Grading the Marlins: Miami Wins 1-of-3 Against Bucs

Starlin Castro +.107

Starlin Castro is a 6’2″, 230 lb. right-handed hitting middle-infielder from Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. Even though he has just turned 28-years-old, he’s entering his ninth major league season. After six seasons with the Cubs, he spent the last two with with the Yankees.

Castro is listed as a shortstop / second baseman. He spent his first five years with the Cubs as their starter at shortstop. Since then, he’s appeared primarily at second base. Expected to man the load for the Marlins this season at shortstop, he’s yet to net a Gold Glove.

That’s not to say that Castro is substandard at the second base position. Far from it. After 297 games at second, his fielding percentage rates higher (.975) than at shortstop in 847 games (.963).

Offensively, Castro has slashed .282/.320/.413 through his career. He’s a three-time .300+ hitter, reaching the mark in 2010 for the Cubs and in 2017 with the Yankees, and surpassing it with a .307 mark in 2011 with Chicago. It’s not out of character to expect him to approach the mark once again.

Castro’s 99 career homers are concentrated at the back half of his career to this point. From a 0.6% as a rookie to a mark of 3.4% in each of the last two years.

Castro started this series by grounding into a first inning double play on Friday (-.100). He repeated the trick in the third (-.046). With bases loaded and one out in the fifth, he hit a sacrifice fly which ended up scoring three runs (+.236). He singled with one out in the seventh (+.006), later scoring on Justin Bour’s third homer of the season.

In game two, Castro struck out to end the first (-.010), and grounded out to end the third (-.026). In the fifth, he hit a two-out single (+.016), and he singled again with one out int he eighth (+.046).

Castro singled to load the bases in the first with nobody out on Sunday (+.071). He flew out to center for the second out of the third with a man on first (-.033), and grounded out to third to open the sixth (-.026). He did it again to open the eighth (-.026).