Luis Castillo was acquired in the offseason in the Cincinnati Reds big move of the winter. The team traded starting pitcher Dan Straily to Miami and got back Castillo, reliever Austin Brice and minor league outfielder Zeke White. In the 2016 season Luis Castillo transitioned into a starting pitcher and had plenty of success, posting a 2.26 ERA in 131.2 innings. He had just 25 walks to go with 103 strikeouts in that span.

The strikeout rate was a tad low for a guy who routinely sits 95+ with his fastball. The then 23-year-old had the stuff to keep hitters off-balance, but wasn’t quite consistent enough with the slider and change up. As I wrote in the offseason, his slider was mostly an average offering, but flashed itself as a plus pitch.

This season he’s out to a great start, making the jump to Double-A Pensacola look easy in the early going. Through three starts he has allowed just three earned in 18.1 innings. That’s good for a 1.96 ERA. He’s allowed just 11 hits and walked three batters. His strikeout rate is up, fanning 17 of the 67 batters faced (25.4%). Over his three starts he’s thrown strikes with 68% of his pitches, an above-average rate when compared to Major Leaguers. He’s also racked up 33 swinging strikes in those three games. That’s a lot of swinging strikes.

Last night he hit 101 MPH on the stadium radar gun in Pensacola, but their stadium gun is notoriously incorrect (in the past, it’s been positioned in a poor spot, which can give invalid readings) – or has been in past seasons. When you hear about numbers like 101, even from guys you know that have hit 100 MPH in the past, I had to check. Unfortunately the 101 was not able to be confirmed, with a reliable source having him topping out at 99 MPH last night. Not that there’s anything wrong with 99, but triple digits always gets that extra attention.

This season the slider has been more consistent, showing itself as an above-average to plus offering more frequently. The change up is still a work in progress and clearly a third pitch for him. It will be key for him in terms of just how good he’ll be in the future. For now, the fastball and slider combination, along with his ability to pound the strikezone is a great start. He’ll probably be able to remain a starter long term without much improvement. However, to reach his full potential the change up will need to keep improving.