'Ready for whenever I get the call': Castro busy

Angels catcher Jason Castro has remained in baseball shape despite the start of the season being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, as he’s been able to work out and hit on his own at a cabin he owns in the mountains.

Castro, who is in his first year with the club after six seasons with the Astros and three with the Twins, said he’s been fortunate to have the space to get the kind of workouts he needs to get ready for a season.

"During this off-time to stay baseball-ready, I've just been kind of doing my normal offseason routine," Castro said as part of the Angels’ #HalosAtHome campaign. “Lifting weights, hitting and throwing a little bit on my own. I'm up here in the mountains just trying to stay ready for whenever I get the call."

Castro said one bright spot is that he’s been able to spend more time with his wife, Maris, and their two children, Brady and Rowan. It’s an unusual time for Castro to be at home, as he’s been a professional player since being selected with the No. 10 overall pick by the Astros in the 2008 MLB Draft out of Stanford University.

"We have two little kids, and to keep them entertained, we've actually been pretty lucky,” Castro said. “We are up here and have a lot of space for them to run around outside. My oldest is an almost 4-year-old boy, so we've been playing baseball, hitting off the tee in the driveway and riding bikes and going on hiking expeditions. The snow finally melted here. We were having fun with the snow, but now that it's springtime, we're taking advantage of the warmer weather."

In his downtime, Castro has been reading books and watching television and gave his recommendations for what he’s been enjoying. His favorite book follows a Navy SEAL character named James Reece and is set to become a television series, while his favorite television show is more light-hearted.

"I've been watching a lot of shows and reading a lot of books,” Castro said. “The book I'm currently reading is 'The Terminal List' by Jack Carr. It's the first of a trilogy so far. I highly recommend it. I'm also a big fan of 'The Office.' There are a lot of quotable lines in there. Pretty much anything that Dwight says or Michael says is pretty memorable. Anything from that show is tough to beat."