Castro homers three times on perfect day
Carlos Castro has had a week to remember, and it's only Wednesday.The Braves' first baseman homered three times and knocked in eight runs on a 5-for-5 afternoon -- all career highs -- to help Class A Advanced Florida rout Daytona, 14-2, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark."I'm very, very happy with the
Carlos Castro has had a week to remember, and it's only Wednesday.
The Braves' first baseman homered three times and knocked in eight runs on a 5-for-5 afternoon -- all career highs -- to help Class A Advanced Florida rout Daytona, 14-2, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
"I'm very, very happy with the way things happened, and just happy the team won the game," Castro said through an interpreter, hitting coach Carlos Mendez. "Hopefully I can keep going. It's a long season."
It was a long day, meanwhile, for Daytona pitchers. Castro, a 22-year-old first baseman from the Dominican Republic, hit a two-run homer in the second inning, swatted another two-run shot in the third and delivered a three-run drive in the fifth. He added an RBI single in the sixth and led off the eighth with another base hit.
The first two homers came off Tortugas starter Jesús Reyes (3-1) before Juan Martinez surrendered the three-run shot and Castro's run-scoring single. Braulio Ortiz didn't have the answer either, allowing Castro's final hit.
"It was just one of those days where I didn't chase breaking balls early and they made mistakes," said Castro, who batted sixth and played DH. "The first guy hung a slider 0-2. The last one was a first-pitch changeup. I was just seeing the ball really clearly. I was lucky they made mistakes."
Mendez agreed, praising Castro for reacting to whatever was thrown his way.
"He's ready to attack pitchers and he hits mistake pitches really well," Mendez said. "They make a mistake and he's ready to hit them. That's part of the learning process -- he stays ready to hit every pitch."
Box score
Castro's three homers represent about 17 percent of his total output from last year, when he hit .266 with 17 long balls and 57 RBIs in 84 games with Class A Rome. The infielder hit just three homers total from 2014-15.
You don't have to look too far back to find Castro's last big game -- he hit a grand slam and drove in five runs May 3 at Palm Beach. The recent success, he said, has helped.
"It definitely helps my confidence," he said. "They're not pitching around me, but I wasn't chasing pitches early in the count. I try to stay aggressive at the plate and make solid contact every time I swing the bat."
Castro had a pair of two-homer games last season on June 17 and 30. His previous career high in RBIs for a game was six, which he managed on July 8, 2014 with the Rookie-level DSL Braves.
After Wednesday's outburst, Castro is hitting .345 with six homers and 27 RBIs in 30 games.
"I was relaxed," Castro said. "I stayed with an approach up the middle and if they made a mistake, I made solid contact and it worked out well."
Mendez watched his lineup pound out 17 hits and help the Fire Frogs (17-17) return to .500. Austin Riley doubled and singled, scoring three runs in the win, and Alex Jackson added two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. Leadoff man Anfernee Seymour chipped in three singles and an RBI.
Frogs starter Drew Harrington (4-2) allowed a pair of unearned runs on six hits and two walks over five innings for the win. Reyes was charged with eight runs -- six earned -- on eight hits and three walks to take his first loss for the Reds affiliate.
Mendez said it was a happy dugout and clubhouse after Castro's big day.
"Everyone was giving him a hard time for that," Mendez said. "He's a happy guy, we're a happy bunch, and we're happy we won the game and the series."
Danny Wild is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow his MLBlog column, Minoring in Twitter.
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition: