Castro working on 'D' consistency
TAMPA — Of all active players, who had the most hits through his age-26 season? For no reason in particular, let’s go top three:
1. Miguel Cabrera, with 1,220 through 2009.
2. Albert Pujols, with 1,159 through 2006.
3. Starlin Castro, with 1,147 through 2016.
Here with the Yankees, one can lose sight of Castro’s accomplishments (thanks, Baseball-Reference.com), particularly when you see him contribute defensively to a six-run first inning by the opponent as he did Sunday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
For all of the exciting young infielders the Yankees now employ, Castro still can tantalize — and, just as much, aggravate — in his own right. “Yeah, for sure. I know I can be really good,” Castro said, following the Yankees’ 10-2 loss to the Braves. “Just working on consistency. I just keep working. I keep pushing myself to be more consistent on both sides.” “He’s a real good player, man,” said Braves third-base coach Ron Washington, the Rangers’ former manager. “He’s in good hands over there with Joe.” Manager Joe Girardi has received far more media queries this spring about young’uns like Miguel Andujar, Jorge Mateo, Gleyber Torres and Tyler Wade than about Castro or Didi Gregorius, the latter of whom is with Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Makes sense. The Yankees are selling their up-and-coming talent, and their fans sure seem into it. Yet the Yankees have another three years and nearly $34 million invested in Castro, who occasionally thrilled and ultimately, mildly disappointed during his maiden Yankees voyage in 2016. He put up a .270/.300/.433 slash line in 151 games, his 21 homers marking a career high, while playing erratic defense in his first full season at second base. With none of the studs major league ready, Castro still has time to improve his sales pitch. “I work on everything,” Castro said. “I take my extra ground balls in the morning. I’m the type of player that wants to be better in everything. Not only one spot.”
Girardi, asked how a player like Castro can hit his ceiling more often, said, “I think it’s just learning from the times that you’re not consistent and trying to figure out what causes that. Because there are times he can be a kid that can carry you, in a sense. I think it’s maturing. I think it’s paying attention to detail all the time. Mechanically always being sound. It’s work.
“And we thought he made great strides. He had a tough day today. It happens. I don’t put too much stock into it. You only put a lot of stock into things if it becomes a trend. But I’ve been pleased with him. He had a tough day today.” Maybe Girardi said “tough day” twice because Castro committed a pair of misplays in the opening frame that went so woefully, CC Sabathia departed after throwing only 33 pitches and finished the rest of his assigned workload in the bullpen. First Castro failed to glove a hard grounder by Brandon Phillips, an E-4. Then he couldn’t corral a Matt Kemp bullet, a single.
Of his error, Castro said, “That’s a play that I should make. If I make that play, I don’t think CC has that long inning that he has.”
Of the single, Castro said, “[Kemp] hit it hard, but in the end, it had a bad hop. That’s another play, I should make it, too.”
His consistent accountability endears him to his teammates, who would like him even more if he didn’t experience the mental lapses to which Girardi alluded. Guys root for the upbeat Castro, who made a great diving stop on David Freitas’ sixth-inning grounder up the middle, stood up and threw out the catcher. He added a single in the bottom of the sixth.
“I think what you have to do is you just have to keep giving them positive reinforcement,” Washington said of high-talent, low-consistency guys like Castro. “Call them on when they don’t give their best effort and praise them when they do give their best effort. And hopefully it can snap and all of a sudden you get their best effort.”
Castro’s best results, it’s clear, can be pretty special. Can he solve himself before the kids arrive?