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Atlanta Braves Scouting Report on 1B Carlos Castro

By Benjamin Chase

Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; A young Atlanta Braves fan tries to get an autograph before a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; A young Atlanta Braves fan tries to get an autograph before a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; A young Atlanta Braves fan tries to get an autograph before a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; A young Atlanta Braves fan tries to get an autograph before a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

The Atlanta Braves got a big home run season from Carlos Castro in Rome this season. Can he build on it in 2017?

Who Is He?

The Atlanta Braves signed Carlos Castro out of the Dominican Republic in July of 2011. He made his professional debut at age 18 in the Dominican Summer League in 2012 as a catcher. He hit .254/.277/.356 with a 1/10 BB/K ratio and showed a strong arm behind the plate, but struggled blocking pitches.

The Braves moved him to first base in 2013 due to his struggles behind the plate, and he then struggled at the plate, hitting .221/.264/.326 with the Dominican Summer League, having repeated the level without much success. Castro did hit 3 home runs and had a 7/26 BB/K over 197 plate appearances.

As was one of the cases in the Frank Wren era, an odd decision was made to try Castro again behind the plate in 2014, and once again, he had the arm to gun down runners, but he’d added even more size to his frame in that time, so his movement behind the plate was not good. His bat, however, came alive. He hit .308/.378/.450 for 2 home runs with a 9/22 BB/K ratio over 188 plate appearances. He was moved back to first base toward the end of the season.

Castro was bumped all the way up to Danville in the Appy League in 2015, and his contact skills came with him, as he hit .319/.340/.412 over 215 plate appearances with an 8/42 BB/K ratio. While Castro had filled out, he wasn’t able to tap into what should be excellent power, and worked in the winter on adjusting his swing for just that.

In 2016, the Braves sent Castro to Rome in the South Atlantic League. From the moment he arrived, it was clear that his new swing was going to bring plenty of power. He found that his new swing left contact holes, however, and he continued to work on the swing. His final tally was .266/.301/.508 with 17 home runs, 4 triples, 5 stolen bases, and a 13/76 BB/K over 322 plate appearances.

Next: Castro's scouting report

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