Previewing the Pirates: Rodolfo Castro at 2B could be the final piece of the starting lineup

For all of the talk by the Pittsburgh Pirates about competition in spring training, only one position was truly up for grabs. That was at second base, with a handful of candidates for the starting job.

Rodolfo Castro announced from the outset his intention to create separation from Ji Hwan Bae, Tucupita Marcano, Chris Owings and Mark Mathias, who was acquired from the Texas Rangers on March 8. Marcano and Mathias since have been optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis and Owings reassigned to minor league camp.

“I know it’s a competition, but the only thing I can control is going about my business every day,” Castro said last month through translator Stephen Morales, a Pirates coach. “There’s some things we can’t control, and that’s one of them: Who’s going to wind up there. I’m going to be able to control myself and be able to take that position. I want it. I want it really bad. I’m going to work hard for it.”

If that proclamation was met with raised eyebrows, Castro had only himself to blame. He was demoted to Triple-A last June after failing to run out a pop up against Arizona that first baseman Christian Walker allowed to drop so he could turn a double play. Upon his return, Castro drew a one-game suspension after his cell phone popped out of his pocket while sliding into third base at the Diamondbacks in August.

Yet when asked which player made a strong impression this spring, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington pointed not to Opening Day starter Mitch Keller, outfielder Bryan Reynolds or third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes but rather to the switch-hitting 23-year-old Dominican infielder.

“Take a guy like Rodolfo Castro, who probably is not as household of a name as some of those mentioned, but watching the intention of his work this spring — it may not pop in the performance yet — on offense and defense,” Cherington told the Tribune-Review by phone on Friday, “the adjustments he’s trying to make as a left-handed hitter — he’s been stronger from the right side than the left, and he knows that — and how he brings that into games.”

Rodolfo Castro got every bit of this one! pic.twitter.com/ojFtfGiIBH

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 23, 2023

A day earlier, while batting left-handed against Boston Red Sox righty Luis Guerrero, Castro barreled a 99 mph fastball that cleared the right-field fence and deck at LECOM Park for a 409-foot, two-run home run. It was the second homer in Grapefruit League play by Castro, who hit an elevated fastball for a grand slam off Toronto’s Zach Thompson in the opener. That one also came from the left side of the plate.

Rodolfo Castro ate and left no crumbs. pic.twitter.com/srAKTsfe6P

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) February 25, 2023

Castro has had his struggles, batting .226 (12 for 53) with 19 strikeouts and three walks this spring, but Cherington was more intrigued by the signs of progress. Castro is 12 for 42 (.286) against right-handers this spring, with 12 strikeouts and two walks. On the flip side, he’s 0 for 11 against lefties with seven strikeouts and one walk.

That should self-correct a bit, given Castro’s career slash lines in 59 games against lefties (.266/.316/.578) compared to 91 games against right-handers (.204/.276/.344), with eight homers on each side of the plate.

“You see these little glimpses of what he’s trying to do, and that stuff is exciting,” Cherington said. “It’s never a straight line that goes from Point A to Point B right away. It doesn’t happen that way. He’s going to improve incrementally. He’s someone I’m excited to watch how he grows because he’s worked so hard, matured so much, and he’s a talented kid. He really does have the ability on both sides of the ball.”

Even if that sounds like an endorsement from the head of baseball operations, it doesn’t mean Castro has locked up the starting spot at second base. Pirates manager Derek Shelton has indicated that instead of having an everyday player, the position could be played by committee.

Castro might be the Pirates’ best backup option behind Oneil Cruz at shortstop and Hayes at third base. The rest of the starting lineup appears set, with Austin Hedges at catcher, Ji-Man Choi and Carlos Santana sharing the first base and designated hitter roles and an outfield featuring Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds and Jack Suwinski.

Of course, whether that’s the Opening Day lineup could depend on how McCutchen’s sore right elbow feels. McCutchen could serve as DH, opening right field for whomever wins the fourth outfielder job.

But when asked for his preferred double-play partner, Cruz didn’t hesitate to name his fellow Dominican. Castro and Cruz played together 14 times last season, both speak Spanish and play with flair in the field even if they are both prone to making errors.

“Rodolfo Castro is the one I have the connection with,” Cruz said through Morales. “The communication part is the most important thing. I think me and Castro do that a lot. I feel really good having him next to me at second base.”

Castro earning a starting job would be viewed as an organizational win by the Pirates. At age 16, he signed as an undrafted free agent, starting at their Dominican academy and working his way up through the system. An All-Star in three of his four minor league seasons, Castro was ranked as their No. 26 prospect by MLB Pipeline when he was added to their 40-man roster in November 2020 and debuted in April 2021. He has flashed raw power, making major league history when his first five hits went for homers, and has 16 homers in his first 102 career games.

“That’s an example of the kind of player that, if we’re going to be good, we’ve got to find some success stories in that kind of player,” Cherington said. “It can’t just be the guys that everyone knows about. We’ve also got to find some success stories in guys that nobody knows about.”