Rusney Castillo isn’t wasting any time establishing himself in the minor leagues. After the 27 year old Cuban defector signed a seven year, $72.5 million contract last month, Castillo was assigned to Double A Portland, after playing two games in the Gulf Coast League, to begin his Boston Red Sox career.
The Sox, recently, and somewhat notoriously, adverse to handing out long-term contracts, had no qualms in regard to Castillo after observing him in workouts prior to signing him. Castillo’s combination of speed and extra-base power justified, in the team’s collective mind, such an investment. Red Sox manager John Farrell has not gotten to see much of the outfielder in game action yet, but tape of Castillo has left a decidedly positive impression
The Sea Dogs lost 8-5 to Binghamton on Sunday, eliminating them from the Eastern League playoffs. Had they won, Castillo would have remained with the team until it was eliminated or ultimately won out. In four games with Portland, Castillo went 5-15 with two doubles and two RBI. Overall, Castillo is hitting .357 (6-19) though six minor league games, with four runs scored, three RBI, a steal, two walks, and two strikeouts. In just his second game with the Sea Dogs, Castillo showed the kind of impact he can have on a Team. Facing Binghamton in the Eastern League Semi-Finals, Castillo went 2-3 and scored the go-ahead run in that 6-3 victory. He went 2-5 while hitting out of the leadoff spot during Sunday’s loss.
Now Castillo will be moving up to Triple A Pawtucket to continue his season. When the PawSox arrive at McCoy Stadium to face the Durham Bulls in the Governors’ Cup Finals on Tuesday, Castillo will be with the team. When the Red Sox signed him, the plan was for Castillo to be with the major league club before the end of the season. While that plan remains in place, Castillo still needs more at-bats before he is ready. Though the early returns have indeed been exceedingly positive, the sample size, as Farrell has noted, is still very small. He needs to see more pitches, at the very least to get his timing down.
The silver lining, if there is one at all, to Boston’s dismal season is that there is no reason whatsoever for the team to hurry him along the road to Fenway. Though the team would certainly be glad to have him, there is no need to force a promotion if he struggles to hit right away for Pawtucket. Once he does arrive, the Sox can test him in a situation that comes with little pressure, or as little as there can ever be in a baseball town like Boston, to be an impact player right away, just as they have done with their other youngsters in the second half of the season.
Castillo is undoubtedly a big part of the Red Sox’ plans for the 2015 season, which should come as no surprise given the contract they gave him. With that said, it would make more sense for the Red Sox to take a cautious approach to bringing him along. Talented though he may be, not every player can handle all that comes with playing in Boston (see Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez). However many at-bats it takes to get him ready for the majors is the amount he should be given, and not a single plate appearance less.
With the Sox safely out of contention, the pressure to win may be off for now, but the fans will still certainly have some expectations for Castillo’s performance. Whatever the team expects from him as he begins his career, the fans will expect more, and even if Castillo is aware of that, it is an entirely different thing to actually experience it, and the fans and media will not have the patience that the team will should he struggle to meet those expectations. I am in no way saying that Castillo is the second coming of Carl Crawford. I think Castillo is more talented and will be better prepared mentally to handle the atmosphere in Fenway. Yet there is still a lot to be said for taking extra time, if need be, to develop him as a player. Baseball requires patience, mostly because fans tend not to have any.
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