La Piedra looking to be a rock-solid presence in the Mariners rotation
By Charles Hamaker
Peoria, AZ – Luis Castillo will enter his first full season as a Seattle Mariner, and he’ll get the ball to begin the season first as he was named the team’s Opening Day starter. The right-hander nicknamed La Piedra, aka “the stone” as translated to English, delighted and impressed Mariners fans from making the New York Yankees look silly to shutting down the Toronto Blue Jays in game one of the Wild Card series. Now the leader of one of the best rotations in baseball, Castillo has lofty goals he aims to achieve with one at the very top of the list: a World Series title.
“You know, I see the rotation, it’s very good. I mean, you look at it, and I feel like we have enough repertoire in that rotation to do as good as we did last year, if not even better. ”
Luis Castillo in his final Spring Training outing, against the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Recapping his first Spring with Seattle
An interesting storyline to watch for the Mariners this offseason leading into Spring Training was which players from the club would join their respective World Baseball Classic teams. Castillo was a name to watch, and the addition of his arm to their rotation could have made their roster, that looked unstoppable on paper, even better. With the memory of what had happened the last time a Mariners pitcher, Drew Smyly, fearing a potential injury to their prized front man. The organization and Castillo “mutually agreed” that he would sit out and join the team in Peoria, which is looking like the best move for both sides. Having Castillo get more acclimated with the team and continue to develop chemistry is a big factor in that.
“I feel really good. I feel really good and happy because I know that I was able to accomplish everything that I wanted to work on here in spring training. But, yeah, now I feel like today’s outing showed that I’m ready to get going.”
“You know, knowing that it was the last start here in spring training, I felt like I was able to give it a little bit more strength, a little bit more of what I have on the mound, just knowing that next start is the regular season.”
“I think what I learned most was about the personnel. The personnel here really is actually here to help you. Always with a smile, always wanting to help. I think it’s just something that really caught my attention.”
Luis Castillo in his final outing of Spring Training, against the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Liv Lyons)
The two-time All-Star (2019,2022) is coming off a year that saw him display nasty movement across his arsenal of pitches and look utterly dominant on multiple occasions. Those games include shutting down the New York Yankees on August 9th, Cleveland Guardians on September 2nd, San Diego Padres on September 14th, and that Blue Jays game in the Wild Card on October 7th. Castillo will lead a rotation made up of veterans (Ray, Gonzales) and two young guns (Gilbert, Kirby) in their quest to lead this team to another playoff berth, as Seattle’s strong suit was their pitching staff. They’re primed to repeat that success again this season, but injuries and possible regression will play a factor.
“I went out there, a couple of our starters brought in a new pitch (split-finger fastball), and I would go out there and look at it. It’s a very good pitch. I would add one, too, if my change up wasn’t pretty good.”
Luis Castillo in his final outing of Spring Training, against the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Liv Lyons)
Goals are set for 2023
Following last year's All-Star appearance (then, a member of the Cincinnati Reds) and playoff run that ended in the ALDS, Castillo set some goals for himself ahead of the 2023 season. In addition to the obvious team goals of getting to the playoffs and winning a World Series, Castillo laid out three accomplishments that he wants to achieve this season; Opening Day starter, All-Star, and Cy Young award winner. For a pitcher, all of these make total sense, as they’d continue to cement Castillo’s legacy and in turn help his team get to the heights they want to reach.
“I think it’s something that every starter kind of works for, you know, it’s something that they want. I’m thankful for Seattle, giving me the opportunity to complete one of my three goals. It also lets me know that they have the confidence to start me in that big situation.”
Energizing the electric factory
Usually calm in demeanor but capable of showing some emotion (look up his spanning fist pump celebration), Castillo brought the electricity to T-Mobile Park on multiple occasions once putting on the navy blue and Northwest green colors of the Mariners. Whether it was the weak whiffs and silly hacks, or the domination on display that brought life to the crowd inside the ballpark, he seems to be a conductor inside the electric factory. Now, heading into what should be his first full season with Seattle, there will be numerous opportunities for Castillo to give Mariners fans plenty of reasons to get out of their seats and cheer.
“More than anything, I know the good vibes that all the fans in Seattle bring. They always bring that extra energy, and I know that it’s going to be great when we go out there on opening day. Let’s give him a show.”