AN INTERESTING CASTRO OPPORTUNITY

With Starlin Castro ready to take the lead at second base for us this season, there has been much speculation about where he would bat in the Yankee lineup.  He spent most of his time with the Chicago Cubs towards the top of the order, but with this Yankee team, he may move down.  "I think you wait and see how things kind of pan out the rest of the off season before you start thinking about where you're going to hit people, but I think [Castro] gives you a lot of flexibility," Girardi said and MLB's Bryan Hoch reported.

Makes sense because we have two stable guys doing the job up front in Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner and having more flexibility at the bottom of the order really puts the Yankee team at an advantage offensively.  According to his statistics, "Castro batted .265 with 11 home runs, 69 RBIs and a .296 on-base percentage in 151 games last season, but the Yanks are counting on seeing the level of production he finished the year with after shifting to second base on Aug. 11. Castro batted .345/.368/.574 with six homers and 25 RBIs in 50 games after Aug. 4." Now that's something we need in our lineup, wherever he bats.

He's a young guy and presumably a great fit for the Yankees.  He will turn 26 this season and has a lot of pop and presence in his game, which he can easily perfect in the Bronx this season.  So with so many eyes on pitching this season, it is an interesting time for guys like Castro who have an opportunity to make a big splash in 2016.

"I like that he's athletic, I like his age. Between the youth, the flexibility, the right-handed bat, he's got a history of hitting left-handers. Clearly that's an area that we needed to better improve our balance in the lineup. It kind of checks off a lot of the boxes here," stated Brian Cashman back in early December.

Lots to hope for in this young man.  He and Didi Gregorius certainly have the talent to turn some big plays on the field this season defensively and hopefully make contact with their bats too no matter where they both bat in the lineup.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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