Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Previews: IF Rodolfo Castro
During the off-season, the Pittsburgh Pirates protected two of their players from the 2020-2021 Rule 5 Draft. The first was Max Kranick, and the second was a power-hitting second baseman poised to make the jump to Double-A in 2021. That guy is 21-year-old Rodolfo Castro, who is showing that he could be one of the next true power threats in the Pirates system. He has increased his home run total every season while staying consistent in terms of batting average. He is primed to make a jump to Double-A Altoona in 2021, and he helped his case by getting the chance to work out in front of Altoona Curve coaches last season.
2019 was his best year of professional baseball to date, as he split time between Class Low-A Greensboro and Advanced-A Bradenton. He combined to hit .242 with 19 home runs and 73 RBI in a career-high 118 games that season. He led the Greensboro Grasshoppers with a total of 29 extra-bases in the first half of the season and was called up to Bradenton by season's end to see what he could do. His stats were about the same at Bradenton, as he hit .242 with five home runs and 27 RBI over his final 57 games. He continued to crack out the extra-base hits, but his power numbers went down. We look at Castro's career so far and see how he has progressed to Double-A in 2021.
Power Hitting Middle Infielder
After showing some raw power for the first time in his career in 2018, Castro was looking to prove that he could be a consistent power hitter. He started his year out at full-season ball, the same place where he put up the power numbers the year before. He came back out of the gates swinging and in 61 games hit .242 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI. He was named a South Atlantic League mid-season all-star and was one of the top hitters for the Grasshoppers. He led the team with 19 extra-base hits during the season, including a team-high 26 doubles. He was proving that he was no slouch, and ended up earning a promotion to Advanced-A Bradenton halfway through the season.
When he moved to Bradenton, his home run power numbers went down, but he continued to plug the gaps at a high rate. He appeared in 57 games with the Marauders and hit .243 with five home runs and 27 RBI. His strikeouts went up in the Florida State League, but his doubles were still pretty steady. He recorded 13 doubles and one triple, finishing tied for sixth on the team in doubles during the season. Castro would finish his year in Bradenton and showed he could still hit for power. He dropped his strikeout percentage by two points, but the number of strikeouts was still very concerning. He went down 25% of the time on strikes and needs to lower that to become a truly feared hitter.
You don't see a lot of power hitters in the middle of the infield, so that alone makes Castro stand out from the pack. The 19 home runs were a career-high for Castro and it was the second season in a row that Castro had hit double-digit home runs. His game also improved greatly on the defensive side of the ball when he made the switch from shortstop to second base. He went from playing mostly shortstop and third base in Class-A to playing second base in Advanced-A and his fielding percentage went up almost 100 points to .955. If Castro's defensive game comes along as smoothly as his offensive game, he could be a force to be reckoned with when he is Big League ready.
Developing Into a Multi-Talented Player
In order for Rodolfo Castro to have success at the Big League level, the biggest thing he needs to work on is the defensive side of the ball. The switch from shortstop to second base seemed to help, and I predict he will stay at second base in Altoona in 2021. At 6'0, 200 pounds, he has a big frame, but he is able to move well for his size. He doesn't have the best arm strength in the world, and that got him into trouble at shortstop. Now that he is at second base, those throws become easier and he can focus on fielding the ball and setting himself before going to first base. However, with guys like Nick Gonzales ahead of him, there is also a chance that Castro moves to either the outfield or third base, especially if the power continues to develop.
The power is Castro's most intriguing tool simply because he is showing that he can do it consistently. He has hit double-digit home runs in each of the last two seasons, with 12 in 2018 and 19 in 2019. However, as the power has developed, the strikeout numbers have gone up dramatically. He struck out a career-high 26.4% of the time as he tries to muscle up. He has lost some of his plate discipline that he showed early in his career, and his average dropped into the low .240s. For him to take that next step, you would like to see the average go up in the .250s or .260s while still providing that power. He has shown the ability to drive the ball to the gaps as well, and the deep gaps at PNC Park should turn out to be an advantage for Castro.
With all of the middle infield prospects in the Pirates system, Castro is going to have to fight for playing time wherever he goes. He is projected to start the year in Double-A Altoona, but with 2020 first-round draft pick Nick Gonzales also probably going there, it will be a fight for playing time. As Castro makes the jump to the upper levels of the Minor Leagues, the big thing the Pirates will be looking for is that sustained power bat. If he continues to hit for power and find the gaps, he could make a quick move to Triple-A, if for nothing more than to make room for Gonzales full-time at Double-A. Castro has shown promise early in his professional career, but now it is time to go to the next level in 2021.
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