Atlanta Braves Thinking 2B Platoon With Daniel Castro?
Atlanta Braves shortstop Daniel Castro (11) turns a double play against the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Giants defeated the Braves 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
If you’ve been paying attention during the month of September – and yes, it would be an entirely forgivable offense if you haven’t been – then you might have noticed Daniel Castro getting some fairly significant playing time.
You might have also noticed that Jace Peterson is getting less. Here’s the breakdown:
TomahawkTake.com graphic. Source data: fangraphs.com
The green shading indicates ‘starts’. The summary is as follows:
- Peterson: 8-42 in September
- Castro: 7-24 this month
Before getting to the point here, I have some further stat breakdowns for you:
TomahawkTake.com graphics. Source data: fangraphs.com
Due to the sample sizes variations and such, it’s difficult to directly compare apples and apples here, though the blue shading kinda highlights the better performances for some of the categories. In short: it’s early, but Castro seems to be holding his own – certainly his last 2 games have bolstered those stats… along with a couple of 3 hit games in August.
So What’s Going On Here?
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The big question , though, is this: the Braves committed to Jace Peterson – so much so that they opted to use Jose Peraza in the trade to obtain Hector Olivera – so what’s up with playing Daniel Castro so much?
Well, Jace’s numbers have been continuing to fade as the Summer has worn on. Check out his month-by-month batting average splits:
- April: .246
- May: .282
- June: .263
- July: .174
- Aug: .238
- Sept: .211
In fact, if you were to take away Jace’s high-leverage numbers (.302 in 43 AB), then frankly, you just don’t have a lot there. Certainly, after a very good start out of the gate, Peterson’s numbers haven’t been very good at all.
So that raises a few possibilities to explain the RHH Castro’s increased playing time:
- Just taking the pressure off of Jace at this time
- Grooming him for the utility infield slot in 2016
- Weighing the possibility of a 2B platoon (Jace is .249 vs. RHP; .198 vs. LH)
Effectively, the pair are operating as a platoon right now… though when you look at the total body of work, there’s little that stands out. Both are good defenders (Castro probably has a little better range, a bit better overall). Peterson should have a little more gap power, though he hasn’t been showing it. Both can play multiple infield positions if needed. Neither has stood out at all when pinch-hitting.
You could also suggest that the Braves might be open to re-evaluating the long-term outlook of Peterson at second base, though there has been no indication that the team is doing so at this time (nor do I believe so). If you’d like to speculate wildly in that direction, though, Hector Olivera is certainly very capable of handling the position… but that would force the Braves to once again look for a third baseman… not a topic the team will want to broach in the near future.
Prognosis
Daniel Castro seems to be “Jose Peraza-light”. His defense is solid (probably better than Peraza), he’s a singles hitter, and he doesn’t take many walks. The biggest differences are in hitting average (Peraza better) and speed (he’s quick, but not fast). Castro started very well in Atlanta, but don’t forget: we’ve had others do likewise this season (Peterson himself, Todd Cunningham).
Worn out? Jace Peterson has shown high OBP and AVG throughout the minors, and is still quite young as well (25 – Castro will be 23 in November). This is his first season in the majors, first extended time in the heat of a Southern Summer, and indeed the first season of more than 117 starts. Castro may be spelling him for the month, but I still believe that the position is Jace’s to lose – and that he’ll have ample opportunity to keep it starting next April.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Peterson would have at least half the year in 2016 before the Braves might even think about another change at second – and that comes from the work he’s put in to impress that staff early on this season. Castro has been good… streaky, perhaps… but might have earned himself that 5th infielder role for 2016 in the process.