Cincinnati Reds look to Luis Castillo to be that guy in the rotation

The Cincinnati Reds desperately need a streak breaker and they are hoping that Luis Castillo is that guy.

Luis Castillo is only one start into his Cincinnati Reds career and he is already being compared to Mario Soto and Johnny Cueto.  He was elite at Double-A and looked impressive at times during his first MLB start.  Now the Reds want to see him take it to another level.

The Reds traded away their most consistent pitcher from last year in Dan Straily for the right to develop Castillo.  Little did anyone know how little development it would take for Castillo to be big league ready.  He was supposedly two years away when the Reds made the deal this past off-season.

As soon as the Reds added Castillo to the forty man roster, the fans began to clamor for a look at him.  Nothing changed when he came to spring training looking close to big league ready.  Castillo is just doing what he needs to for his career advancement.

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Cueto spent three years in the Reds’ farm system.  He went 30-17, while striking out 378 over 370 2/3 innings.  His 3.35 ERA and 1.12 WHIP warned the rest of MLB of the elite stuff that was on its way.

Luis Castillo’s extended time in the minor leagues before he reached the Cincinnati Reds is more reminiscent of Mario Soto.

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Soto spent five complete seasons in the minors during the Big Red Machine era.  In total Soto went 36-32 over 560 2/3 minor league innings.  He had an ERA of 3.50 and a WHIP of 1.33.

By comparison Castillo was in his sixth minor league season when the Reds recalled him to the big leagues.  He went 21-22 over 460 1/3 minor league innings.  His ERA of 2.66 and WHIP of 1.12 make his record look even more surreal.

In 12 MLB seasons, all with Cincinnati, Soto went 100-92 hurling 1730 1/3 innings.  He possesses a career WHIP of 1.19 to go with an ERA of 3.47.  He also struck out 1449 batters, while allowing 172 home runs.

Imagine if Castillo did that, but was just a touch better as his minor league career shows.  Maybe he could go for 13 season with a 125-75 record throwing 1800 innings.  He could have a WHIP of 1.15 and an ERA of 3.30.  He may not strike out any more, but he could significantly cut down on the home runs if the other numbers hold true.

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That is the hope of the Cincinnati Reds, that Castillo will be that good.  Soto was the ace of a mostly uncompetitive team.  The Reds had some short bursts of excellence and now they hope Castillo can lead one that lasts all the way to the World Series some year.