Luis Castillo May Not Be Cooked

[GL_Storm]

Chicago Tribune article on his second start for the White Sox: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/08/ ... -castillo/

Castillo had one of his better starts of the last few years, dominating 7 full innings with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 10 strikeouts. He generated 22 whiffs off of 45 swings, plus another 15 called strikes. Looking at the statcast data, what stuck out to me more than anything was the magical return of his changeup. I've posted a few times on this subject, wondering why that pitch became de-emphasized during his time with the Mariners. I think it's pretty clear now that the coaching staff moved Castillo away from his best pitch and more into the Mariners pitching model, which emphasizes the 4-seam fastball and the 2-seam sinker, and everyone involved stubbornly stuck with that approach for the last 2+ seasons, despite increasing evidence that it wasn't working.

Generally, I'm sort of ambivalent on calling for coaching changes, but this really pisses me off. I mean, I don't know if Dan should be the manager or not, and frankly I don't really care too much about it. But there's some bullshit happening on the pitching side, and it isn't getting called out.

[Sibelius Hindemith]

Why would a veteran on a guaranteed contract agree to shutter his most effective pitch and put a blemish on his career? That's what I don't understand. Don't the players have any autonomy? He should have told the coaches to shove it and if they tried to force him to do otherwise then demand a trade. What was he afraid of?

[Gametime]

Wouldn’t you be happy to leave this mess? Owners that don’t care. Manager that doesn’t know what the hell to do. And dipoto as your boss.

[GL_Storm]

Why would a veteran on a guaranteed contract agree to shutter his most effective pitch and put a blemish on his career? That's what I don't understand. Don't the players have any autonomy? He should have told the coaches to shove it and if they tried to force him to do otherwise then demand a trade. What was he afraid of?

I don't know. All I can think of is that when you are in an environment where they do things a certain way, and they're paying you a lot of money, you will probably try to be a team player. And I doubt that this sort of thing is presented as an ultimatum. It would likely be more subtle.

[DavidGee24]

Why would a veteran on a guaranteed contract agree to shutter his most effective pitch and put a blemish on his career? That's what I don't understand. Don't the players have any autonomy? He should have told the coaches to shove it and if they tried to force him to do otherwise then demand a trade. What was he afraid of?

That's what I say about some of these free agents who are position players where guys want us to sign someone to be our DH. They're going to tell management to stick it, as they should.

[bhofferb]

I'd say we wait a couple more starts before declaring Castillo fixed, but knowing the luck of the Mariners, I wouldn't be surprised

[Donn Beach]

And its always pissed me off with how Felix was considered stubburn for resisting Dipotos efforts to alter his approach

[bpj]

And its always pissed me off with how Felix was considered stubburn for resisting Dipotos efforts to alter his approach

Nobody would have minded Felix refusing to change if he was still getting results.

But he continued trying to overpower hitters and got shelled instead of learning how to pitch.

[Donn Beach]

And its always pissed me off with how Felix was considered stubburn for resisting Dipotos efforts to alter his approach

Nobody would have minded Felix refusing to change if he was still getting results.

But he continued trying to overpower hitters and got shelled instead of learning how to pitch.

this is the false narrative, Felix was a pitcher. He was rated with the best changeup in MLB. He moved past just trying to over power hitters early in hia career. His reduction in velocity happened years before he became ineffective. It was his control that became an issue in the end

[Donn Beach]

It bothers me how mariner fans can lack the appreciation for what a great pitcher Felix really was. The guy belongs in the HOF. I blame Dipoto for that narrative. Its funny to me all the Dipoto haters buying into it. What happened in the end was his body falling apart, he broke down

Félix Hernández was absolutely elite at reduced velocity from roughly 2012 through 2015, executing one of the most masterful pitching transitions of his era. During this stretch, he proved that a premier pitcher could remain a Cy Young contender without a high-90s fastball.He counteracted his declining velocity using a highly strategic approach:

The Supreme Changeup ("El Cambio")
As his fastball dropped from 96 mph down to 91–92 mph, the velocity gap between his fastball and changeup shrank to just 4–5 mph. Normally, this ruins a changeup, but Hernández's variation was legendary because it featured absurd, late, arm-side depth and sinking action. Hitters swung over it repeatedly, regardless of the radar gun.

Elite Sinker and Pitch Sequencing
He leaned heavily into a heavy, biting sinker and a sharp curveball. Instead of blowing hitters away, he used pinpoint command to generate weak contact on the ground and masterfully mixed speeds to keep hitters off-balance.

The Peak of His "Low-Velo" Dominance
His statistical peak actually occurred during this period of lower velocity, culminating in some of his absolute best career seasons