Levine: Cubs' Castillo Expects Better Performance Next Season

By Bruce Levine

(CBS) -- The end of the season is always disappointing for non-playoff teams. That said, most of the players can't wait to get away from the rigors of the 162-game schedule. That would not be the case for Cubs catcher Welington Castillo, who hit his career-high 13th home run in Tuesday's game.

"I will tell you that I am not happy with my season," Castillo said prior to the game. "I think the catching part of my game has improved. Hitting needs to get better. This year I had a lot of expectations because I knew the league better. I think I hurt myself by putting too much pressure to get RBIs and came out of my normal swing. I learned from that, and it has gotten better recently."

Finishing his second season as the Cubs' primary catcher, Castillo will have caught close to 110 games in 2014 after catching 113 in 2013. The constant mental and physical demands of a starting big league catcher is like no other job on the field. Depending on who you talk to, Castillo has grown a little to a great deal. He's hitting .241 with 13 homers, 46 RBIs and a .300 on-base percentage. He hit .274 with eight homers, 32 RBIs and a .349 on-base percentage in 2013.

"He has taken some strides forward," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said. "At least he has maintained some consistent play in different aspects in the terms of the catching skills (blocking, throwing ). We have seen him throw out nine of the last 10 runners attempting to steal on him. Some of the things he needs to work on quite frankly are pitchers' times to the plate. It has been addressed through the course of the season. It is something we will go into the offseason and work on."

Castillo has worked intensely with catching coach Mike Borzello on the subtleties of the game over the last three seasons. Gaining the confidence of the pitchers and coaches on his game-calling has been an obsession for the 25-year-old Dominican player.

"I learned this year that I will never make everybody happy," Castillo said. "I put too much pressure on myself to be perfect for everyone. I found out all you can do is get your work in and give 100 percent. You go and play as hard you can in every game."

Rumors of the Cubs looking for an upgrade at catcher have been floated by some speculators in the media as of late, but Castillo doesn't seem bothered by unfounded reports on that nature.

"I can't worry about what I don't control," Castillo said. "I control my game and my effort. That is all I can do. The other thing is, I have a lot of big expectations for me as well."

Renteria sees big things ahead for Castillo in the major leagues and for his club.

"He has grown as a receiver, and I believe his communication with the pitchers has grown," Renteria said. "Another year of experience under his belt has not hurt him. We see him as a one of the top catchers in the big leagues. You watch him perform, he is pretty good."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.