Atlanta Braves: Breaking down the top 3 free agents left to consider

Hard to pronounce

Nicholas Castellanos toiled in relative anonymity in Detroit for years after his debut in 2013. He was a highly-touted prospect, but for many years he struggled to hit for power consistently like many thought he might be able to.

He never had an average lower than .255, but the low power wasn’t ideal.

However, in 2017 he broke out. This was the first year that he hit 20 home runs, hitting 26 with a .272 average and .811 OPS.

After this, he was the subject of trade rumors until the middle of the 2019 season.

At that point, he was traded to the Cubs. He hadn’t had much of a great year with Detroit, only having hit 11 home runs with a .273 average and .790 OPS. However, in only 51 games in Chicago, he hit 16 home runs with a .321 average and 1.002 OPS.

These numbers are likely what is driving his free agent market, as they are incredible for such a short time.

They remind me of when JD Martinez was traded to Arizona in 2017, and he had one of the best second halves of a season I’ve ever seen.

Of course, they don’t quite stack up to what Martinez did in Arizona. He hit 29 home runs in only 62 games, which is insane.

It does show me that maybe Castellanos could be that kind of player full-time if he’s in a great lineup like Chicago’s or Atlanta’s.

The main issue with him, like Ozuna, is his fielding. Even with a pretty great hitting season he only had a 2.7 WAR.

In the end, I believe his fielding could be made up for by the other outfielders’ excellence.

I would take Castellanos over Ozuna if I was given the chance. He is a year younger, and while he hit for less power last year, he had .063 more OPS, which is not an insignificant number.

The Atlanta Braves have to address the 4 hole soon before other teams jump on the best available options. I hope that one of these players is in a Braves uniform come 2020.