On January 28th the RailCats resigned OF LG Castillo and RHP Tai Tiedemann. This will LG’s 4th season and 3rd season starting the year with the RailCats. For Tai this will be his 2nd season with the RailCats

Last season with the RailCats, LG Castillo played in 96 games, had 365 at-bats, scored 41 runs, made 91 hits, recorded 9 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, 40 RBI, 8 stolen bases, 4 caught stealing, 14 walks, and struck out 87 times. He slashed .249/.279/.307 and had an OPS of .586.

LG starting the year at the age of 25 still has very high potential to make it to affiliate ranks. He would probably tell you last year wasn’t his best year, but his numbers aren’t what defined him last year. Let’s be honest, last year was a struggle for everyone and that does tend to feed into everyone’s performance. What I saw last year with LG was growth off the field; he became a leader of the team, and I would say a cornerstone of the RailCats team.

He cares to win and wants everyone else to do the same. No matter what is going on in the game or in the season, LG has that passion to be better.

What I expect to see from LG Castillo is going to be a player that will lead this group of players not only by voice but by showing his work ethic on and off the field. At the end of the season, LG will be on the top of most of the offensive categories!

Last season with the RailCats, Tai Tiedemann had a record of 5-10 in 22 games played and 21 games started. He had an ERA of 6.19 and pitched 116.1 innings. He gave up 146 hits, 89 runs, 80 earned runs, 13 home runs, 53 walks, hit 10 batters, and struck out 70. He had a WHIP of 1.711, H/9 of 11.3, HR/9 of 1, BB/9 of 4.1, SO/9 of 5.4, and a SO/BB of 1.32.

Last year, I would say Tai was bitten by the “how did he hit that pitch.” What I mean by that is that Tai would get very soft contact that would either die as soon as it hit the infield grass or just loft over an infielder’s head. Yes, Tai is a type of pitcher where he forces contact and is going to rely on his defense to make plays.

Tai was an inning eater for the RailCats last year as he pitched the team to his career high of 116.1 innings and tied Peyton Long with games started last year for the ‘Cats.

This season I know Tai will be focused on giving up fewer hits and having more successful outings and having the willingness to correct the ship.

Tai also brings a positive vibe to the ballpark; when he isn’t on the mound, he always has a smile on his face, and whenever he coaches 1st base, he is great with the fans and interacts well with those fans.

So far, for the players who are returning from last year’s team, they all have that willingness to want to wash the bad taste out of their mouths and come into this season wanting to correct the ship!

WELCOME BACK TO THE SOUTHSHORE!!