Nick Castellanos going through 'learning experience'
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (5/6/2013) Tigers outfield prospect Nick Castellanos has endured some growing pains at Triple-A Toledo. The highly touted prospect is batting .232 with three home runs and 10 RBI through 31 games.
"It's a learning experience," Castellanos said, per MLB.com, "the highest competition I've played against. The game's a little bit faster. I feel like I'm making really good strides in the outfield. Just trying to find a little bit more consistency at the plate. I'll have one good game where I'll feel great, then I'll have like two games where I can't find it. It's just an adjustment period right now."
Toledo manager Phil Nevin isn't concerned about Castellanos' slow start and he's been happy with his transition to the outfield, which was the more pressing concern at the beginning of the year. Castellanos is considered the Tigers' top prospect by MLB.com.
"The last two weeks, his outfield play has been exceptional," Nevin said. "Gene Roof has done a heckuva lot of things with him. He's been working his tail off. Every day, he's out there. He asks to come out early. He asks to do extra things. I'm very proud of the strides he's made out there."
Nick Castellanos' bat heating up
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (4/27/2013) Tigers top prospect Nick Castellanos has made an adjustment to Triple-A pitching, MLB.com reports Saturday.
Castellanos went 3 for 5 on Friday at Durham and is now 8 for 20 for the week with two three-hit games. He's raised his average from .225 to .264. Castellanos also has homered in three of his last four games after going homerless in his first 18 games.
"It's a process, but every day's getting better," Castellanos said. "I've had some really good reads and made some good plays already this season, so every day I'm just trying to get better."
Castellanos is batting .280 (7 for 25) with two doubles, two RBI and seven strikeouts in six games.
Nick Castellanos off to slow start
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com (4/8/2013) Tigers outfield prospect Nick Castellanos is having a quiet start to the season at Triple-A Toledo. Castellanos did manage his first multi-hit game of the season Sunday, but he's batting just .278 (5 for 18) through four games.
He has no home runs and just one RBI, while adding one run and two doubles. Castellanos, who is considered a top-25 prospect by Baseball America (No. 21) and MLB.com (No. 21), also has six strikeouts and yet to draw a walk.
Nick Castellanos leaves lasting impression
by Bill Passonno | CBSSports.com (3/19/2013) The Tigers reassigned their top prospect, Nick Castellanos, to minor-league camp on Tuesday, but not before heaping some praise on the promising 21-year-old. Castellanos, who was not considered a candidate to crack the opening day roster because of Detroit's crowded lineup, hit .360 this spring with a homer and six RBI. He also posted a .484 on-base percentage over 15 Grapefruit League games.
"They told me I made a good impression. I'm happy about that," he told reporters Tuesday. "They just want me to keep working in the outfield, but they liked the way I looked."
Castellanos will also transition from the infield to left field at Triple-A Toledo this season as the fast riser begins his third professional campaign. He carried a .316 average with 32 doubles and 57 RBI over Class A and Double-A during the 2012 season.
Jeff Kobernus a favorite for roster?
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (3/16/2013) Tigers skipper Jim Leyland said Saturday that he is almost positive the team will have a right-handed hitter to play part-time in the outfield on the roster when the regular season begins, MLive.com reported.
"We want a right-handed hitter," Leyland said. "You can take that to the bank. I think we're going to have him. I can't say 100 percent, but 99.9 percent, we're going to have a right-handed hitter to play out there sometimes."
The three main candidates for the job behind Andy Dirks are Jeff Kobernus, Avisail Garcia and Nick Castellanos. The latter two have higher ceilings, but the Tigers would prefer they begin the season at Triple-A for seasoning purposes.
For that reason, Kobernus appears to be the favorite at this point. His highest level of play prior to this season was Double-A Harrisburg last year. He hit .282 there over 330 at-bats with a homer and 19 RBI, including 42 stolen bases. Kobernus is a career .279 hitter in the minors.
Catellanos won't play third
(2/27/2013) Tigers prospect Nick Castellanos -- ostensibly battling for the left-field job in spring training -- will not play third base when Miguel Cabrera departs for the WBC, according to manager Jim Leyland. "My organization argues that he's now a left fielder, so I'm not going to tinker with that," Leyland told MLive.com. "You get your marching orders."
Castellanos opens many eyes
by Jeff Lippman | CBSSports.com (2/25/2013) Detroit top prospect Nick Castellanos got off to a solid start in his attempt to win the platoon role in left field this spring on Monday in Grapefruit League action against Philadelphia, reports MLive.com. Castellanos hit a go-ahead, two-run home run Monday that had a lot of people, including manager Jim Leyland, talking. "He had himself a heck of a day," Leyland said. The HR came off Philadelphia closer Jonathan Papelbon. Even Miguel Cabrera, who crushed a HR of his own, was talking about Castellanos. "He's really good right now," Cabrera said. "And, he has a chance to be even better."
