Luis Castillo Profile

Assuming all of his medical records come up clean, Luis Castillo is likely bound for Flushing in the very near future. We remember Castillo for what he was with the Marlins: a speedy, on-base guy with good average and a very solid glove at second. We haven't seen much of him since he was traded to the Twins two offseasons ago, so I asked Jesse from excellent SBNation site Twinkie Town for a quickie profile. He was kind enough to oblige:

Castillo is a switch-hitting slap hitter who has lost all semblance of power. He chops everything into the ground but can still bust it down the line when he wants to, and he leads the league in infield hits (positive or negative, that's up to you). He rarely strikes out and is fantastic at fouling off pitch after pitch in hopes of finding something he can handle, making him a decent lead-off hitter even though his OBP isn't as high as it has been in years past. His splits show he fares better versus RHP.

He walks like his legs could fall off at any moment, but I wonder how much of it is show even though he doesn't steal nearly as many bases as he has in the past. He's still quick when going first to third or second to home, but it seems like that initial burst is just gone...and then on a rare occasion he surprises you with one.

In the field he's very solid and makes plays on anything he can get his glove on. His range has probably diminished over the last two seasons, but he always gives it everything he has. He has no problems leaping, diving, making plays from his knees or making the relay behind his back on difficult angles. Watching on television you almost expect him to get to every ground ball, but I believe he plays a bit deeper in order to have more time moving laterally. This could change when playing on grass.

Overall, Castillo is still a very solid player in the areas of the game that made him a premier 2nd baseman for years. He's smart, he's emotional and while he rarely does anything sensational at this point, he always seems to make the play in the field and he always has a good at-bat. I definitely believe he'll make the Mets a better team.

Summary
Positives: Solid fundamentally, quick, doesn't give anything away
Negatives: Lacks burst, no power

You can read the trade reaction thread from Twins-land over at Twinkie Town. Thanks again to Jesse for responding so quickly.