Detroit Tigers: MLB Notices Nick Castellanos

When Casey McGehee was given his minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers this offseason, many believed that he was chosen specifically to replace Nick Castellanos.

Now that McGehee has been given his walking papers to free agency, that rumor was clearly just a rumor. Castellanos can hold his very own and the Detroit Tigers believe it.

Castellanos has had an impressive spring training, batting .316/.357/.831. He has one home run and four RBIs. Those numbers are way ahead of his 2015 numbers of .255/.303/.721. His performance and his age has drawn the attention of not just the Detroit Tigers fans and media, but the MLB.

Joe Trezza, a writer with MLB.com, has looked at all 30 MLB teams and picked one breakout player from every team. His prediction and Jason Beck‘s prediction for breakout star of 2016 is Nick Castellanos. Casty is in good company as Trezza featured fellow AL Central players like Danny Salazar with the Cleveland Indians, Paolo Orlando with the Kansas City Royals, Byron Buxton with the Minnesota Twins, and Avisail Garcia with the Chicago White Sox (and formerly with the Detroit Tigers).

Just a few weeks ago, a few of the MCB writers (including me) shared our predictions that Castellanos is due to have a breakout season, too.

A few more notables that Trezza covered include New York Mets Michael Conforto, Chicago Cubs Addison Russell, and Boston Red Sox Mookie Betts. These young men have tools to share on offense and defense, just like Castellanos. But, what they do not have that Casty has is the rest of the Detroit Tigers roster.

Who better to learn anything about batting from than Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez? Just think of the advice Ian Kinsler can give to a young defender. Adding Justin Upton to the left side will only make Castellanos stronger because we learn from those around us. As technology billionaire Michael Dell once said, “Never be the smartest person in the room” because there is nothing like learning from those around you. Castellanos has many incredibly smart baseball players to surround himself with.

Since the Tigers are an “old” team, Trezza did not have as many young players as other teams have to choose from. His other options could have been James McCann and a handful of pitchers like Matt Boyd, Kyle Ryan, Drew Verhagen, Buck Farmer, and Daniel Norris. Since the bullpen is still up for discussion, Norris is injured, and Boyd might not make the rotation, Casty and McCann are the only two possibilities.

McCann is two years older than Castellanos, but has two fewer MLB season than the third baseman. McCann was named the Detroit Tigers Rookie of the Year in 2015 and Castellanos earned the award in 2014. As the third baseman, Castellanos has the chance to make several routine and highlight-worthy plays. He also has the lucky role of hitting in the number six spot after either Victor or J.D. Martinez.

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Will Castellanos breakout in 2016 or will he continue to be a middle-of-the-road third basemen on a team loaded with All-Stars?