Why Starlin Castro Deserves Praise For The Cubs World Series Title

The Cubs are set to take on the New York Yankees in a three-game series this weekend and there is already a buzz starting to circulate around Wrigley Field. The buzz is a result of both teams being absolutely loaded with young talent which has led each team to finding themselves atop their respective divisions. Not to mention the fact the Cubs and Yankees are two of the most storied franchises in baseball history. As a Cubs fan, I'm excited to see the return of two former Cubs, Aroldis Chapman and Starlin Castro. The last time Cubs fans saw Chapman, he was throwing in Game 7 of the World Series in a game that he would end up being the winning pitcher. It'll be cool to see Chapman again but honestly, I'm used to seeing him in an opposing team's uniform since he only was a Cub for three months. Castro, on the other hand, has played the bulk of his career in Chicago and this weekend's series will be the first time he's played at Wrigley Field on an opposing team -- ever. Castro had a roller coaster career during his time in Chicago but Cubs fans should realize exactly how big of a role he played in helping the team win the 2016 World Series. No, he wasn't on the 2016 team therefore he couldn't physically help them, but there are three reasons why he deserves to get praised for helping the Cubs win the 2016 World Series title.

1. He Was A Leader During The Down Times

Castro has played in the Major Leagues for eight seasons, six of which have come on the North side of Chicago. He played with the Cubs from 2010-2015, which as most Cubs fans can tell you, was a terrible time to watch the Cubs. During his time in Chicago, the Cubs went 443-529 and never finished higher than 3rd in the NL Central. If you take away his last season in Chicago (2015), Castro was never part of a winning team during his time with the Cubs. Regardless of the fact that Castro had to play with guys like Nate Schierholtz, Micah Hoffpauir, and Ryan Theriot, he never made excuses. Current Cubs manager Joe Maddon only managed Castro one season in Chicago before he was traded but Maddon saw right away what type of player Castro was,

“He was never an excuse-maker,” Maddon stated. “Whenever anything went poorly, he stood tall, I thought. You have to like everything about him.”

I know what most of you are thinking at this point, "Well so what? There's been a lot of Cubs players who have played on shitty teams that haven't complained and they don't deserve any credit. So what makes Castro any different?" The answer is simple.

2. He Allowed Addison Russell To Bloom

By 2015, the writing was on the wall for Starlin Castro. Theo Epstein had been trading away every single player to load the Cubs farm system and only a few players would have been deemed as "untouchable" during that season -- and Castro wasn't one of them. To make matters worse, Castro struggled late in the 2015 season and was actually benched at one point. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, "Castro actually got benched as the starting shortstop, then reappeared at second base. After hitting just .170 in July, his bat came alive and he hit .296 in August and .369 in September/October. His acceptance of his new role at second base is widely credited as a key factor in the Cubs’ second-half push to reach the postseason." Keep in mind here, Castro was not just an average player. He was a three-time All-Star who hit .281 during his time with the Cubs. However, his acceptance of his new role at second base allowed a young Addison Russell to assume the reigns at shortstop which he still holds firmly today. Once again, Castro didn't bitch and complain about the benching or his new role.

“It permitted Addison to become the shortstop. He didn’t blanch. He didn’t make an excuse. He didn’t cry. He didn’t scream.”

The experience Russell gained with the help of Castro in 2015 undoubtedly led to Russell's All-Star rise in 2016.

3. Bye Bye Castro, Hello Zo

When Castro was traded to the Yankees in December of 2015, the Cubs were almost complete with their rebuild. The Yankees, on the other hand, were in the midst of rebuilding their own club. So when Theo Epstein spoke with Yankees GM Brian Cashman during the winter meetings in 2015, both sides had something to offer. The teams struck a deal that sent Starlin Castro to New York for Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan but the financial part of that deal was key to clearing space for future World Series MVP, Ben Zobrist. A total of $38MM remained on the seven-year, $60MM contract extension Castro signed in 2012 to which the Yankees assumed the entire remainder of that deal. By clearing that cap space, the Cubs were able to sign Ben Zobrist the very next day to a four-year, $56 million dollar deal. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 looking at the Castro deal so it's tough to say that Castro should be credited for pulling the trigger on his own trade (which he shouldn't) but nobody can deny the fact that had Castro not been traded at that point, Ben Zobrist would never of been a Cub -- hence, a World Series run would have been MUCH more difficult without Zobrist. _____________________________________________________________________ I'm hoping when Castro steps in for his first at-bat today around 1:24 PM the Cubs fan base will give him the standing ovation that he deserves. I'll be honest, Castro frustrated the shit out of me with his defensive lapses at short stop but I loved the fact that I never heard about him being a bad teammate -- even during the "dark years" of Cubs baseball.