Chicago Cubs Starlin Castro vows to work harder as he signs contract extension – MLB News
As the Chicago Cubs signed a seven-year contract extension with Starlin Castro, worth $60 million, the team manager praised the young shortstop for the talent he possesses and has demonstrated throughout these years.
"I think Castro is one of the young players who come around once in a while, and they can be as good as they want to be," Cubs' manager Dale Sveum said of Castro.
22-year-old Castro, who made his debut in May 2010, has already remained a two-time National League All-Star at such a young age. The fact that the Cubs made the move shows they attach great importance to this talent, seeing a bright future for the club as he brings energy, zeal and power.
In his 410 career games Castro has held a .296 average which is very impressive for the young player in 1644 at-bats with .421 slugging percentage, hitting a total of 170 RBIs and 25 homers.
With the extension, he will have enormous responsibilities to shoulder now. He does not overlook that fact. He realises the challenges ahead and vows to work harder.
"My family has changed, but I'm not going to change myself," Castro said. "I'm going to work hard every day on the field. I'm going to be here for a long time, and will work hard every day and be humble and stay like that for all of my career."
This season, Castro has so far played 128 games with a .276 average, hitting 12 homers and 63 RBIs and had 141 hits with a .417 slugging percentage. While the Cubs have struggled, Castro has shown consistency that merited the club’s attention to secure a building block for the club.
For Alfonso Soriano, who has remained the veteran of the team, asserts Castro is the most important guy for him as far as the game is concerned.
This is indeed a life-changing contract for the young player. It will be interesting to see how he goes ahead with more responsibilities on his shoulder, being an inspiration for the young players and a hope for the team’s bright future as the Cubs seek to strengthen themselves.
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