Curtain Call: Casto Hopes to Make Most of Second Chance

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FIFTY-FOUR AT-BATS. Seven hits. A .130 batting average.

For the better part of a year, those numbers were rolling around inside Kory Casto's head.

When the time comes that he puts away his glove and spikes, would those be the sum of his major-league accomplishments?

In 16 games in last April, that's all Casto managed before being sent down to Triple-A. A well-rounded career in the minors -- in which he was twice named the Washington Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year -- doesn't mean a thing if you don't take advantage of the opportunities you're given. And Casto hadn't.

He went down and struggled in Columbus, too, batting just .246 with 11 home runs. He'd averaged .280 and 20 home runs over his previous two seasons.

"Last year, obviously, when I got sent down, I was trying to do more to get back and it just put me deeper in a hole," he said. "And it just kind of spiraled down from there."

He went from being one of the organization's top prospects to being an afterthought.

Casto is most comfortable at the corner infield positions and in the outfield. In the off-season, the club signed Aaron Boone to back up at the corner infield spots and traded for outfielders Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge. They signed Robb Mackowiak
as a reserve outfielder. Casto rarely came up in conversation.

"After last year, I think a lot of people had written me off," he said, "which is fine with me, but it kind of motivates you at the same time to get back."

Then first basemen Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young got hurt. And third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. And utility infielder Ronnie Belliard. And right fielder Austin Kearns. Left fielder Wily Mo Pena got healthy but still couldn't hit. Mackowiak was released.

And Casto, mentally rejuvenated and hitting .315 in Columbus was called up. This time he started fast, hitting .400 over his first five games. His hot hitting tailed off but on Sunday he broke an 0-for-14 slump with a pinch-hit, game-winning home run in Seattle. It was the first of his career. It might be his last, but Casto said that he's comfortable for the first time in the big leagues. And he's optimistic about where that might take him.

"It's a combination of mental and mechanics," he said. "You know when your mechanics feel good, mentally, there's a lot less pressure on you. ... You just kind of let things happen as they happen."

Written by Express contributor Derek Turner
Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post