The Orioles have found a more than serviceable replacement for Matt Weiters.
Fans likely were left feeling as though there would be some sort of void behind the plate when it became clear that Matt Weiters would not return to the Baltimore Orioles in 2017
Many would admit that Weiters never lived up to the lofty expectations set for him as a top prospect. However, he was still solid behind the plate for nearly a decade and will go down as one of the better catchers in Orioles history.
Weiters was also viewed by many as a face of a revitalization effort that returned the Orioles back to prominence. He, along with Adam Jones and Manny Machado, is one of the more recognizable faces for Baltimore in the past decade.
Letting Weiters walk at the beginning of this offseason could have ended in disaster for the Orioles. He was a solid contributor and an all-star in 2016 after an elbow injury limited him in 2014 and 2015.
Not often will you find someone to replace a catcher who averaged 21 home runs and 80 runs batted in through eight seasons behind the plate.
But the Orioles have done just that with Welington Castillo.
Castillo signed a one-year, $6 million contract with Baltimore last month. He has previously spent time with the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks.
He had arguably his best season as a Major Leaguer with Arizona in 2016. His 110 hits and 68 runs batted in were both career-highs. His 14 home runs also gave him three straight seasons with double-digit round-trippers.
Castillo’s 162-game averages compare favorably to Weiters as well. The 29-year old averages 19 home runs and 73 RBI’s in his seven MLB seasons. Those numbers, along with a .255 career batting average, are alarmingly similar to Weiters average production in Baltimore (.256/21/80).
There is no reason to think that Castillo will not succeed in replacing Weiters behind the plate. His defensive numbers even stack up nearly equally to Weiters. Castillo has gunned down 31 percent of base-stealers in his career, compared to 33 percent for Weiters.
Orioles fans should not have any concerns over losing Weiters with Castillo slated to replace him. While the two have nearly identical career numbers, it wouldn’t surprise anyone for Castillo to see an uptick in production in the hitter-friendly confines of Camden Yards in 2017.
Troy Mauriello is a Staff Writer at Outside Pitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter @TroyMauriello and contact him by email at troy.mauriello@yahoo.com.
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