When news broke that the Detroit Tigers were switching stud third base prospect Nick Castellanos to the outfield, it seemed like only a matter of time before the .300-hitting future star arrived in the majors. But according to Tigers manager Jim Leyland, the team is not already preparing for the 20-year-old slugger to make his MLB debut later this summer like some have been anticipating. More interesting is the fact that Detroit is repeatedly telling teams that Castellanos' name is untouchable on the trade market.
↵↵↵Leyland said it would be a surprise if #Tigers top position prospect Nick Castellanos made his debut this season.
↵— James Schmehl (@jamesschmehl) July 16, 2012
↵↵The #Tigers are telling teams_at least right now_that prized 3B prospect Nick Castellanos is unavailable.
↵— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 16, 2012
Considering that Castellanos' name would likely need to be involved for the Tigers to land any of the big name pitching prospects they are rumored to be seeking out (Hamels, Greinke), this is a fairly important bit of news to hear that the Tigers are fully committed to keeping him in town. Leyland's words about Castellanos' debut still carry plenty of weight, though it's hard to imagine the organization will feel the same way after watching him smash through Triple-A pitching for another month or so.