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Former SF Giants prospect Kervin Castro designated for assignment by Cubs

Just over a month after claiming Kervin Castro from the SF Giants, the Chicago Cubs designated the young right-handed pitcher for assignment.
Marc Delucchi|
Former SF Giants prospect Kervin Castro designated for assignment by Cubs
Former SF Giants prospect Kervin Castro designated for assignment by Cubs

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Oh, what woes a year can bring in baseball. At this time last year, right-handed pitcher Kervin Castro was in the middle of a fantastic season in the SF Giants organization. Today, Castro was designated for assignment for the second time this year, this time by the Chicago Cubs. He will now be available for other teams to claim off waivers. If he goes unclaimed, the Cubs could outright him to the minor leagues.

The Cubs claimed Castro off waivers from the Giants at the beginning of August. He struggled mightily this year with San Francisco's Triple-A affiliate in Sacramento, posting a 5.57 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched with 24 walks. Castro had never before struggled that much to limit free passes.

After two shutout innings with Chicago's Triple-A affiliate, Castro was promoted to their big-league bullpen. Over the past month, Castro has made eight appearances for the Cubs and struck out just seven batters in 10.2 innings pitched with five walks and a 7.59 ERA. Just as concerningly, his fastball went from averaging 94.5 mph last season to just 92.7 mph this year.

After standing out at the alternate site in 2020, Castro was a standout at big-league spring training last year. Only 22 at the time, Castro had never pitched in full-season ball prior to last year, but after moving to the bullpen, he was showing a fastball that could reach the upper-90s alongside a plus breaking ball.

Despite starting the season at Triple-A in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, Castro was immediately one of the best relievers in the upper minors. Castro completed 44 innings across 30 appearances in Sacramento last season, recording a 2.86 ERA and 60 strikeouts against just 22 walks. By the end of the season, Castro was pitching in high-stress situations out of the Giants bullpen. He made 10 MLB appearances without allowing an earned run. He had a 0.00 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and four walks.

Still just 23, Kervin Castro remains an intriguing young pitcher. However, he has undeniably taken several steps back since his breakout with the SF Giants last year. The Cubs are probably hoping he goes unclaimed on waivers, allowing them to keep him in their organization. However, it would not be a surprise to see another team bet on Castro returning to form in 2023 with an offseason to rest up and try to correct whatever has caused him problems this season.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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