BALTIMORE — The best team in the AL East houses the Accidental Cleanup Hitter who is leading the All-Star voting for second baseman.
Scroll through the Yankees’ roster, and Starlin Castro doesn’t fit the prototype fourth-place hitter, but Wednesday night’s game against the Orioles at Camden Yards was the second baseman’s 29th tilt hitting cleanup and the 19th straight time.
Aaron Judge, Matt Holliday and Gary Sanchez fit the bill more than Castro, whose first stab at hitting fourth was April 13, the day Greg Bird returned from a four-game absence and was dropped from third to sixth.
When Bird went on the disabled list in early May with a bruised right ankle, manager Joe Girardi used Castro fourth in six of eight games. Then starting on May 11, Castro became the full-time cleanup hitter. In 18 games since, Castro batted .264 (19-for-72) with a homer, seven RBIs, a .660 OPS and was 3-for-13 (.231) with runners in scoring position. Overall, Castro started Wednesday night’s game batting .322 (seventh in the AL) with seven homers and 28 RBIs.
With Bird starting a minor league rehab Thursday night for Single-A Tampa, he could be coming off the DL shortly. However, it’s unlikely the lefty swinger would reclaim the No. 3 spot after not seeing major league pitching since April 30. And remember, Bird never hit third after April 7. After missing the next four games due to the foot problem and a stomach virus, Bird started 12 of 14 games and hit sixth, seventh and eighth and then hit the DL.
Holliday has hit fourth in 614 big league games and did for four games when Bird was hitting third, so he provides Girardi with a cleanup option if he chooses. Sanchez and Judge, who led the majors with 17 homers and tied for fourth in the AL with 37 RBIs and was second among outfielders in the AL All-Star voting, have the power cleanup hitters are known for.
“I don’t pay attention to what spot I hit,’’ Castro said. “I just want to be in the lineup every day. I don’t try to put pressure on myself.’’
Girardi drew on the 27-year-old Castro’s past when making the decision.
“I like the way he was swinging the bat and I thought about last year and I thought he had some really big RBIs,” Girardi said. “He finds a way to make contact. I could have put Matt Holliday there, too.”
Girardi isn’t ready to commit to Castro hitting in the spot that has been manned by Lou Gehrig, Reggie Jackson, Joe DiMaggio, Dave Winfield and Alex Rodriguez.
“I am not saying that is what I will do the whole year, but I like that Castro had played in big games, he had hit all over the lineup in his career and he had been in the All-Star Game three times,’’ Girardi said. “I thought he could handle the expectations.’’
With some clubs believing the best hitter should bat second — that played into the Yankees’ decision to hit Sanchez second based on his scorching final two months to last season — Castro eventually could land there should Bird return, stay healthy and be productive.
Such a move could push Sanchez to third, fourth or fifth and dump Holliday or Judge into the cleanup spot.
Yet, for now Castro is Girardi’s cleanup hitter who adds balance, if not typical cleanup power, to a lineup that has enough muscle elsewhere.
