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Castro, Gregorius providing pop up the middle
- Updated: August 24, 2016
SEATTLE — When the Yankees traded for Didi Gregorius to replace Derek Jeter at shortstop and later signed Starlin Castro to play second base, they knew what they were getting: solid defense and the potential to supplement those gloves with occasional offense.
They definitely weren’t expecting the power surge they’ve seen of late.
Heading into Tuesday night’s game against the Mariners at Safeco Field, both players had 17 home runs and 56 RBIs. Both are career highs.
“I think it’s really nice,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “When you think about it, we might get 40 home runs from the middle of our infield this year. I think it’s very realistic. That’s really encouraging as we move forward. They’re both 26 years old; they’re still really young players. Castro, it seems like he’s been playing forever, but they’re still young players and that power is probably going to develop more.”
Castro’s previous high in home runs for a season, 14, came with the Cubs in 2012 and ’14.
“I think him maturing probably as a player is probably the best way to put it,” Girardi said of Castro. “He’s 26 now, he’s been around for a while, and I think hitters start to evolve and they get stronger as time goes on. It’s been nice to see.”
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