Rank History
| Year | Team | Position | Team Rank | OFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | PIT | 2B | 20 | 45 |
Grades Update: Jan 2021
| OFP | Role | Hit | Power | Field | Arm | Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 50 |
Jan 2021 Report
Evaluator: Robert James
Age: 22 yr
Height: 6-0
Weight: 200 lbs
Hits/Throws: S/R
Acquired: 2015 IFA
RuleV: On 40-Man Roster
Physical Description: Average height. Medium build, solid lower half. Above average athlete. He "looks" great on the field even though he isn't an elite athlete. Looks very excited to hit and in the field.
Hit: Slightly open stance. Pre-load keeps his hands high, above eye level and his bat over his shoulder pointing down at a 45 degree angle. During the delivery he gets into position with a moderate leg kick. Castro has a good bat path and some feel for the barrel. As mentioned, he "looks" like a hitter and is up there to take cuts. Castro had better splits against LHP but should be able to continue as a switch hitter. Although his walk rate is low (usually around 7%) he is not a complete free swinger, he will draw a walk. Has average exit velos but can hit the ball hard. He hits a lot of choppers and mishits but as far as I can tell his swing is not geared for groundball contact. If anything, it looks like it's geared for line drives in the air. In '19 Castro tore up low-A but then struggled in 57 games in High-A but after watching him he looks like he should have hit better. Honestly, it seems like he just doesn't go up to the plate with much of a plan. He's not totally lost or anything and he doesn't get sequenced to death but he's got the tools to be a good hitter, you'd like to see him go up there looking for something specific to drive. Grade: 45
Power: Castro has some natural raw power. His raw power is probably a tick above average and in game it plays to about average. He absolutely crushed the ball in low-A (14HR in 246 PA) but even when he was struggling at High-A he had a respectable 5HR in 215 PA in an extreme pitcher's league. I think he will basically have average power at the MLB level with the chance for a tick more. . His average exit velocity isn't great because of all the mishits but he can hit the ball very hard when he squares it up. He looks to drive the ball in the air. He hit 19 HR in 412 PA last year (in a hitter's league but still) so the power is there but his problems with his hit tool are preventing the power from fully playing. Grade: 50
Field: Castro played all over the IF seeing significant time at SS, 2B and 3B. He's a good athlete but not a great one and really doesn't have the reflexes for 3B or the range for 2B. However, he should be fine as an everyday player at 2B and can backup at the other two positions as well. He won't be a liability. If they want to make him a super sub they could even try him in the OF corners Grade: 60
Arm: Castro has an average arm that should play fine at 2B. Grade: 50
Run: He rarely stole bases (in fact, I can't remember even seeing him attempt to steal) however, he ran well on the bases. Will probably settle in around average over time. Grade: 50
Overall: Castro was signed for $150,000 in international free agency (a modest amount) and has been a pleasant surprise, really breaking out in 2019. Although he struggled upon promotion to High-A he was added to the 40-man roster recently. Assuming his hit tool takes a moderate step forward, Castro has all the tools to be an average everyday regular at 2B. If not, he can profile as a bat-first utility infielder who can sub around the IF and has pop.
OFP: 45
Role: 40 - Below-Average Player: Bench/Utility
Risk: Moderate
