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BP Annual Player Comments

Year		Comment
2012		Castro’s season was cut short in July when his throwing hand got in the way of a Mark Buehrle fastball, proving yet again that the term “soft-tosser” is a relative one. The catching injury resulted in a broken finger that required four pins to heal. Despite that, Castro continues to demonstrate skills perfectly suited to the short side of a catching platoon: solid defense, an affable demeanor, and a talent for punishing left-handed pitching (.261/.336/.552 over the last three seasons). His absence allowed Tyler Flowers to plant his flag on the White Sox backup catcher job, meaning Castro will need to find a new set of teammates to paint an arrow and the words “Catch Ball Here” on his mitt.
2011		When you want to talk about practically perfect backup catchers, you can get hung up on certain features, like whether a guy walks, or bats lefty or switch, or is a particularly pleasant batterymate preferred by some high-strung hurler. Chucking all of that, Castro provides the no-nonsense basics: power that plays in any park, and an arm strong enough to keep the running game in check when he plays. You might figure that would make Castro a starter, given lower standards for what plays behind the plate, but concerns over his long stroke, his getting overpowered by some right-handers, and his bulk have combined to keep him pigeonholed as a high-end reserve. That won't change in 2011, as the Sox picked up his option and then re-signed Pierzynski.
2010		For a while, we had a brief "Free Player X" movement for Castro, but that was based on one crazy year in 2007; one would think that the statheads who started such a movement would know something about small sample sizes. Castro is what he is, a career .233 hitter with a touch of power by the standards of his position—in other words, a backup catcher, and he's injury-prone to boot. The only thing "free" attached to him is that he filed for free agency after the season, taking the first step on his journey to nomadic mid-30s backstopping.
2009		There's no denying that Castro can hit, but every year seemingly minor ailments shut him down for large stretches. He sat for the first 33 games of the year with a hamstring strain suffered in mid-March, and then missed more time later in the year with a sprained ankle and strained quad. When he's healthy, he should be getting a majority of starts: the defensive drop from Brian Schneider to Castro is smaller than what it is perceived to be, and doesn't cancel out the significant offensive upgrade.
2008		Castro had his best season with the bat in 2007. In his three seasons with the Mets, he's smacked 23 home runs in roughly a full season of play (479 at-bats). In this catching-deprived world, there are less productive backstops with starting jobs, and the Mets will keep Castro in an understudy roll to one of them: new acquisition Brian Schneider.
2007		Castro did a great job of subbing for Mike Piazza in 2005, but last year he careened from one disaster to another. Lo Duca being more durable than Piazza, Castro was already in for a reduction in playing time, but nature took him all the way to the limit. After a strained left quad put him on the DL, Castro tore up a knee while preparing for a rehab appearance. He underwent surgery, missing just over eight weeks. Castro is eligible for free agency after this season; some team may yet be tempted enough by his power to offer him a starting job.
2005		Sexual assault charges stemming from a 2003 incident followed Castro all year long until a plea agreement ended the issue in November. Whether it was the charges, an early-season slump or an injured toe that did it, 2004 was a lost year. The Mets have signed him to a minor league deal; he'd make a fine backup for Mike Piazza in New York, but he has to beat out Vance Wilson and Jason Phillips, or just one of them on a three-catcher roster.
2004		Though the Free Erubiel Durazo! Campaign has ended, the Free Ramon Castro! train rolls on. Too bad it's pitch black, the conductor's getting drowsy, and there's a possum on the tracks. Castro still has the bat to be an above-average starting major league catcher. But the winter's other professional athlete rape proceedings cast his future into doubt. If acquitted and allowed to play, he'll beat that projection.
2003		Castro sprained his elbow and hit the DL on May 19, and with Mike Redmond grabbing the top backup job in the meantime and Charles Johnson packing his bags, he may be several million dollars lighter for it. Left alone to start, Castro could easily hit 20 bombs in 2003, and with his relative youth that would net him a multiyear contract somewhere. For now, he’s behind Redmond on the depth chart.
2002		The Fish were able to sneak Castro through waivers in April, raising questions as to whether anybody in MLB actually watches the waiver wire. Whatever chance Castro had at a career with the Marlins died when Charles Johnson passed on exercising his out clause. Hopefully, Castro will be traded this spring and allowed to win the starting job for which he's been qualified for two years. He'd be worth two or three wins to a team like the Cardinals.
2001		Ramon Castro was handed a starting job in spring training but was overmatched offensively and sent to Calgary. There, Cannons’ hitting coach Sal Rende improved Castro's balance by opening up his stance. However, when he was recalled in late July, he reverted to lunging at pitches. Castro is a strong catch-and-throw receiver whose over-aggressiveness at bat won’t allow him to be as good as he could be. The Charles Johnson signing makes Castro trade bait.
2000		The nominal catcher of the future hasn’t shown as much offensive development as you’d like to see, but reached the majors last August anyway. Castro is a good defensive catcher who will hit enough to be a starter right now and is young enough to improve. He should be up to stay.
1999		The prize for trading Jay Powell to the Astros, Castro is a top-notch defensive catcher: he was gunning almost half of opposing thieves at Jackson, and his gamecalling has improved since he learned to “habla.” He’s got a Bo Diaz-sized case of the slows on the bases, which for a player this young is surprising. Only an elbow injury kept him from a September callup in ’98, but he’s expected to be 100% in camp. He should be the Marlins’ starting catcher by ’00.
1998		Since being the highest-selected Puerto Rican amateur, expectations have been high. They also aren’t unjustified, as 1997 was finally the kind of year the Astros were expecting. Castro is agile and has a cannon behind the plate. There’s talk that he could move up quickly if he hits at Double-A.
1997		Young catching prospect with a good mix of offensive skills. He’s still young enough that lots of bad things can happen to him, but there’s so much to like here it’s easy to envision him in the Dome, or Northern Virginia, in 1999.

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