Marlins’ Guillen happy to talk about Starlin Castro
MIAMI — There’s one person named Castro that Ozzie Guillen is more than happy to talk about: Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro.
“He’s going to have a chance to make a lot of money,” the Miami Marlins manager said about Castro, the Cubs’ 22-year-old budding star. “This kid, the way he plays, the way he handles himself, is pretty good.”
Guillen was glad to talk about Starlin Castro after coming off a five-game suspension for making comments admiring of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
As with many young players, Castro has been mistake prone at times in the field, but Guillen stressed that’s part of the process.
“But you’re not going to see that many kids come to the big leagues and do what this kid does on the field,” said Guillen, a former shortstop. “Hit for power, average, steal bases. I mean, you’re twenty-something years old and batting third with no problem. He’s confident. He’s got a chance to be a great one, not a good one. He’s got a chance to be a great one.
“Plus, he’s No. 13. That’s going to help.”
Guillen has worn No. 13, both as a player and a manager.
He said he likes Castro’s present and future as a shortstop, even though there has been talk — mostly in the media and fan base — about moving him to second base or third base.
“This kid’s only 22 years old; is he going to have the full package right away?” Guillen said. “He’s got a great arm, very good instincts. He’s going to make errors. You cut errors with experience. There are good errors and bad errors. One thing about it, you’ve got to cut the bad errors, mental errors … I think this kid’s going to be fine.”
Does Guillen see Castro as an MVP-caliber player?
“Yes, because he can do a lot of things,” he said. “He’s got 7 stolen bases. He’s got power. He’s going to hit for average. I hope he doesn’t beat my guy, the third baseman (Hanley Ramirez). This kid (Castro) is definitely going to be one of the top players in the National League. There’s no doubt, if he stays healthy.”