ALTOONA, Pa. -- Prior to starting the minor league season in Class AA Altoona, Roldofo Castro first got a call to the Majors in April.
With the Pirates short on position players on the roster, they promoted him from the alternate site.
While his first taste of the big leagues was just five days and three games, it was there that Castro was able to pick the brains of the Pirates' Gregory Polanco and Adam Frazier about the art of hitting the baseball.
And boy, has it sure paid off for the young infielder.
"The experience for me was incredible. I was able to learn a lot from Gregory Polanco and Adam Frazier about location in the zone about my swing," Castro said through translator and Curve catcher Raul Hernandez.
Castro is slashing .295/.347/.512 for Altoona this season with six home runs and 26 RBIs. This is thanks in large part to what he was able to gain from being with the Pirates for a spell.
"Those guys, they just want to hit the ball in a specific zone and I try to do the same things, just waiting for my pitch and hit the ball hard," Castro said. "It's those little things that have made a big difference in my game."
Last week, Castro went on a streak featuring a home run per game four games in a row, including this absolute bomb to the roller coaster in right field:
Four home runs in the last four games for Rodolfo Castro! We take a 14-13 lead entering the top of the ninth inning!
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) June 10, 2021
LISTEN: https://t.co/aioWvW3Svf pic.twitter.com/1v95BGJpQ6
Castro's methodology at the plate is simple and resembles what Frazier and Polanco taught him.
"My mentality at the plate is to try to hit the ball hard and hit my pitch, looking for my pitch in a specific zone," Castro said. "If it's not there, then I won't swing. If I get two strikes, I'll keep my body short and more down to get more contact, but other than that I'm trying to always hit the ball hard."
Luckily for Castro, he's not the only one on the Curve roster who's raking right now. His current middle infield counterpart Oneil Cruz has also been causing nightmares for both opposing pitchers and the coaster in right field.
The performance of both have allowed a friendly competition to develop for Cruz and Castro as they look to outdo one another both at the plate and in the field.
"It's a competition, but I feel every single day, hungry to play and I feel me and Oneil try to get that hunger for the whole team," Castro said. "That happens when we play hard and with Oneil in the game, you always try to be aggressive, passionate and love the game. We're hungry to get better every day."
That hunger and desire is evident for Castro defensively as he's moved to second base in place of the injured Ji-Hwan Bae who's currently on the IL with a knee injury.
Prior to Bae's injury, Castro had been playing third base and accumulated six errors in 26 games at the hot corner while only having one error in seven games so far at second base.
Castro is no stranger to bouncing around the infield having done it at every stop along his way up in the organization although coming into the 2021 season, Castro had spend the least amount of time at third where he accumulated only 29 career appearances.
"On the defensive side, I try to just get down and in position, getting ready to read the ball better and make good throws to each base," Castro said. "Continue enjoying the experience because it's new for me to play at third base, I learned a lot about the position in big league camp. I'm comfortable playing there and anywhere right now."
That comfort was evident in this double play turned on Sunday that featured him not only having to take it himself to the bag, but also throw across his body to get the out at first:
.@Shadmu4 gets a big ground ball as Rodolfo Castro turns two to end the top of the eighth inning! We take a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth.
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) June 14, 2021
LISTEN: https://t.co/aioWvW3Svf pic.twitter.com/M81KTuhnCT
While his performance is indicating a potential call-up to Class AAA Indianapolis is on the horizon, Castro is focused on the task at hand and the job he needs to do in Altoona.
"I can't control that, I just try to keep getting better and just play hard every time I'm on the field. I'm waiting for the call and I feel ready right now. "
MORE PROSPECT NEWS AND NOTES
• It’s been a big week at the plate for Greensboro outfielder Matthew Fraizer, who had 10 hits in the past five games. He now ranks third in all of Class high-A with a .339 batting average and is tied for second with 43 total hits. The third-round selection in the 2019 draft is riding a 12-game hitting streak and batting .536 in the month of June. Before suffering a broken hamate bone, Fraizer made a name for himself at the University of Arizona with his impressive bat-to-ball skills and incredible athleticism in center field. In a system that’s short on outfielders, so much so that the general manager has had to repeatedly hammer this next point home on multiple occasions in regards to the upper levels, Fraizer can create opportunities to swiftly move to the upper levels. -- Gerard Gilberto
• For the first time since he was drafted in 2015, Ke’Bryan Hayes will no longer appear on top Pirates prospect lists. Not because he’s not among the better players in the system. But because he reached his 130-at-bat threshold to graduate from prospect status. It’s interesting to look back on the first prospect class to include Hayes from that season with Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, Josh Bell and Jameson Taillon ranked as the top four prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. -- Gerard
• Going back to the Curve's middle infield, Cruz hit a 463-foot home run Friday, and Castro had an incredible view of it from the dugout.
"I enjoy watching Oneil play hard and hit the ball," Castro said. "It's very impressive how strong he is and to hit the ball like that," Castro said. "If Oneil can hit the ball hard here, I want to watch him play in the big leagues and hit into the river." -- Jarrod Prugar
• This is cheating since he is not a prospect anymore, but if you subscribe to the “Mitch Keller has confidence issues” theory, then Indianapolis pitching coach Joel Hanrahan might be just what he needs right now. Hanrahan’s emphasis on confidence building really helped Sam Howard last year. Plus, a lower-stress environment is probably a good thing for any young pitcher who is going through a rough patch. -- Alex Stumpf
• Even with Roansy Contreras and Carmen Mlodzinski tearing it up in Altoona and Greensboro, respectively, Santiago Florez still might be having the best season among Pirates pitching prospects. Florez struck out eight and allowed five hits over seven scoreless innings in his latest start, and should be on the hill every Tuesday for the Marauders. Assuming he won’t at least be in Greensboro by the end of the month, which would give that club quite the formidable rotation. -- Gerard
• More on Florez. The 6-foot-5 right-hander leads all low Class A pitchers with a 1.17 ERA. Florez signed the largest bonus of any pitcher in the Pirates’ 2016 international signing class at $150,000. He moved deliberately through the lower levels of the minor leagues but showed an ability to produce overwhelming stuff from his large frame. It seems he’s sorted out his walk issues and found an effective out pitch. His strikeout rate improved from 6.57 in his career to 13.21 this season and his BB/9 is down to 2.05 from 3.83. -- Gerard
• While Contreras has crushed Class AA hitters, it was his teammate, Max Kranick, who got the call to Indianapolis first. He showed he was ready for that push, going five innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts in his start against Nashville (one of the better offenses in the league) Saturday. For him, so much of that early success he has had this year stems from his breaking stuff. He feels the curve has taken a step even from spring training, and he’s able to throw it early in counts to drop it in the zone or get chases with two strikes. That progression of being able to rely on his curve and cutter in any count is really pick up this year. “Back in A ball, if it was 2-0, I’m probably throwing a fastball 100% of the time,” Kranick said. “Now, I would say it’s not even close to that. Just being comfortable with all my offspeed stuff in any count is definitely different.” The Pirates are facing a stretch of 20 straight games before the All-Star break soon. If they call up a spot starter, could Kranick potentially be in the mix already, or is it going to be Cody Ponce again? -- Alex
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
Jarrod, Gerard and Alex each selected their top prospects in the system. Compiled, our Hayes-less top 10 goes:
1. 2B Nick Gonzales (unanimous)
2. RHP Quinn Priester
3. SS Oneil Cruz
4. SS Liover Peguero
5. RHP Roansy Contreras
6. OF Hudson Head
7. RHP Miguel Yajure
8. RHP Brennan Malone
9. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski
10. OF Travis Swaggerty
