Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo's seasons are all but over due to injury. Castro caused a high ankle sprain when he stumbled a slide into home plate. Rizzo has been having back soreness/tightness. Of the two injuries, Rizzo seems to be more troublesome long term.
But most believe that Castro and Rizzo's 2014 seasons were good "bounce back" years.
Castro:
2013: .245 BA, 10 HR, 44 RBI, .284 OBP, -0.6 WAR
2014: .292 BA, 14 HR, 65 RBI, .292 OBP, 2.1 WAR
Rizzo:
2013: .233 BA, 23 HR, 80 RBI, .323 OBP, 2.8 WAR
2014: .278 BA, 30 HR, 71 RBI , .375 OBP, 3.8 WAR
Both players increased their batting averages by more than 40 points.
Both players increased their home run totals.
Both players increased their on-base percentages.
While Castro's defense improved from .967 to .973 fielding percentage,
Rizzo's went down from .997 to .993. Both players have a better fielding reputation
than from observation (range, mental errors, out of position sets, etc.) But most
fans think their defense is adequate for the offensive production they create.
With better hitters around them in the line-up, one could hope that Castro and Rizzo will have better years in 2015. But nothing is a guarantee.
There will be injuries to take care of. There will be the added pressure to win (something that has been lacking the past several seasons). They will have the added exposure to be team leaders, and be more media savvy as the bandwagon begins to re-fill with believers.
