Nicholas Castellanos

Among the dozens of players who've agreed on contracts before going to arbitration,  Nicholas Castellanos caught my attention. On a Tigers club saddled with expensive aging stars such as Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez whose "window" may have closed, the Miami-area native is a ray of hope.
In 2017, his fourth full season in the majors, he emerged as a star, with 26 homers, 10  triples and 36 doubles. Do the math: that's 72 extra base hits, along with 101 RBIs. And he's not yet 26. With Justin Upton and Ian Kinsler now Angels and JD Martinez still a free agent, Castellanos is the young star Detroit will be able to build around as they assemble their next core to challenge the Indians in the AL Central.

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