Cincinnati Reds are ten games into the Luis Castillo Era

After Luis Castillo’s first ten starts, the Cincinnati Reds can see that he will be around for the future

The Cincinnati Reds are desperate to find starting pitching.  With Brandon Finnegan and Anthony DeSclafani on the DL, they are down their best two pitchers from last season.  Now Luis Castillo is providing much needed length in the rotation.

Excluding Castillo, the Reds have started 108 games going 531 2/3 innings.  That is just under five innings per start.  Take Castillo out of the mix and the WHIP for pitchers during starts is 1.60.

Castillo, for his part, has been highly successful.  Despite his 2-5 record, Castillo has had a quality start in five of his ten games.  Even the other five starts haven’t been awful.

Castillo averages just over six innings per start.  He also averages 101 pitches per start.  These are great numbers for a first year starter.

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Castillo is also averaging a strikeout per inning.  Meanwhile, unlike several of his contemporaries, he is only averaging about four walks per nine innings.  That isn’t great, but it is decent.

Castillo has been amazingly consistent, especially for a starter.  He has yet to give up more than four runs and has always lasted at least five innings.  If all of the starters could say that, the Reds might still be in the playoff race.

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The Cincinnati Reds took a chance on Luis Castillo, after getting Anthony DeSclafani from the Miami Marlins.

Three years ago the Reds traded Mat Latos to the Marlins for DeSclafani.  Latos had a decent first half with the Marlins before moving on to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Meanwhile, DeSclafani made 31 starts for the Reds in his first season.

Fast forward to last off-season and the Reds were trying to wheel and deal.

A conversation about trading closer Raisel Iglesias to the Marlins, ended up in a trade for Dan Straily.  Straily went to the Marlins and Castillo came to the Reds with Isaiah White and reliever Austin Brice.

Now Castillo is nearly as consistent as Straily was last year.  Given his youth and relative dominance of the National League hitters, he could be around for awhile.  He is somewhat reminiscent of former Red Mario Soto.

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Ten starts into his career, Castillo has done what so many other prospects haven’t done the past two years, instill the Reds with confidence.  No matter what is going on with Castillo, the smart money is that he will pitch five plus innings and give up four or fewer runs.  For a Reds’ team with a talented bullpen and offensive, that is all they ask.