A Star (l) In the Making?

Corny title aside, Starlin Castro, Cubs SS of the future made his Wrigley Field debut Monday night.

I can't help but be reminded of the night in May 2002 that Mark Prior made his debut. Excitement was at an all-time high, as Prior was already dubbed a future superstar. According to everyone who seemed to know anything about baseball: his mechanics were perfect, his perfect mechanics meant he would never be injured, and he didn't just have good stuff but understood how to use it.

The entire pregame show was dedicated to interviewing fans, players, and management about the righty and what he meant/would mean to the franchise. The one comment I'll never forget came from a fan in the bleachers. Obviously caught up in the hype and I suspect, already half in the bag, was asked what Prior's arrival meant to the team. He responded, "This will put us right in contention. He's the best player we've ever had."

My fourteen year old jaw dropped, I may have fainted, I don't remember. I do remember desperately wanting to believe this fan, but the inherent Cubbie pessimism was already brewing inside of me at a young age, and I just couldn't. Ernie Banks (HOF), Billy Williams (HOF), Fergie Jenkins (HOF), Ron Santo (deserves to be HOF), Andre Dawson (Now HOF, wasn't at the time), Greg Maddux (Future HOF), Ryne Sandberg (Now HOF, wasn't at the time), and Mark Prior (hasn't yet thrown a Major League pitch). Which one of these players doesn't belong in this list?

The point is that it it is easy to get excited, and quite frankly, delusional about your's teams big time prospect. Castro's debut (2-5, HR, R, 6 RBI), didn't exactly help the unrealistic expectations from pouring in. And the aforementioned Cubbie pessism will not stop me from excitedly documenting Castro's every move in his first home game.

2nd Inning: Castro makes two flawless plays at short. I'm really impressed with his arm and I think to myself, wow, defensively, this kid is going to be great.

At the plate, Castro comes up to bat with runners on 1st and 2nd 1 out. He swings at the first pitch, I'm irate. He's showing his age. Why is he showing is age? He eventually battles back and grounds into a fielder's choice, beating out the double play throw to first.

3rd Inning: Routine ground ball, Castro holds on to the ball too long and delivers a wild throw. E6

4th Inning: Men on 1st and 2nd, 2 outs. Castro takes the first pitch. I can breathe easier. He's offered a few close pitches, but is obviously being pitched around with the pitcher on deck. Overall, it's a good at bat. He didn't extend his zone like many young hitters would have and took the walk.

6th Inning: Another throwing error, his second of the game. This one translates into a run, as a double down the left field line follows.

At the plate, 2 outs, man on 2nd. Walked intentionally.

8th Inning: Castro's worst play of the night. He attempts a backhanded stab at the ball and muffs it. The ball gets by him and he slowly jogs to pick it up. Meanwhile, Hanley Ramirez hustles around the bases and advances to 2nd because of Castro's lack of awarness. I denounce him. I blame myself for being so quick to crown him a great defensive player. This could have all been prevented if I'd kept my thoughts to myself.

9th Inning: Castro leads off. Works a 2-2 count and takes strike 3, a high and inside breaking ball from Marlins closer Leo Nunez. Cubs lose 4-2.

Moral of the story is to be patient. Enjoy your team's young players. Don't boo them when they make three errors in their 4th Major League game. You know what, go ahead and boo them, baseball is a game of inches, and fans who demand greatness from their team's players.