Upbeat Castro fits right in on first day with Nationals

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Some might be intimidated walking into a clubhouse full of returning veterans - veterans returning from a World Series title, for that matter - and trying to blend in as one of only a handful of new guys.

Starlin Castro walked into the Nationals clubhouse today for the first time, though, and looked and acted like he's been here all along.

"I've been in the league a while and I know a lot of guys," the 29-year-old infielder said. "It's a little bit scary when you come to a new place. It feels a little bit scary. But how I talk with everybody ... I feel like this is my house."

In their search to fortify an infield that lost Anthony Rendon, Brian Dozier and Matt Adams from their championship roster, the Nationals specifically targeted Castro this winter. He already has 10 seasons of big league experience before turning 30. He played for contenders with the Cubs and Yankees, the former of which had Davey Martinez as bench coach. He has averaged 147 games played per season. He is versatile enough to play second base, third base or shortstop. And he has an upbeat personality that should mesh well in the Nats clubhouse.

"Let's just put it this way: He'll fit right in with our group," Martinez said. "He's outgoing. He's funny. But ... I often say this: He works really hard at all aspects of his game."

The Nationals were particularly impressed with the adjustments Castro made to his swing late last season with the Marlins. Making a point to try to pull the ball at a higher launch angle, he wound up with 11 homers and a .993 OPS over his final 150 plate appearances.

With more assistance this spring from hitting coach Kevin Long, the Nats see Castro as someone who can hit 25 or more homers while maintaining a high batting average and playing a quality second base.

"He turned around in the second half of the season and decided by himself to say: 'I'm not going to hit anymore ground balls. I'm going to change my swing a little bit and try to get the ball in the air,'" Martinez said. "And he had a monster second half. Hopefully him and K-Long have talked about that, and he'll continue to do that."

Castro, who signed a two-year, $12 million deal in early January, believes there's plenty of room for more improvement.

"I'm one of the type of players that wants to be better at everything: better at defense, better at hitting, better at running bases, better at being healthy," he said. "That's what I do: try to come to spring training ready and just get prepared to be ready for the season."

Though Castro has played around the infield, the Nationals plan to have him primarily at second base this year. Club officials, including Martinez, believe that's his best defensive position.

Of course, much of that will depend on how quickly rookie Carter Kieboom masters third base and whether the organization's top prospect proves he's ready for that job come opening day.

In the meantime, Castro will prepare for multiple scenarios.

"If you want me to play at third, if you want me to play at second," he said. "I just expect to be there, to try to keep myself healthy and just play hard and do my best every day."