Castillo making bid to break camp with Bucs

TAMPA, Fla. -- With eight games remaining in Spring Training, one lingering question is who occupies the final spot on the Pirates bench. Based on how recent days have unfolded, that answer may very well be Diego Castillo.

The 24-year-old continued his quest to crack Pittsburgh’s Opening Day roster, cracking a two-run home run off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to further solidify his case for suiting up with the black and yellow.

“He's had really good at-bats, good swings,” said manager Derek Shelton prior to Sunday’s 7-4 loss. “We played him at shortstop for the first time [on Saturday]. If you hit the ball to Diego, he catches it, and that's a really positive thing.”

A lot can change over the next week and a half, but Castillo is doing his part to be in the conversation. Along with notching five hits in 15 at-bats, Castillo has impressed defensively. On Saturday against the Orioles, Castillo bare-handed a weakly hit grounder, then fired an accurate throw to first base to record the out. Castillo’s defense at the hot corner during Spring Training may not be so surprising considering that he has Ke’Bryan Hayes as a locker mate.

“I’m watching him all the time,” Castillo said.

As much as Castillo has played third base this spring, he has spent most of his career up the middle. In the Minor Leagues, Castillo has played 44 games at third base compared to 192 at second and 385 at shortstop. But the more time Castillo spends at third base, the more he enjoys the position.

“I love the middle infield, but I'm starting to love third base, too,” Castillo said. “I feel comfortable at shortstop and second base, but I like third base.”

That versatility provides Castillo with multiple opportunities to get his bat in the lineup, a bat that is much more attractive now than it was just two seasons ago.

In 104 games at three Minor League stops last season, Castillo slashed .278/.355/.487 with 19 home runs, a power surge that caught many by surprise. In his first five seasons in the Yankees' farm system, Castillo hit just eight home runs across 452 games. When asked what led to the power surge, Castillo said it came down to confidence.

“That was the key for me,” Castillo said. “I was believing I could hit homers, I was believing I could hit the ball hard and things happened. A couple years ago, I wasn't really confident with my power. Now, it's confidence. Every time I go up to home plate, I say, 'I can hit the ball hard. I can hit a home run right here.'”

Winning the starting second base job might be a tough proposition, especially with Cole Tucker hitting a no-doubter of his own Sunday off Cole. That said, Castillo is emerging as a favorite to round out a bench that will likely feature Michael Chavis, Michael Perez and one of Greg Allen or Anthony Alford, depending on who gets the starting nod.

Helping Castillo’s case is that he was added to the 40-man roster in November, meaning the Pirates won’t have to designate a player for assignment. Castillo recalls being on his way to the beach in Tampa, Fla., when he received the good news.

“I was like, ‘Wow, now there’s a reason to celebrate today,’” Castillo said.

As it stands, the other strong candidate to round out the bench is Hoy Park, whose calling card is his defensive versatility. Park hasn't just played second base, third base and shortstop but all three outfield positions as well. Last season, Park couldn’t find his rhythm at the plate with the Pirates, but with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Park played the best ball of his professional career, hitting .327 with 10 home runs, eight steals and a 180 wRC+. While the competition is very real, Castillo noted that there is no animosity in the clubhouse.

“I don’t feel anything in a bad way,” Castillo said. "Everybody’s a really good person, a really good teammate. Everybody is talking about life, about funny things. Nobody is talking about baseball competition and all of that."

Worth noting
• Tucker and Oneil Cruz began the game at shortstop and left field, respectively, but swapped positions in the bottom of the fifth inning. Tucker hasn't played left field with the Pirates, but he has played 26 2/3 innings at the position in the Minors.