Southside Showdown
Fansided

White Sox: Welington Castillo’s impressive 2018 season start

By Nicole Capone

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 2: Welington Castillo #21 of the Chicago White Sox laughs as he approaches the dugout and realizes his teammates will be giving him the silent treatment in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on April 2, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 2: Welington Castillo #21 of the Chicago White Sox laughs as he approaches the dugout and realizes his teammates will be giving him the silent treatment in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on April 2, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Welington Castillo carried the White Sox during Monday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays in terms of runs. His two home runs were it in the 4-2 loss.

Yesterday marked the sixth time the White Sox catcher has hit multiple home runs in a single game.

The last time he did it was as a Baltimore Oriole against the Blue Jays on September 3, 2017. Interestingly, his last three multi-home-run games have been against Toronto.

One proud manager

Manager Rick Renteria applauded Castillo’s performance telling MLB.com:

"“Welington had a couple of nice at-bats with a couple of homers to put us ahead, he did a nice job.”"

Thus far, Castillo has three hits through three games and all three of his hits have produced RBIs resulting in the White Sox taking the lead.

Notable off-season addition

Castillo was one of the notable add-ons the White Sox made in the off-season. In December, the right-handed catcher signed a two-year $15 million contract with the team. Castillo previously played for the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles.

One of the reasons Castillo signed with the White Sox was because he wanted to play for Rick Renteria again. Renteria was the manager for the Cubs during the 2014 season and Castillo was their starting catcher. He played in 110 games on the North side, hitting .237/.296/.389 with 13 home runs and 46 RBIs.

Considering Castillo as an upgrade

White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn viewed the addition of Castillo as a positive one, he told MLB.com:

"“We view it as an upgrade both in the short-term and the long-term; he’s been one of the most productive catchers in baseball over the last few years. We think he’ll make an impact on both our young pitchers and our young catchers.”"

Last season, the White Sox catchers only hit ten home runs. Castillo currently has two after three games.

More from White Sox News

The Dominican Republic native debuted on August 11, 2010. Since then, he has put up some impressive numbers. With the Chicago Cubs, he had a .259 batting average with 82 home runs and 287 RBIs.

In 2018, Castillo has had an exciting season as he started all three games for the White Sox. He went 1-for-4 with a two-run double that drove the White Sox to a 4-3 win over the Royals on Saturday.

The White Sox’s other catcher, Omar Narváez, played in 34 games for the White Sox last season. He finished the season with a .267 batting average, one home run, and ten RBIs.

Next: Why the MLB should adjust the early spring schedule

The team will end their second road trip of the season tomorrow in Toronto before their home opener on Thursday against Detroit.

Home/White Sox News