The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Dominican allowed two hits and no runs, with five strikeouts, in 6 2/3 innings over his first four outings. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
DUNEDIN, Fla. — If Miguel Castro keeps pitching the way he did during the first two weeks of the Grapefruit League, it will be difficult for the Toronto Blue Jays to return him to the minor leagues.
It might be too early to draw conclusions; but, if this keeps up, he could be the closer to open the season.
The 20-year-old right-hander, who pitched at three levels of Class A last season, has been a spring training sensation. He combined a fastball that was clocked at 96-99 mph with a good changeup and a couple of so-so sliders March 17 to retire all eight New York Yankees he faced in Toronto’s 4-2 win at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Dominican allowed two hits and no runs, with five strikeouts, in 6 2/3 innings over his first four outings. A small sample, for sure, but it has been the way he has done it.
“He has a great arm. He looks like a seasoned vet out there, under control, very relaxed,” manager John Gibbons said. “You look at what kind of arm he’s got, you know it’s there. … The better the hitters, it can only help him. It’s only spring training, but it’s a little more experience against the better hitters.”
Gibbons made a reference to a Yankees rookie relief sensation of last season, saying, “Maybe he can be our (Dellin) Betances this year.”
“We just want to continue to watch him,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “Especially as we get deeper into spring training. I’ve been through enough spring trainings now that you can’t ignore what you see early because it’s what you see and it’s what you talk about. You can make some mistakes, in my opinion, where a guy is not performing as well down the stretch, but you continue to cling to what you saw early. Most times you should look for the other way around.”
Last year, at short-season Vancouver, low-A Lansing and high-A Dunedin, Castro was 8-3 with a 2.69 ERA in 16 games, including 15 starts.
He has been a starter; but, if this keeps up, he could wind up being a closer. At least for now.
