Scouts Update Reports On Rusney Castillo - BaseballAmerica.com

http://youtu.be/ci14LWlYGKI

Rusney Castillo

I remember back in the pre-testing days when if we heard a player "packed on 20lbs. of muscle" in a year or so he was the object of derision, suspicion and scorn. But now, it's just a prelude to the sound of a cash register ringing. It's a better day for Major League Baseball and of course, thank God, the children are safe.

from BaseballAmerica.com
Scouts Update Reports On Rusney Castillo - BaseballAmerica.com:

After watching Rusney Castillo’s showcase this weekend, several scouts went back and updated their reports on the 27-year-old Cuban free agent. Some scouts who had followed Castillo with the Cuban national team felt he would be a steady, everyday center fielder in the big leagues, while others felt he would fit best as a fourth outfielder, with good speed and defense in center field, a line-drive stroke, an aggressive hitting approach and occasional power. When Castillo showed up on Saturday at the University of Miami, scouts saw a different physique, which has translated to more power. At 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, Castillo is 20 pounds heavier than he was in Cuba, and it’s in a good way, with plenty of muscle packed on to his athletic frame.

...

Before Castillo’s rapid strength increase, he was a similar player to Rajai Davis, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound righthanded-hitting outfielder, when they were the same age. Davis, now 33, was another similarly-built speedster who could play center field with an aggressive hitting approach, a solid bat and occasional power, with an underappreciated skill set for a player who was often thought of as a fourth outfielder himself.

Davis might not be the flashiest comp, but during his age 27-29 seasons, Davis amassed 6.5 Wins Above Replacement (per Baseball-Reference.com), with a peak of 3.3 WAR for Oakland as a 28-year-old in 2008. That’s an average of a little over 2 WAR per season at the same age as Castillo, which is a league-average player.

That, however, was before Castillo increased his raw power. If Castillo can give teams comparable production to Davis at the same age with a little extra pop, he might not be a star like Yoenis Cespedes or Jose Abreu, but that’s a very solid everyday player, with no draft picks or prospects to surrender to acquire him.

'via Blog this'

Anyone want to bet money that Yoenis Cespedes was dumped because the "effect" of his pre-workout, pre-signing cycling  was about to wear off?

Time will tell, but don't be too surprised with anything that happens in baseball anymore.

This is another example of where the money attached to baseball prospects allows international players to have a distinct advantage over their American counter parts.

All of a sudden athletes are coming  to America with distinctly different physiques than a generation ago, never mind a year or two ago. And there hasn't been a corresponding increase in the standard of living, diet or nutrition that would help to explain such an extraordinary change.

Hmmmm, I wonder what could be happening here. But 2+2 still equals 4, right? Do the math.