Daniel Castro: Earning 2016 Roster Spot Now?

Daniel Castro is a 22-year old middle infielder for the Atlanta Braves. With players like Andrelton Simmons at SS and Jace Peterson at 2B, does Castro have a shot at making the club out of spring training in 2016?

The young middle infielder from Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico has been a pleasant surprise for the 2015 Atlanta Braves since the September 1st call-ups. In a cup of coffee with the Big League club in August, Daniel Castro, he hit .333/.360/.375 in seven games with the Atlanta Braves. Now in September, he is hitting .304/.333/.378.

Normally a player that can field his position at shortstop and one other spot on the diamond, his defensive value is enough to make a 25-man Major League roster. However, if a middle infielder can handle the bat well, that is an added bonus.

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Daniel Castro has shown a bit of power on pitches down in the zone, seeming to hit LHP very well for a rookie, with .350/.381/.600 splits against southpaws. Though his performance at the plate drops off a bit against righties, he still has shown that he does well facing them, too, with .273/.294/.273 splits, just with no power whatsoever.

With 2B Jace Peterson still struggling with hitting breaking balls and left-handed pitching in general (.198/.243/.287), the Atlanta Braves may opt for a platoon with Daniel Castro next season. Jace may have the better glove at second base, but he did come to the Braves primarily as a hitting second base prospect.

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However, for Castro to make the club out of spring training, he will have to beat out both Pedro Ciriaco and Adonis Garcia. Ciriaco is eligible for arbitration this spring and though Adonis Garcia is 30, he still is likely playing on a rookie deal with the Atlanta Braves. Neither of whom play second base, though Atlanta could opt see if they can in either the remaining games of 2015 or in spring training.

With Hector Olivera at 3B, Andrelton Simmons at SS and Freddie Freeman at 1B, a platoon at 2B isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Daniel Castro and Jace Peterson. If Castro can prove that he can play above-average defense both at short and second, and continue to hit lefties well, then he might have a spot on the 2016 Atlanta Braves right out of the gate.

However, we should expect even more roster turnover by President of Baseball Operations John Hart prior to the start of spring training in 2016, so we really have no idea what this roster will look like. Should Daniel Castro remain with the club, I see him very much in the middle of competing for a utility roster spot with the 2016 Atlanta Braves.

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