Castro has found a home in the Orioles bullpen

He might be overlooked sometimes in the Orioles bullpen. He can't touch 100 mph like Tanner Scott. He doesn't get save chances. He doesn't have a career 1.97 ERA like lefty Richard Bleier.

But right-hander Miguel Castro has an important multi-inning role, and last year he ranked fourth among all major league relievers, throwing 83 1/3 innings. In 19 of his 62 outings, he gave the Orioles at least two innings. He went 2-7 with a 3.96 ERA and was throwing well late in the year, with a 1.84 ERA his last 11 games.

I talked to Castro recently for this entry, and he told me about an event he took part in recently to help young kids in the Dominican Republic. The event took place in his hometown of La Romana.

Castro, who turns 24 on Dec. 24, is 5-10 with a 3.77 ERA the past two seasons for Baltimore, throwing 152 2/3 innings. And his ERA was better than league average both years. He's trying to find a regular big league home at Camden Yards after pitching for both Toronto and Colorado.

"I feel good in Baltimore and have been treated really well there and am happy to be there," Castro said through team translator Ramón Alarcón. "At the same time, it's a tough business and industry. And the only thing you can control is to try to help your team every single day with whatever you have. Really looking forward to next season."

Castro ranked second on the Orioles club, allowing just 21 percent of inherited runners to score, with eight of 38. There were some things to like about his 2018 season.

"The two things that I am most proud of from 2018 are, No. 1, I was able to be healthy for most of the season. That allowed me to help my team the most, and I am proud of that. The second thing was to be able to represent my neighborhood during Players Weekend and wear that jersey and to honor and represent my mother in the best way."

During Players Weekend, Castro wore a jersey with "Villa Hermosa," which means "Beautiful Villa," on his back, which actually is the name of the neighborhood where he grew up.

As he preps over the winter for his third season as an Oriole, what is Castro focusing on the most?

"Right now the most important thing for me is continue to strengthen my knees. They don't bother me anymore, which is a real positive for me. Every day is better and better. I'm looking forward to being fully healthy, competing and helping my team in 2019," Castro said.

The next few days: It doesn't happen very often, but for the next several days there will not be a new blog entry in this space. Just taking a few days off to refresh, and will be back up and running soon. In the meantime, keep leaving comments on any and all O's topics here. See you soon!