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Castro Expects To Make Every Play

DENVER (WSCR) -- When outfielder Kosuke Fukudome went down with an injury, 21-year old short stop Starlin Castro was put into the Chicago Cubs' leadoff spot.

In the three games in the one-hole, Castro has gone 8-15 with a RBI and two stolen bases.

"He's going to be one of those guys who loves the spotlight," outfielder Marlon Byrd said on the Mully and Hanley Show. "I know he's not going to be that young guy that needs to hit in the seven or eight hole. He wants to be in the middle of the lineup, he wants things to happen."

LISTEN: Marlon Byrd On The Mully And Hanley Show

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No one doubts the fact that Castro can flat out hit, it's his defensive struggles that fuel his critics. In his young MLB career Castro has shown that he'll force throws when they shouldn't be made. But that's likely just a result of the expectations he has for himself.

"If you watch him, and keep watching him, he does not like making outs, he does not like getting out," Byrd said. "He expects to be on base all the time, and expects to make every play in the field. And that's what I love about him."

On Friday, Castro and the Cubs start a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies. Fukudome is still listed as questionable, so Castro could remain the team's leadoff hitter for the near future.

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