Starlin Castro, 25-year-old shortstop and formerly the cornerstone for a team that was desperate for one, is struggling mightily. It's painfully obvious when you take a gander at the team stats, with your eyes getting sucked right toward the sub-600 OPS. It's painfully obvious when you watch him play, as he waves at pitches out of the zone or forgets to cover a base. It's painfully obvious.
It's so very painfully obvious that Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote a not-sayin'/just-sayin' column about the state of Castro's mental health.
It’s called attention deficit disorder, or ADD.
"I know what it is," Starlin Castro said.
That doesn’t mean the Cubs’ shortstop wants to know anything more than that about the subject.
Throughout Castro’s career, mental lapses, moments of lost focus and inexplicable errors on routine plays have raised speculation among fans, scouts and even some in his organization – including the clubhouse — that he has a form of the common disorder.
I remember this one time I had a growth on my foot, and I couldn't figure out what it was. So I called these scouts I'd sat with at San Jose Giants games, and I asked them to meet me for drinks. We were there, chatting about baseball, when, BLAM, my shoe and sock were off, my foot was on the table, and I screamed "What is thaaaaat?" They were taken aback, but, of course, they figured it out. They told me to get some laser cautery, which I did immediately. Everything got much, much better.
Don't even get me started about the time random fans helped my two-year-old out with a lingering cough.
Personally, I go to fans and scouts whenever I need some medical attention, but in the interest of playing "Devil's Advocate", I'll acknowledge that there are some people who prefer to leave these sorts of things to doctors. These stuffed shirts would also think that writing that kind of speculation in a column about baseball would be reckless, irresponsible, and absolutely gross. That Wittenmyer crossed a line between accusation and reporting on something that really isn't the business of his readers, even if they'd like to think it is. That it was a garbage thing to do, even by hyperventilating hot-take standards.
That's OK, I'd argue. He probably wrote it because he has mood swings and psoriasis. That's just a guess, but you can sort of tell. The words seem erratic and itchy.
The story brings up a larger issue, though: That people are trying to figure Castro out, still, in the year 2015. Here's a quote from his manager in 2012:
"Last straw. If he wants to play, he better get his head in the game, period."
That was three years ago. This was the GIF from the play that inspired that quote:
That is the quintessential Castro image. Surprise, shame, befuddlement ... with a tacit acknowledgment that he's supremely talented, enough to keep him on the field. Enough to help him get last straws that extend three years, apparently.
The talent is the key, though. Castro would get last straws pulled from a foot locker filled with last straws because he could hit. Since his high-water mark on April 29, he's hitting .213/.252/.277. Rey Ordonez without the Gold Glove, basically. The Cubs have more than a couple gaps in their everyday lineup, but almost everyone is producing just enough to make the whole thing chug along. Except for Castro.
What are the options? Bleed Cubbie Blue lists a few, but settles on the tantalizing promise of Javier Baez, currently sporting a 955 OPS in Triple-A. It would be hard for him to be worse, considering that his 2014 time in the majors -- bad enough to remove him entirely from the team's immediate plans -- was only as bad as Castro's season right now, and that's including the hot stretch that Castro enjoyed in April. With the Cubs on the postseason bubble, they can't afford the wait-and-see game.
Which means there are two options for the Cubs:
Wait and see
It's not all passive. Work with Castro on his swing, hit the video hard, sort through the different ways he's being attacked by opposing pitchers. "Wait and see" includes all of that. It's also a vote of confidence for a very rare talent. Castro was worth eight wins above replacement before he was 23, which is startling for a shortstop. Others in the club include Alex Rodriguez, Robin Yount, Cal Ripken, Jim Fregosi ... and Elvis Andrus. But, well, focus on the others.
He's had a full season like this, in 2013, where the hits weren't falling and the fielding gaffes were just as frustrating. He rebounded with a solid season. It's not unreasonable to hope for Castro to have another couple of months that were as good as his April. Considering the struggles of Baez last year (and the underwhelming alternatives like Tommy LaStella and Arismendy Alcantara), this might be the most reasonable option.
Phase him out, change the scenery
Go with one of those alternatives, then figure out a better place for him in the future. If he's removed from consideration now, it's hard to see how he fits in the team's plans at all. He was that future cornerstone, after all, the focus of the rebuilding efforts. He's since been passed by Addison Russell, Kris Bryant, and Kyle Schwarber, all of whom have a shinier young-player sheen. Those are the golden kids right now, and there's still a chance for Baez and Jorge Soler to pass him, too.
It's not just a slump at the plate. It's that feeling where you look around and see the other bands drawing the arena-sized crowds, while you're getting hecklers at the shows that aren't canceled. It's an impossible situation for any player, much less one as confusing as Castro.
Even though he's owed $36.4 million over the next four years, teams would still take a chance on that talent. It's what the Cubs are doing right now. He doesn't have negative trade value, like Andrus. His contract is still cheap enough, and the talent is still obvious enough.
It's a perilous situation, with the Cubs needing every last win, but also not wanting to jettison a 25-year-old player because of three bad (and about 70 frustrating) months.
If I were Joe Maddon, I'd stick with Castro. If I were Joe Maddon, I'd also be a lot cooler, but as a manager, I'd hope that the inanity of the pre-deadline rumors got to him, and that the next two months would be more indicative of his true talent. Everything else (hoping Baez's Pacific Coast League numbers aren't a mirage, hoping for lightning in an Alcantara-shaped bottle) takes the panic of throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks, and it combines it with the longer-term ramifications of messing with Castro's head.
Everyone should stop speculating about his mental health, though. It's Castro's choice to decide if he wants to go to the pharmacy and pick up one of those ADHD testing strips to pee on and ...
Oh, it's not that simple, and even a diagnosis from a licensed medical professional could be ambiguous and inconclusive? Weird.
No, the Cubs need to be concerned with him as a ballplayer. It's been a bad three months in that respect, but there's reason to be optimistic for the future. If the other options in the short term was worth messing with the long term, there might be a different conclusion.
Instead, cross your fingers and hope for the best. It's what Cubs fans do exceptionally well.