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San Francisco Giants: Luis Castillo and the ones that got away

By Joel Reuter
SAN DIEGO, CA - JUNE 3: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on June 3, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - JUNE 3: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on June 3, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 21: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 21, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 21: Luis Castillo #58 of the Cincinnati Reds throws a pitch during the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 21, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

No. 1 San Francisco Giants Loss: SP Luis Castillo

2019 Stats: 8 GS, 3-1, 1.97 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 59 K, 50.1 IP, .176 BAA
2019 WAR: 2.2

The San Francisco Giants have already faced Luis Castillo once this season.

He allowed four hits and four earned runs while striking out nine over seven innings of work in a no-decision.

That performance raised his ERA to 1.97 if that gives you an idea of just dominant he has been in the early going this year.

Anyone that watched him pitch down the stretch last season saw this breakout coming a mile away. Over his final five starts in 2018, he posted a 1.09 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 33 innings.

And he could have been doing it in a Giants uniform.

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Looking to plug the hole at third base left by the departure of Pablo Sandoval, the Giants traded pitching prospects Kendry Flores and Castillo to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Casey McGehee.

At the time, Flores was the more highly regarded young arm. He ranked as the No. 17 player in the San Francisco farm system, while Castillo did not appear among the top 30, according to Baseball America.

McGehee went on to hit .213/.275/.299 in 49 games with the Giants before he was released on July 8. Two days later, he re-signed with the Marlins, so they essentially got Flores and Castillo for free.

The Marlins eventually traded Castillo again, shipping him to the Reds in exchange for Dan Straily, so at least the Giants are not alone in being haunted by what could have been.

These things happen. At the time, no one saw Castillo turning in an ace. Props to the Marlins scouting department for identifying his potential while he was still working as a reliever at the Single-A level.

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That doesn’t make watching him dominate now hurt any less, though.

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