Former Atlanta Braves farm hand wins minor league gold glove award
The 2016 MiLB season saw plenty of action for Atlanta farm system teams. This year.. not so much, but one former Braves minor leaguer earned some hardware.
Former Atlanta Braves shortstop prospect Daniel Castro, now a member of the Colorado Rockies organization, earned an MiLB Rawlings Gold Glove Award, it was announced on Wednesday.
Castro, who signed with the Braves in 2010 as an amateur free agent, worked his way up through the organization from the Dominican League to triple-A Gwinnett and made his Major League debut in 2015. He played 33 games with the big club in 2015 and 47 more games in Atlanta in 2016.
An infielder with the @Rockies organization, Daniel Castro takes home a Gold Glove Award. #MiLB pic.twitter.com/KEw0AUseS9
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 20, 2017
The 24-year-old middle infielder opted for free agency in November of last year and was signed by the Rockies two weeks later. Since departing the Braves, Castro spent the entire 2017 season with the triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League.
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In 115 games with Albuquerque, Castro hit .306/.344/.397 with 121 hits and 44 RBI. That, of course, was just icing on the cake to what would be an outstanding defensive performance this season.
Playing 96 games at the position, Castro led all MiLB shortstops in 2017 with a fielding percentage of .989. In 435 chances, the Mexican native committed only five errors. According to a release from Minor League Baseball, Castro had a hand in 63 double plays and racked up 298 assists in the field.
In his minor league career, Castro holds a .975 fielding percentage at the shortstop position in 450 games, but has also played significant time at second base. There, he holds a .987 fielding percentage in 163 games.
Through 58 games of his big league career, Castro holds a 1.000 fielding percentage split between shortstop and second base, and a .950 percentage in 14 games at third.
Next: The great debate: Atlanta Braves’ greatest shortstop of All-Time
Of the nine minor league players awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for the 2017 season, none were current members of the Atlanta Braves organization.