ALTOONA, Pa. -- Ninety-seven miles separate Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, and PNC Park, home of the Pirates, which makes their partnership both successful and largely convenient.
When it comes to guys like Rodolfo Castro who's exclusively played for only the Curve and the Pirates this year that convenience is appreciated especially so when it means at all times he's less than two hours away from the big leagues.
Castro started the season at the Pirates' alternate site before being called up and appearing in just a few games before starting the minor league season in Altoona. His energetic persona and passion seeped into a lineup featuring Mason Martin and Oneil Cruz as well as Roansy Contreras.
"If there's one guy that I'm so proud of to coach, it's Castro," Curve manager Miguel Perez said. "I've coached him for the past two, three years and to witness his growth the way he's been playing the game. And now, you know, he changed his life going to the big leagues."
Castro's energy and his performance led him to get promoted, he slashed .306/.349/.549, subsequently making MLB history with the Pirates. He hit home runs for his first three professional hits. Castro would be sent back to Altoona before going back to Pittsburgh a week later when he hit another two home runs becoming the first player in Major League history to hit a home run for each of his first five hits.
While he did return to Earth and is capable of hitting more than just home runs, his energy and enthusiasm could be seen every time he took the field with the Pirates. Now, back with Altoona, Castro is still that same player with an infectious personality and energetic approach to the game of baseball despite the success and lack thereof.
"I think the most impressive thing that he came down and he was the same guy, he came ready to play," Perez said. "He was happy to be back with the boys."
Castro's personality resonates with those around him and feeds into his game on the field whether it's in Altoona or with Pittsburgh and it's something that Perez has become used to and embraces.
"He's a happy guy on the field. If you watch him play, he's always talking, always smiling," Perez said. "He has some reaction here and there but that's part of the game. I'm very happy and very proud of him. But he just came here he just came back and some guy I mean, the fact that it wasn't a show, that's how humble he is and how much he wants to be someone special."
The 22-year old out of the Dominican Republic has already made MLB history in his career and for a good reason, something that can't be said by many others who are on the wrong side of history. He's got the potential to be something special if he can maintain the consistency that appealed him to the front office initially, something which could set the Pirates up with a player that has the charisma and personality desperately needed in Pittsburgh.
• This season Low A, High A and Double A all will have playoffs consisting of the top two teams in each league regardless of division playing a best of five game series. Both Altoona and Indianapolis have been mathematically eliminated already. Entering Tuesday, the magic number for Bradenton to clinch a playoff spot is five games with Greensboro's magic number sitting at 9.
• 2020 first round pick Nick Gonzales entered the month of September on an absolute rampage hitting five home runs and 15 RBI in final two games of the month. September hasn't been quite like that yet, but he's still hitting .294 with a home run, triple, double and four RBI.
• Since joining Bradenton August 17, third baseman Jackson Glenn is hitting .367 including an impressive .405/.509/.571 slash line for the month of August. Glenn, the Pirates' fifth round pick in this year's draft has hit nine doubles and knocked in 12 RBI while walking 14 times thus far for the Marauders. While the power hasn't quite shown up yet, getting on base is paramount no matter what level of baseball it is.
• The Altoona Curve avoided being part of a six-game sweep and ended a seven-game losing skid with a 7-2 victory over Akron Sunday. Until the second inning Sunday, the Curve had gone 30 innings without scoring a run and that's with a line up that boasts Castro, Oneil Cruz, Mason Martin and Ji-Hwan Bae.
• RHP Roansy Contreras returned to action last week throwing two innings and allowing an earned run while striking out three. Contreras will be back on the mound again Tuesday night as Altoona begins its final home stand of the season against Erie, Detroit's Double A affiliate. The Arizona Fall League could be a place to find Contreras following the season and it's still possible for him to end up in Triple-A for the end of Indianapolis' season.
• INF Diego Castillo came to the Pirates' organization from the Yankees in a trade involving reliever Clay Holmes. Since then, Castillo has made a big-time impact within the organization at each level he's been at. He slashed .282/.342/.445 in 28 games in Altoona before a promotion to Indianapolis came his way last week.
Castillo has appeared in five games for the Indians and has accumulated six hits which includes two doubles and a home run while also walking six times and striking out twice. Castillo will get a chance to continue that stretch through the remainder of the season with Triple A's schedule running parallel to Major League Baseball's as far as length is concerned.
OFFICIAL LINKS
• Affiliate scores
• Indianapolis
• Altoona
• Greensboro
• Bradenton
YOUR TURN: We'd love to hear from you, too, especially if you make it out to see any of these prospects and affiliates play. Feel free to file your own original scouting reports and other observations in comments.
