Anthony Castro

Position: RHSP
Level: High A
Affiliate: Lakeland Flying Tigers
League: Florida State League
Born: 04/13/1995 (Age: 28)
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 180
B/T: Right / Right
Acquired: Signed as an International Free Agent 7/18/11 (DET)

Prospect Spotlight

Castro started the year strong for High A Lakeland before being hit hard across the starts upon being promoted to Double A. Sent back to the Florida State League after those three starts, he has once again been a solid member of Lakeland’s rotation.

A plus athlete with a wiry frame, Castro is a bit undersized with a thin core and lower half. His velocity comes from an extremely fast arm, touching 97-98 mph early before settling into the 93-to-95 mph range. He struggles to repeat his mechanics, leading to below-average command. His breaking ball comes in at 80-to-83 mph, a tight-spinning slurve with three-quarters shape. Castro overthrows his high-80s changeup, causing it to run into his fastball. It flashes fade but is inconsistent.

Castro’s fast arm and big velocity in a small frame profile in the bullpen. Command and pitch efficiency won’t be as important in a short-stint role, where his fastball will play up and scrape the high-90s more consistently. He’s far from a sure thing, but he has the ceiling of a middle reliever if the stuff translates to the bullpen and continues to develop.