Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo will always be compared to one another for as long as they are teammates on the Chicago Cubs. In the great tear down and then rebuild of the Theo Epstein regime, Castro and Rizzo have always been regarded to be the first two legitimate pieces. During the darkest days of the 2010s, when the Cubs were at their worst, it was always thought that Castro and Rizzo were the only two Cubs that would still be on the team if and when they win the title.
While many experts seem to think the Cubs are ahead of schedule in their rebuild, you have to be alarmed by the diverging paths Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo are on now.
You’d like to think that Castro will eventually have a regression to the mean; that he’ll settle in to the level that we’re accustomed to seeing. He is, after all, hitting in the .160s over his last 30 games, and this is a guy who’s hit below .290 for a season just once in his career. Starlin Castro is in a funk that’s much more than just a slump.
(By the way, I discussed Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and the Cubs and this situation, on CLTV “Sports Feed” today with Jarrett Payton and Josh Frydman, video embedded below:)
Like I referenced in the video above, Rizzo is to the Cubs what Alex Morgan is to the United States Women’s National Team. Or as I wrote back during the World Cup:
Alex Morgan = Anthony Rizzo
Promotional face of the franchise. The star player who can always be counted on to publicly say all the things management wants to hear. The perfect program posterchild due to their consistent corporatespeak. To the tourists, this is the team’s best player.
Hope Solo = Starlin Castro
Team’s most polarizing figure. Due to history of off-the-field issues. Many fans of the team aren’t exactly fans of this individual. With Castro, the backlash is probably less deserved. His troubles aren’t as definitive as they are with Solo. She’s truly deserved your acrimony. Also, neither one seems to the talk the media a whole lot.
If Starlin Castro doesn’t come correct soon, maybe the Cubs will look to part ways with him, and then the Rizzo comparisons will stop.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country.
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