No we aren’t talking about Jake Arrieta (the Cy Young level hurler) or Anthony Rizzo (the potential MVP) or Kris Bryant (the probably Rookie of the Year). We are talking about three time All Star, 25 year old Starlin Castro. Castro has become the forgotten man on the Cubs roster in the world of shiny new players but he is still out there plugging away, sometimes to the frustration of his teammates.

You see, Castro exists in an odd space on the Cubs roster. With the new young guys becoming true studs, Castro’s flaws become more evident in the line up. He is impatient at the plate, strikes out too often, and swings at bad pitches. In fact things got so bad that Chicago wanted to deal him. BUT he already has three game winning hits on the year.

Decisions, decisions.

Bryant was the talk of the baseball world this spring, leading all players in spring training with nine home runs. The reason he was not brought up with the Cubs at the beginning of the season is somewhat controversial. By rule if a player is on a major league roster for 172 days out of a 183 day season he is credited with a full year of service. By waiting at least 11 days to bring a rookie up to the major leagues, the team retains his signing rights for an extra year before he becomes a free agent.

In Bryant’s case, this means the Cubs will retain his rights until after the 2021 season instead of the 2020 season. Jaime Garcia Dias (team rep’s Pinterest) claims that had nothing to do with him not being promoted right away. Instead stating that he was starting the season in the minors for baseball reasons only.

The Cubs said Bryant will start and bat cleanup in his debut Friday.