Willi Castro vs Kevin Gausman

The Almanac's Take

Castro switch-hits, so the platoon edge here is real — batting from the left side against Gausman's right hand, he gets the conventional opposite-hand matchup. The problem is Gausman's splitter neutralizes it: that pitch accounts for 41.5% of his arsenal against Castro and generates weak contact, reflected in an 87.7 mph average exit velo across their 14 PAs — a tiny sample, but directionally consistent with how good splitters play against left-handed swings. Gausman's season numbers reinforce caution: 3.48 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, and a 5.29 K/BB ratio. Castro's 28.7% strikeout rate this season makes the matchup harder to like.

Career head-to-head

AVG

.214

3-for-14

PA

14

HR

1

K

4

BB

0

Pitches seen

53

Avg exit velo

87.7 mph

Career meetings in the Statcast era (2015–present). Even a clear edge over a handful of plate appearances is a small sample — read it as color, not a projection.

Pitch mix to the batter

Plate-appearance log

• 2026-04-01Strikeout · Split-Finger 85.3 mph
• 2026-04-01Strikeout · 4-Seam Fastball 96.6 mph
• 2026-04-01Field Out · Split-Finger 83.3 mph · 67.8 mph EV
• 2025-06-07Strikeout · 4-Seam Fastball 95.3 mph
• 2025-06-07Strikeout · Split-Finger 84.3 mph
• 2024-08-30Sac Fly · 4-Seam Fastball 94.9 mph · 95.7 mph EV
• 2024-08-30Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 94.3 mph · 93.5 mph EV
• 2024-08-30Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 94.4 mph · 106.4 mph EV
• 2024-05-11Double · 4-Seam Fastball 95.3 mph · 107.4 mph EV
• 2024-05-11Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 96.4 mph · 60.3 mph EV
• 2022-06-11Double · 4-Seam Fastball 95.6 mph · 70.4 mph EV
• 2022-06-11Field Out · Split-Finger 84.1 mph · 80.8 mph EV
• 2022-06-11Field Out · Split-Finger 84.9 mph · 90.2 mph EV
• 2022-04-04Home Run · 4-Seam Fastball 93.3 mph · 104.7 mph EV