Detroit — Tigers president Scott Harris has seen the best and worst of right-handed reliever Kervin Castro, who he’s bringing to Detroit on a minor-league deal.
Castro, a native Venezuelan who turns 24 on Feb. 7, made his big-league debut while Harris was with the Giants in 2021. He didn’t allow an earned run in 13.1 innings, striking out 13 and walking four.
Nothing has gone that well for him since. The Giants released him last August and he landed with the Cubs where he was tagged for nine runs (three home runs) in 10.2 innings. He walked seven and struck out five.
This winter, playing in Venezuela, he’s allowed nine runs (eight earned) with 10 walks and eight strikeouts in 7.1 innings.
But when Castro was his most effective, he pitched off a lively four-seam fastball that averaged 94.5 mph with elite spin and 6.8-feet of extension. Last season, the velocity on his fastball was down (92.7 mph) and his command was erratic.
Clearly, Harris hopes the Tigers’ development team can get him back to where he was in 2021.
It is unclear whether Castro will be invited to big-league camp in February.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky