Simon Castro

I have had enough of the madness.  Enough of this grand injustice that continues to perpetuate itself.  I am, of course, discussing the underrating of Simon Castro.  For those of you who don't know who he is, please exit this thread (I kid, he is the top pitching prospect in the Padres' system).  Since I have a slow day today due to this bitch of a virus that has made it difficult to leave the bed as of late, I will attempt to explain to you why, my sweet community, that Simon Castro is a top 30 prospect.  

First, let's look at the stats:

This was Castro's first full year of baseball.  He finished the year with the following line:

BA against: .230

HR/9: .58

BABIP: .313

LOB: 68.2%

FIP: 2.80

After some analysis, we can conclude that these stats are downright dominant.  What stands out to me are a few things:

1. A bb/9 of 2.37 is simply an outstanding rate.  Castro, in the past, has struggled with command to an extent, however, he really seems to have minimized walks, while bringing up his k rate.

2. The G/F rate isn't perhaps completely ideal, but that's by no means a poor rate, especially considering that he allowed 9 homers throughout the season.  

3. His BABIP is right in line, if not somewhat high.  I know that BABIP for minor leaguers is understood differently from major league BABIP, for what it's worth.

4. A FIP of 2.80 is dominant.  How dominant?  This past season in the MLB, a FIP of 2.80 was had by one Justin Verlander.  The only pitchers to post a better FIP?  Chris Carpenter, Javy Vasquez, Tim Lincecum, and Zack Greinke.  I know that Castro is not a major leaguer, but that's a pretty successful stat, in my opinion. 

Scouting Report:

This is actually an area that I've had some trouble trying to find info on.  Apparently, no one on the interweb has posted Simon Castro video.  But here is what I have heard about his pitches:

Fastball: Sits from 92-94, comfortably in the mid 90s as a starter.  One report had him touching 98, which I highly doubt, but I could easily see the kid hit 95 consistently.  Good movement, plus pitch.

Slider: This is a pitch that has made tremendous strides this season.  It's a power slider that flashes plus (when Castro locates it) with hard and late break.  Some call it plus right now.   

Changeup: Not a great pitch, admittedly, but reports throughout the season seem to indicate it's coming around.  This is probably the pitch Castro needs to work on the most in his arsenal.  But remember, last season was his first full season, and I feel optimistic that Castro is a pitcher who works to improve his pitches (see his slider above).  As well, people said that while his change up is now not quite average, when he began implementing it as the season went on, his results improved.  

Body:

Despite my hesitance to subscribe to the notion that a taller pitcher is a better pitcher, Castro's 6'5'' frame indicates that he has a lot of room to put on weight, which I feel is a better indication of a pitcher's power.  At only 203 pounds, his body looks like it has room to grow and add on another 20 pounds or so.   

So, I suppose my question is, what is it about this guy that stops him from making the top 30?  Has two plus pitches with an average pitch that seems to be on its way.  Great size.  And put up some amazing numbers this past season.  Still has loads of room to improve, but seems to be well on his way.  Is it because he is a Padre prospect that he falls under the radar?  Wish I knew.  But hopefully, this will, at the very least, stimulate some productive discussion about Mr. Castro.