batting line with one home run and one double in 77 plate appearances this season.
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Those struggles have followed Castillo to the minor leagues as well. During his time with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Castillo has posted a less than inspiring .282/.337/.385 batting line. His expected power just has not manifested, as he had just ten extra base hits, seven doubles and three home runs, in his 156 AAA at bats this season.
Rusney Castillo’s struggles may not be simply a matter of not having enough time to adjust at either level. While Castillo may not have an extensive track record at the major leagues, he has a mere 12% line drive rate for the Boston Red Sox. That does not appear to simply be a matter of needing to adjust to major league pitching, as Castillo has posted an 18.7% line drive rate in the minor leagues, almost two points below average.
Instead, Castillo has continually been hitting the ball into the ground. At the major league level, Castillo has generated an astonishingly high ground ball rate, hitting the ball on the ground at a 65.1% rate over his major league career. That rate is similar to his minor league numbers, where Castillo has hit a ground ball in 51.6% of those plate appearances in which he makes contact. As a matter of comparison, the highest ground ball rate among qualified major league players belongs to Billy Butler, and his 54.8% ground ball rate.
Castillo’s inability to hit the ball hard, or in the air, for that matter, may simply be a mechanical flaw in his swing. Perhaps, with some help at the major league level, Castillo can get back to being the power threat that the Red Sox thought he could be. Otherwise, he is a ground ball hitting outfielder with minimal speed – not the type of player that one had hoped for.
The Boston Red Sox will finally give Rusney Castillo an extended look. Now, they will be able to figure out whether or not he will be a key part of their future.