H/W: 6-3 210 lb. B/T: L/R DOB: 6/18/87
The former Stanford Cardinal backstop has been impressive since the Astros selected him in the first round of the '08 draft. After hitting .275 with 2 HR and 12 RBI at short season Low-A Tri-Cities, Castro bumped up his production in the Hawaiian Winter League hitting .333 with 2 HR 13 RBI and a solid 16 BB/22 K ratio. Long and well built, Castro has the ability to be an impact hitter with plus power and batting average at the major league level. He is one of the more athletic catchers in the 2008 draft class whose speed should not make him a liability on the basepaths. Defensively, Castro is a work in progress, though his improvements over the last year lead many to believe that he will develop into a solid average catcher down the road. Castro needs to continue to work on his defensive skills as well as his pitch recognition at the plate in order to become a special player.
2009 Projection: The Astros farm system is one of, if not the, weakest in all of baseball. Other top catching prospects like J.R. Towles and Max Sapp have failed to develop as quickly and completely as Houston would like. This bodes well for Castro who, despite his fallacies, may be Houston's best backstop. The HWL provided a big boost for Jason, who should begin the '09 season at Low-A Lexington. If all goes well he could move quickly. Keep an eye on his batting average and power numbers. The more that he produces in these areas, the quicker and more likely it will be that he will surpass the organization's other catchers.
Key Jason Castro Baseball Cards:
- 2008 Razor Signature Series Auto #/1199
- 2008 Razor Exclusive Auto
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