SF Giants: Kervin Castro's impressive rookie streak

Camilo Doval quickly established himself as the SF Giants closer of the future, but Kervin Castro quietly put together an impressive rookie campaign as well. When next season begins, Castro will be approaching a franchise milestone.

SF Giants: Kervin Castro's impressive rookie streak

It was a whirlwind of a year for the 22-year-old pitching prospect as he was surprisingly added to the 40-man roster in November of 2020. This would put him on the fast track to making his major league debut, but Castro had accumulated a total of 89.2 innings as a pro when his contract was purchased.

That was an oddly low number of innings but the Giants were comfortable with the decision as it was likely that he would have been selected in the Rule 5 draft if left unprotected. To his credit, Castro rewarded the Giants' decision with a strong season in Triple-A in 2021.

Prior to the season, the right-handed hurler had never pitched up above Low-A, but he adjusted to Triple-A seamlessly. In 30 appearances, Castro registered a 2.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 12.3 K/9, and a 2.73 SO/W ratio in 44 innings with the Sacramento River Cats before earning a promotion to the major league roster.

Given that the average ERA in Triple-A West was 5.40 last year, it really puts into perspective how well Castro pitched. The righty did not stop there as he continued his improbable climb up the organizational ladder, finishing the season in a Giants uniform.

Castro did not allow a run in his first 10 regular season appearances, spanning a total of 13.1 innings. On top of this, he completed two scoreless outings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS as well.

The young pitching prospect is quietly approaching a franchise milestone set by Ryan Sadowski in 2009. Sadwoski set a Giants record by completing 16.2 scoreless innings before allowing his first earned run to start his career. Castro only needs 3.1 innings to tie Sadowski's record and that is a mark that will be closely monitored when next season begins.

It was a brief stint for Castro in a Giants uniform in 2021, but one that ended with plenty of promise. The Giants bullpen led baseball with a 2.99 ERA last year, and they are positioned to be even better next year with the emergence of both Castro and Camilo Doval.