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On April 10, 2021, Tim Locastro pounded an 87 mph cutter from Reds pitcher Carson Fulmer into the ground. Shortstop Eugenio Suarez fielded the ball and fired to first base. For most players, it would be a routine ground out.

Locastro legged out an infield single, barely beating Suarez’s throw. On the next pitch, he stole second base to break Hall of Famer Tim Raines’ previous record of 27 consecutive stolen bases to start a career. Locastro then advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a sacrifice fly from the ensuing batter. It was a prime example of what got Locastro to the big leagues — creating opportunities on the base paths.

“I was very fortunate to be able to break that record, but that goes back to the coaches I’ve had at every single step of my journey,” Locastro said.

Locastro grew up 25 miles outside of Syracuse in Auburn, New York. In the past seven Major League Baseball seasons, he has played in at least one game for four different organizations. Yet, despite never being a highly touted player, Locastro has set multiple MLB records, like getting hit by a pitch three times in one game in 2019.

A three-year starter at Auburn High School, Loctastro helped the Knights to a Class AA sectional championship in his senior season, knocking off No. 1 Liverpool.

With very few college offers, Locastro’s coach at Auburn, TJ Gamba, helped him garner interest from Gamba’s alma mater of Ithaca College.

“I was impressed with two things: one was his enthusiasm and attitude, and two was his speed,” said George Valesente, former Ithaca baseball head coach. “Other than that, everything was ordinary.”

Locastro’s decision came down to two Division-III programs: Ithaca and SUNY Oswego. When his mother, Colleen, convinced him to visit Ithaca, he loved it and committed.

Locastro arrived on campus weighing 165 pounds. But even so, he impressed the coaching staff and won the starting shortstop job.

As a freshman, Locastro was an honorable mention for the Empire 8 All-Star Team, and as a sophomore, he earned First-Team Empire 8, Second-Team D3baseball.com New York All-Region and Second-Team ABCA New York All-Region accolades.

Arlo Stone | Design Editor

In the offseason after his sophomore year, Locastro dedicated himself to the base paths and the weight room. He recalls only stealing seven bases while getting caught five times his sophomore season. Before his junior season, Ithaca’s coaching staff taught Locastro proper technique to get the most out of his speed. He also improved his frame, bulking up to 185 pounds.

As a junior, Locastro set a program record by stealing 40 bases, and was only caught once. Locastro’s offseason work also paid dividends at the plate, as he hit .443 with a career high 23 extra base hits.

Locastro helped Ithaca win a school-record 41 games and finish third at the D-III Championship. He earned All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association as well as D3baseball.com, and was named the Empire 8 Player of the Year.

Soon after, he caught the attention of pro scouts and entered his name in the 2013 MLB draft. Locastro listened to every pick of the first 10 rounds of the draft on the radio in his parents’ basement.

At the beginning of the 13th round, when Locastro was getting ready to head over to a friend’s house, he remembers his father, Tim Sr., shouting “Yes, yes! You just got drafted!”

With the 385th pick, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Locastro, who spent two years in their minor league system before getting traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline in 2015.

Arlo Stone | Design Editor

Locastro worked his way up the Dodgers’ farm system, reaching Triple-A in 2017. After slashing .388/.443/.544 with 12 stolen bases in 31 games, the Dodgers brought Locastro to the big leagues a week before the end of the season, wanting to evaluate him as a potential pinch runner for the postseason.

Locastro made his Major League debut on Sept. 29, 2017. The next day, he stole his first major league bag but wasn’t added to the Dodgers postseason roster. In 2019, Locastro received extended playing time at the major league level with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Locastro is a valuable offensive player because of his ability to get on base in multiple different ways. Once, when Locastro told Valesente about coaches hounding him about low exit velocities and poor launch angles, Valesente reminded Locastro that his game was to “get on base and cause problems.”

And that’s exactly what Locastro has done throughout his career. At Ithaca, he set a school record for getting hit by 29 pitches in his junior season — across 646 minor league games, he’s been hit 174 times.

In just 557 MLB plate appearances — about equal to what the average everyday player gets in the regular season — Locastro has been hit 40 times. Since 1871, there have been just two players in MLB history to get hit by a pitch 40 or more times in one season.

On May 24, 2019, Locastro tied an MLB record for getting hit by a pitch three times in one game. The day before, he was also hit three times in one game playing in Triple-A.

Among players with at least 550 plate appearances since 2017, Locastro leads all players with a 20% infield hit. Despite a below average .225 career batting average and 5.9 BB%, Locastro has an above average .326 on base percentage due to his speed and getting hit.

“If you can get on base, you got to get on base,” Locastro said. “The game is hard enough. These pitchers are so good now, you got to do whatever you can to get on.”

At the trade deadline in 2021, the Diamondbacks traded Locastro to the Yankees, and he spent 2021-22 going back-and-forth between MLB and Triple-A.

While in the minor leagues, Locastro got first-hand experience with the new rules that Major League Baseball is adapting for 2023 and beyond.

“I absolutely love (the new rules),” Locastro said. “I think all speed guys love it. The bases are closer not only for stealing bases, but on infield hits and rounding bags. The disengagement rule helps base runners tremendously, especially when (pitchers) throw over twice. It’s like a free-for-all.”

With the new MLB rule changes that have brought bigger bases, new pickoff rules and a pitch clock, base stealing ability is more important than it has ever been. That’s one reason Locastro made the New York Mets’ Opening Day roster despite signing a minor league contract in the offseason.

“He has totally earned every bit of (success) with hard work, dedication, mental toughness and stick-to-it-iveness,” Valesente said. “Naturally, some guys are naturally gifted. They can hit harder, run faster or throw harder than others. In this case, he can run faster. He’s a grinder.”

Published on April 12, 2023 at 11:51 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon