HOUSTON — Starlin Castro can make the athletic plays. He has a strong arm. He can track wind-blown popups that wander out to shallow left.
He can make the heads-up play, which he did in the first inning on Sunday. The Cardinals' Ryan Ludwick was at third with one out and Castro threw him out at home in a 2-6-2 rundown.
And there are times when the Cubs' starting shortstop looks like a 20-year-old rookie.
On Monday, Houston's Angel Sanchez singled with two outs in the seventh. Lance Berkman hit the ball to first baseman Derrek Lee, who turned to throw to second. But Castro wasn't covering, so Lee turned and threw to pitcher Justin Berg at first but too late. Everyone was safe. Hunter Pence followed with an RBI single. It's all part of Castro's growing pains.
"[Infield coach Alan Trammell] is earning his money," manager Lou Piniella said.
When the comments are relayed to Trammell, he laughs. It's not the first time he's heard that.
Trammell and first-base coach Ivan DeJesus are giving Castro a crash course on being a Major League shortstop. The hardest part is trying not to overload the Kid.
"There have been a lot of things that are a small part of being a Major League shortstop, which to me is a very demanding job — demanding in a good way," said Trammell, a four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop with the Detroit Tigers.
If Castro makes a mistake on the field, either Trammell or DeJesus — or both — meet him in the dugout to go over the play. They watch a lot of video, and not just of Castro.
The latest lessons came in Houston. Trammell wants Castro to move in the same direction the ball goes. So, if the ball is hit to right field, he should move that way. If it's hit toward third, he should go behind Aramis Ramirez in case the ball is deflected.
"I showed him a highlight the other day of Brendan Ryan and a play in the 10th inning," Trammell said of Sunday's game against the Cardinals. "[Tyler] Colvin stole second and the ball got away, and [Ryan] tracked it down over past second base on the grass and ended up throwing behind and almost getting [Colvin]."
Instead of Colvin advancing on what might have been an errant throw by Yadier Molina, Ryan's heads-up play forced Colvin to stay put. The Cubs did not score in the 10th, and St. Louis eventually won, 4-3, in 11 innings.
"That's an example of what I'm taking about, about always being in the area," Trammell said.
Castro seems to have no problems at the plate. In his Major League debut on May 6 in Cincinnati, he hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat and totaled a Major League rookie record six RBIs in the game. This month, he's batting .382. Since July 10, he's hitting .452 (28-for-62) with eight doubles, a triple, a home run, nine RBIs and 10 multihit games. Part of his success stems from being moved to second in the order. Part of it is that his family has joined him in Chicago from the Dominican Republic.
What's impressed Colvin about his fellow rookie?
"His ability to adjust so quick," Colvin said. "He's hitting every ball hard that he puts in play. That's what I'm used to seeing from last year."
Last year, the two were together at Double-A Tennessee. The shortstop joined the Smokies late in the season for the stretch run and the Southern League playoffs. Now, he's traveling on charter flights and being tutored by some of baseball's best instructors.
Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo stresses being prepared. Trammell is trying to develop a similar defensive plan.
Let's say nothing is being hit in your direction. In baseball, Trammell says, you have to be ready on every pitch. One way to keep the attention span high is to be moving on every hit, every play.
"It's kind of a game within the game, a trick to keep yourself at a higher level," Trammell said. "Everybody should be doing that but to me, as a shortstop, it's so important to be ready at all times. So, I've tried to instill that in him is you're always … going to the area wherever the ball is at, you're moving in that direction."
Which means, the next time a play happens like in the Houston game, Castro should be at second. Lee may not chose to throw there, but Castro has to be ready.
There's been major progress from Spring Training. In the beginning, Trammell worried about Castro's throwing, but lessons on his footwork have improved that.
"He's been very confident from Day 1, and offensively, he's been great," Trammell said. "But Ivan and I have both told him, 'You're a shortstop first.' There are these little plays that come up that are important.
"The Kid has done well," Trammell said. "There's a learning curve — we're not out of the woods yet. The Kid is a joy to work with. He doesn't shy away from anything. He looks you right in the eye when you talk to him. He understands. But there's a lot at this level."
Someday, Trammell said, Castro will win a Gold Glove.
"There's no question the capability is there," Trammell said. "But there's still work to be done."
And the bonus is seeing it pay off on the field.