Prospect Watch: Rodolfo Castro Looking for Chance on Taxi Squad
The 2020 season will be unlike any other in MLB history due to the current Coronavirus pandemic. While teams will be adjusting to all the new changes, it offers a unique opportunity for some of the young guys in the Pirates system to train regularly in front of Major League coaches. One of those young guys taking advantage of the situation is infielder Rodolfo Castro, who started his career as a shortstop but ended up flipping to second base after struggling defensively. When he was signed, he was known for his defensive abilities with questions on whether or not his bar would be able to perform in pro ball. However, his story has been exactly the opposite since he signed as his bat transitioned quite nicely, but his glovework left little to be desired.
Last season, Castro split his season between two levels of the Minor League system, playing for both Low-A Greensboro and Advanced-A Bradenton. His bat was still his strong suit throughout the year as he hit .242 with 19 home runs and 73 RBI over 118 games played. He was one of the premier power hitters in the Pirates Minor League system finishing the year with 19 home runs, which is unusual for a second baseman. However, his defensive numbers were back on the rise as he posted a .964 fielding percentage at his home position of second base. He also spent some time at both shortstop and third base last season adding some versatility to his game.
When he was being scouted by the Pirates Dominican Republic scouts, it was his defense that stood out the most. Castro has good speed and glovework at shortstop and was one of the premier fielders in the foreign free-agent market. He showed a strong arm and good range making him a highly-touted prospect. The one downfall was his bat which looked like it would take some time to develop if he were to sign a professional contract. It was his strong defensive play that sparked the Pirate's interest and that ended up signing him at the age of 16 on October 30th, 2015.
He would make his debut the next season, as he was assigned to the Dominican Summer League Pirates. However, when he started his professional career, the script was flipped as his offensive game well surpassed his defensive abilities. He appeared in 56 games for the DSL Pirates and hit .271 with two home runs and 29 RBI. He started to show some raw power as he hit 15 doubles and picked up a total of 20 extra-base hits. He led the team in doubles that season and his .271 batting average ranked third on the team. It was an unexpected surprise for the Pirates and if his defense made the same transition it would be a pleasant surprise.
However, he struggled mightily at the shortstop position as he could not get his glove going. He played just over 424 innings at shortstop and committed a disappointing 34 errors. His fielding percentage swelled to .884 and the Pirates were not as encouraged as they were when they signed him. He picked up 90 putouts and 170 assists on the season while helping to turn 19 double plays. Because of his struggles, the Pirates started experimenting with him at third base at the end of the season, and he was perfect in a very short sample, just 1.2 innings played. Because of his defensive struggles, he would stay in Rookie Ball for the 2017 season but moved to the states with the Gulf Coast League Pirates.
Offensively, things got even better for the young Pirates infielder as he started to show more power at the plate. He raised his average up to .277 that season while hitting six home runs and driving in 32 RBI. He saw a slight drop in his doubles, hitting only 12, but overall he raised his power numbers with a total of 22 extra-base hits that season. He wasn't a very patient hitter at the plate, with only 16 talks that season, but his strikeout rate was a little higher than you like to see at just over 22%. Castro played the most games of anyone on the team at 53 and led all eligible players with 15 doubles and was third with his .277 batting average.
Defensively, he would begin to move around the infield, spending time at three different positions, and his stats started to go up. He drastically improved at shortstop, raising his fielding percentage 23 points and committing 10 errors in 154.2 innings of work. It still isn't where you want a shortstop to be defensively, but it was showing that Castro had made some strides in that area. He ended up splitting his time pretty evenly between the three positions, but his best work came at second base where he committed just one error in 109.1 innings of work for a .986 fielding percentage. He would be named a 2017 GCL Post-Season All-Star and might have found a new home on defense.
As he advanced to Class Low-A West Virginia in 2018, he started playing second base on a more consistent basis, logging over 740 innings at the position. His errors continued to go down, and he had a .959 fielding percentage that season. As one of the youngest players in the South Atlantic League, it was an adjustment for Castro, but he settled down as the season went on committing just six errors over his final 67 games played. He was moved to second base because top-prospect O'Neill Cruz was manning shortstop, and it ended up working out better for the then 19-year-old. He was starting to make a name for himself on the Pirates radar for his improved defense and his power.
While his power numbers kept coming strong, he became less disciplined at the plate over the course of a full season, leading to a much higher strikeout rate. His batting average dropped to .231 that season, but set new career-highs in home runs (12) and RBI (50). His on-base percentage would drop to .278 that season in large part because of his high strikeout rate, he went down on strikes 23.4% of the time and only walked 6% of the time. While the power is a good replacement for a low batting average, his .231 mark was a lot lower than you would like to see from a 12 home run guy. He went to the Puerto Rican Winter League and appeared in eight games to work on his plate discipline. He still had a high strikeout rate in a small sample size going down 12 times in 27 plate appearances.
Castro would stay in Class Low-A to start last season not because of his defensive struggles, but because of his offensive struggles. He got his batting average back to where it needed to be as he hit .241 on the year and once again set new career numbers in terms of power and run production hitting 14 home runs while driving in 46 RBI in 61 games played in Greensboro. Castro also set a new career-high picking up 29 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles. However, his strikeout rate continued to rise up to 27.6% that season and he walked just 16 times in 246 at-bats. He was named a South Atlantic League Mid-Season All-star that season and was moved up to Advanced-A Bradenton, where he was once again one of the youngest players on the team.
That didn't stop his determination as he once again took control of second base and, although he saw a slight drop in his batting average, he held his own throughout the year. He saw a slight drop in batting average as he only hit .243 in 57 games played. His power numbers weren't as potent as they were in Class Low-A but he still showed some pop with five home runs and 27 RBI. He continued to use the gaps at a high rate with 13 doubles and 19 total extra-base hits. His strikeout rate was still high as he went down 54 times in 217 plate appearances while he walked just 13 times and had a .288 on-base percentage.
Defensively, it was his best season yet at second base between the two levels as he started to look like a professional fielder. He had a full season career-high .964 fielding percentage at second base last season and committed 11 errors in 540.1 innings of work. While his throws are still static at times, he has gotten better at staying in control and the shorter distance to first has helped him tremendously. He has good arm strength overall, but he can be wild with his throws when he lets the ball fly. In total, he helped turn 61 double plays last season between second base, shortstop, and third base and overall improved greatly from where he started his career.
Castro is one of the lucky Minor Leaguers who might get a chance to play in some Big League games this season. He was brought on to the Pirates taxi squad as part of their Spring Training roster and will be training in Altoona along with some of Pittsburgh's other top prospects. Even if we don't see Castro in any Big League games this season, the chance for him to perform in front of Major League coaches is a high advantage. He enters the 2020 season as Pittsburgh's #23 ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline and could better that status with a good showing. When Minor League baseball returns, we will probably see Castro back in Advanced-A Bradenton, but a good showing in Major League camp could earn him a promotion to Double-A Altoona.
The Major League Baseball season is set to begin on July 23rd and July 24th with teams reporting to Spring Training on July 1st. As the season gets closer, we at Buccos Cove are determined to get you ready for the Coronavirus shortened season with analysis, predictions, and everything you need to know before the season begins. Be sure to follow us on Facebook at Buccos Cove for all the exciting Pittsburgh Pirates coverage every single day.
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