Tigers Promote Nick Castellanos to Erie

[Gehringer_2]

Yeah. Vlad was just the first player I thought of when Micro was talking about Nick being such a free swinger and being able to make good contact on balls out of the zone. Then I looked at their minor league numbers and they were somewhat comparable, but it looks like Vlad had a little more power. Now, I don't know how the park effects would come into play....

Erie is pretty short to the wall in LF but the HR line is at 17 ft. Still pretty favorable to RHH I would think. Toledo is 386 to the LF power alley, a little less favorable.

[RobSk]

Man, I really hope he's not a Guerrero type. It's not that Vlad wasn't a great player. He's a great player. It just seems to me that there are not many guys that can do the "swing at anything" stuff and be successful. Way more of them look like Delmon Young (crap) than like Vlad Guerrero (great player). I'd rather have a guy start learning to not swing at garbage, not just to up his walks, but so he doesn't necessarily have to be a fast-twitch superman 7x24x365 for his whole career.

Rob

[plantcitytigersfan]

I saw Nick for the first half of this year in Lakeland and I don't think Mark meant the Vlad comparison as fact, just that he can take an outside pitch and hit it to right. Nick is not hitting balls that are shoulder height or an inch off the ground, he is much better than that. As for him making adjustments, I remember a game where he looked terrible striking out on a curve in the first inning. During his third at bat, he got behind in the count 0 - 2 and worked out a walk on a 9 pitch at bat.

Larry
ATT Brandon Loy

[Microline133]

The best part is, I never actually said anything at all about him being like Vlad...

[plantcitytigersfan]

The best part is, I never actually said anything at all about him being like Vlad...

Sorry about that, read all the posts at the same time and messed up. At least I agreed with your post.

Larry
2012 AAT Brandon Loy

[tiger337]

Mark, speaking of Vlad comparisons, would you say that Oscar Tavares is that type of hitter? I've heard others say that.

[Microline133]

Larry, that wasn't targeted at you, just a general comment/observation of the direction the thread took.

Lee, I think Taveras' swing is as violent, but I don't think he swings as much or at the type of pitches Vlad did.

[PuNk42AE]

I think Mark swings like Vlad.

[TigersSlappy]

6. Nick Castellanos, 20, Tigers, OF

MLB comp: Magglio Ordońez

Detroit moved Castellanos to the outfield from third base to give him a quicker path to the big league club. He hits a bit like Rendon, with loose wrists, and some observers think he has the kind of pure hitting ability to challenge for a batting title someday.

Read More: Billy Hamilton tops list of*prospects in Arizona Fall League - Tom Verducci - SI.com

[sabretooth]

I had not read this thread in a long while....really interesting post by Mark, thanks. Very educational.

I didn't see anything in his post either that equated to Nick "swinging at garbage", I think what I read is that he swings hard and misses more often, even on some otherwise hittable pitches.

Assuming that Mark is right about Nick's baseball brain, he should continue to improve pitch recognition as he progresses...and that fatigue played a part in slowing his bat speed a touch...the kid just needs some time to make adjustments.

I've generally preferred a young hitter who has the ability and mentality to swing and hit the ball for power vs a more cautious youngster....my uneducated theory is that it's easier for a natural power hitter to improve pitch recognition/selection than it is for a naturally cautious hitter to learn how to hit for power.

[Gehringer_2]

I had not read this thread in a long while....really interesting post by Mark, thanks. Very educational.

I didn't see anything in his post either that equated to Nick "swinging at garbage", I think what I read is that he swings hard and misses more often, even on some otherwise hittable pitches.

Assuming that Mark is right about Nick's baseball brain, he should continue to improve pitch recognition as he progresses...and that fatigue played a part in slowing his bat speed a touch...the kid just needs some time to make adjustments.

I've generally preferred a young hitter who has the ability and mentality to swing and hit the ball for power vs a more cautious youngster....my uneducated theory is that it's easier for a natural power hitter to improve pitch recognition/selection than it is for a naturally cautious hitter to learn how to hit for power.

I don't know ST, the counter to that is a kid with good recognition may just naturally grow into the additional strength to generate power - Whittaker and Trammell being prime examples of this type.

[Yoda]

Good News: Nick Castellanos has bulked up this offseason!

Bad News: He's reportedly put on 25 lbs while working out in Miami. Does this worry anyone else?

Castellanos weighed 195 pounds in June, courtesy of bus trips and night games that often left fast food as the only practical 11 p.m. nutritional option. He now weighs 220 following an offseason workout and diet regimen engineered in Miami by his trainer, David Bush.

From The Detroit News: Tigers top prospect Nick Castellanos veers left to become part of future | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com

[tiger337]

not if he doesn't get caught

[Chopper]

25 lbs of muscle in 9 months is astonishing but as his age possible I suppose. Hopefully he doesn't try to become a power hitter overnight.

[ballmich]

not if he doesn't get caught

Or boycotted by Weight Watchers.

[ballmich]

Good News: Nick Castellanos has bulked up this offseason!

Bad News: He's reportedly put on 25 lbs while working out in Miami. Does this worry anyone else?

Everyone's frame is different, but at 6'4", he should be able to carry that weight pretty easily. As a corner IF/OF, you probably want him to have added some bulk. At long as he doesn't continue to add it, I think we're okay.

[DaYooperASBDT]

You can't pull fat

[TigerNation]

25 lbs of muscle in 9 months is astonishing but as his age possible I suppose. Hopefully he doesn't try to become a power hitter overnight.

Adding 25 lbs in 9 months is pretty easy.

[pyrotigers]

Everyone in MLB adds 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason. Let's wait and see if he actually looks any different on opening day

[Chopper]

I'm guessing his 25 lbs of "muscle" is fat too. You might want to read up on natural muscle gains for a year or per month. I used to be in good shape years ago and have read plenty about weight training. I skinny newbie can gain muscle fast but it tapers off once you get a year of doing it in. With today's supplements I'm sure results are easier to attain but if I was MLB he would be on my watch list for sure.

In Arnold Schwarzenegger's autobiography he wrote that the biggest gain he had in a single year was 25 lbs. Now, he has the genetics and he was on steroids which he admitted to in that same book. So if one of the best ever body builders could only gain 25 lbs in a year Nick sure isn't going to. Like I said he gained some fat too but all I care about is he doesn't think he is power hitter all of a sudden.

[redshark63]

The kid just turned 21, so safe to say he may be still growing/filling out a little. Interestingly, B-R has him at 210, so did he really add only 15 pounds int he big scheme of things. Not a big deal with better training and growing for a 21 year old.

[4hzglory]

The kid just turned 21, so safe to say he may be still growing/filling out a little. Interestingly, B-R has him at 210, so did he really add only 15 pounds int he big scheme of things. Not a big deal with better training and growing for a 21 year old.

What it looks like is that he lost 15 pounds during the first few months of the season getting down to 195 in June. He since gained that back as well as another 10 lbs. Not necessarily a big deal as I imagine that first 15 came back on reasonably easily.

[Eric Cioe]

Funny how when a 20 year old baseball player adds 25 pounds, they call it filling out, while when his high school classmates do the same thing at the same time, it's because of the dining halls at college.

[ewsieg]

Funny how when a 20 year old baseball player adds 25 pounds, they call it filling out, while when his high school classmates do the same thing at the same time, it's because of the dining halls at college.

Exactly, I don't know how many 115 pound girls complain about gaining their "freshman 15", but a 6'4" guy gaining 25 is unreal?

[Eric Cioe]

Exactly, I don't know how many 115 pound girls complain about gaining their "freshman 15", but a 6'4" guy gaining 25 is unreal?

The unreal aspect is considering it all muscle. He got bigger. Happens to 21 year olds all the time. But let's not pretend he was putting on 25 pounds of pure muscle, because he didn't.

[Shinzaki]

The unreal aspect is considering it all muscle. He got bigger. Happens to 21 year olds all the time. But let's not pretend he was putting on 25 pounds of pure muscle, because he didn't.

Yep...of course he added some fat too...if he didn't he'd be jacked and ripped up like this Ultimate Warrior action figure

[DaYooperASBDT]

Poor Dirks is going to feel like Wally Pipp soon .....

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap 4/24/13: Nick Castellanos Homers For 2nd Straight Day - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

[Gehringer_2]

Poor Dirks is going to feel like Wally Pipp soon .....

Detroit Tigers Minor League Recap 4/24/13: Nick Castellanos Homers For 2nd Straight Day - Motor City Bengals - A Detroit Tigers Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Nick still has ways to go to his stat line back in shape though. And Garcia still taking his ABs in Fl? I thought he was supposed to be nearly ready to go.

[Yoda]

Nick still has ways to go to his stat line back in shape though. And Garcia still taking his ABs in Fl? I thought he was supposed to be nearly ready to go.

Three more hits tonight as well. He's heating up.

[MAROTH4MVP]

Three more hits tonight as well. He's heating up.

Yes, Nick looked good against good Bull staring pitching.

[Gehringer_2]

Jurjens starts tonight against Toledo. Nick will have to be ready for the soft stuff.

EDIT: Castellanos managed a double of JJ, who had a good night striking out 7 in 6.2 IP, Hens fell 2-1

[DaYooperASBDT]

No need to rush him up, but perhaps he'll be in LF sooner than we thought.

[TigersFan81371]

Now that he's playing in Toledo, it cracks me up to see an active thread with a title that says "promoted to Erie".

[Tramfan]

Now that he's playing in Toledo, it cracks me up to see an active thread with a title that says "promoted to Erie".

Further proof that the Thread police have won ...

[Antrat]

Further proof that the Thread police have won ...

+ 1,000,000,000,000

[diaspora04]

Further proof that the Thread police have won ...

The thread police, they come into my bed. The thread police, they come into my head.

Every single day!

[PuNk42AE]

[pyrotigers]

Well, if he doubled off the new Greg Maddux then he must be ready for MLB

[TigersFan81371]

Further proof that the Thread police have won ...

D'oh! I suck.

[Motor City Sonics]

Nick still has ways to go to his stat line back in shape though. And Garcia still taking his ABs in Fl? I thought he was supposed to be nearly ready to go.

Gotta ask, what's the hurry.............we've got Don Kelly !