Luis Castillo was worth every penny
Luis Castillo was worth every penny
Luis Castillo put on an absolute clinic north of the border today, and your Seattle Mariners are one win away from playoff baseball returning to Seattle for the first time since 2001.
There is no longer any debate, Luis Castillo was worth every last resource the Seattle Mariners gave up to get him. Many fans and national baseball journalists praised the Mariners for going out and grabbing Castillo but also criticized the price they paid to get him. The Mariners paid heavy prospect capital to get him, sending top prospects Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo as the headliners of the deal.
The thing is, nobody cares or remembers the price you paid when he is dicing through one of the best lineups in baseball in October. Castillo was downright untouchable on Friday in Toronto.
He became the first Mariner pitcher ever to throw seven-plus scoreless innings in the postseason according to Alex Mayer of the Mariners Baseball Information department. The right-hander had everything working, including both fastballs in the upper 90s with movement and a filthy slider changeup combination.
Castillo looked like every bit of an ace today, something Seattle has not had since prime Félix Hernández. His mix of pitches started to generate more whiffs as the game went on, including striking out the side in the 7th inning.
In total, the Seattle ace produced an impressive 19 swings and misses, according to Baseball Savant, but limiting weak contact was the key to success for him. Toronto really only hit a handful of balls hard off of him all day and just two came off the bat greater than 100 MPH.
Whit Merrifield had a lot to say about the Dominican Republic native, and how difficult his arsenal is to deal with.
In addition to his electric stuff, he never seems to strain or even break a sweat on the mound. His calm demeanor is everything you want in a big-game pitcher.
Seattle now has the luxury of having this big game pitcher for whatever sort of playoff run they can make this season, and has extended him for the foreseeable future. It is worth it every time to make a move like this.
Receiving a player that can pitch at the top of your rotation in a playoff series and dominate is more valuable than any prospect. Seattle has ripped open their contention window, and Luis Castillo has been worth every damn penny.