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Luis Castillo sat out last night’s game with a sore right knee.
He told reporters prior to the game that, although his knee is a bit swollen, he does not think he’ll need to go to the disabled list.
The thing is, as John Delcos writes at his blog for the Journal News, “It seems that every time a Met says he doesn’t worry about the DL, we don’t see him for two weeks.”
…exactly, it’s getting to the point that, until i see them back in the lineup, i assume the worst…i just can’t help it…
Damion Easley took Castillo’s spot in the field, while Angel Pagan took his spot in the batting order.
Damion Easley took Castillo’s spot in the field, while Angel Pagan took his spot in the batting order….
…and the mets won a game.
…amen, brother!
Castillo’s signing was the one decision of Omar’s that I have the biggest problem with. He is a player who relies on speed who is rapidly aging with two bad knees. Although I still am not a big fan of the Milledge trade, you have to like the way Schneider looks behind the plate.
I think Easley is a pro and Pagan’s got some pop (which we need near the top of the lineup). . Keep ‘em in there.
I agree, pagan in the 2 spot is fantastic. i’d take his bat over castillo’s anyday!
Call me Tony LaRussa, but what about hitting the pitcher 8th, and Castillo 9th to give somebody at the bottom of the order a chance to get on base for Reyes…who should be knocking in runs as well. I have never agreed with this strategy when other teams have used it, but it is starting to make some sense to me.
technically it works, but I wouldnt risk a 3.9 year rift between Castillo and the organization. He seems like a good guy, but batting a veteran 9th might be asking for trouble.
Schneider calls one good game… the book is still out on that trade Lmillz will be an all-star
why didn’t we just sign eckstein, this is just ridiculous
didn’t Eckstein want to play SS, and that’s what he’s doing now for the Blue Jays?
Ruben Gotay is a poor defensive second baseman.
VIVA OMAR!
get over it already. i’ll castillo and his balky knees over gotay anyday.
i was not being facetious. I agree with you and LOVE what Minaya has done in his tenure here with the NY Mets. A healthy Castillo is the perfect fit on offense and defense.
Look at the defensive statistics. Castillo was 6 runs below average in 50 games for the Mets last year, according to Baseball Prospectus. Should we really stick with him on the off chance that his slap hitting will find holes?
You don’t think that was getting used to Shea with real grass, and Reyes. Or the fact that was a small sample size? The guy can field, stop looking for ways to prove he can’t.
YEAR TEAM Runs Above Average
1996 FLA-N 2
1997 FLA-N 1
1998 FLA-N -6
1999 FLA-N -19
2000 FLA-N -14
2001 FLA-N -8
2002 FLA-N -11
2003 FLA-N -12
2004 FLA-N 10
2005 FLA-N 3
2006 MIN-A -16
2007 MIN-A -9
2007 NY_-N -6
No, I don’t think he was getting used to Reyes, or grass, or a small sample size. Do those look like the numbers of a particularly good fielder to you? -15 runs last year, -16 the year before. Do you think he’s going to improve on that? Is 2 years a big enough sample size?
I’ll give him a bit of a pass on the minnesota fielding #’s but those Florida numbers arent any better. Yikes, I didnt realize he was that bad defensively.
great game by Pagan…if that’s who he is (a guy who gets on base with occasional pop), terrific. Aside from getting beat by that liner in ATL, he’s done everything right so far.
anyone else think that Pagan should stay in the 2-hole? even when castillo comes back?
Couldn’t agree more. Luis should be the 8 hitter, move Schneider up, leave Pagan at #2. Luis hits .300 or near again, you clear the pitcher’s spot more frequently.
Leave Pagan in even when Alou comes back.
exactly what i was thinking…if you can clear that pitchers spot more often with luis doing his slaptastic hitting and OBP…turn it over to Reyes to start the inning more often…Pagan with speed and some pop…puts the ball in play…i think it would work out quite nicely
very, very small amount of evidence we have so far (Mets-wise). honestly, I’m good giving it a try for a while. Castillo gets on base, and that’s what I mostly care about in that spot. Also it’s nice haveing a switchie in the bottom of the order.
Pagan is a switch hitter.
Castillo’s a switchie too, so I see the confusion…I was unclear…what I’m saying: I like having a switchie with pop at the bottom, and a guy who gets on base at the top. we know castillo can get on base, and we know (or at least can reasonably predict, based on way less evidence) Pagan to have more pop. While Pagan has looked really good, and is young, I want to see him get on base at an above average rate consistently for a couple hundred PA’s before I’d hand him the 2-spot for good. That’s what I meant.
absolutely! pagan was a GREAT pickup, love this guy so far!
indeed, so long as he stays hot.
long term with Alou, Castillo will have to bat #2 unless they want someone like Church up there regurally.
I hate Castillo’s Punch and Judy hitting too but he does give you something that the others dont. A guy thats willing to take pitches to give Reyes the chance to steal a base, and the bat control and willingness to move him up another base. Examples: Monday night, down one run, after Chavez hit into the doubleplay, Reyes got on base, and Easley, in place of Castillo, swings and flys out to left on the first pitch. Gave Reyes no chance to steal second to get in scoring position. I know he got a pitch to drive, but other than Delgado’s shot, it was seen that the ball wasn’t traveling that day, so just a basehit was all he should have been looking for. After Reyes stole of course. Last night, Reyes leads off the first with a walk. Pagan comes up and hits the second pitch back to the pitcher, getting a break that the pitcher couldn’t field it cleanly or missed it outright, otherwise it was a doubleplay. For all of Castillo’s faults, he does do what a number two hitter is suppose to do.
My mistake, Pagan swung at the first pitch and grounded back to the pitcher.
Without Alou, I like the lineup better the way it was last night. Easley might not be as good defensively, but he provides some much needed pop in the bottom half of the order, and Pagan is perfect for the 2 hole.
I like Pagan a LOT.
So do I. In fact, I’m on the verge of saying that he is the real deal and not just on some sort of hot streak. I love his passion, enthusiasm and his hustle. The guy plays 110% at all times and I love that. He is growing on me. I love how he beat out that infield grounder to Utley and he Utley looked dumbfounded. I love him in the two hole as well.
He brings a lot of good qualities to the 2 hole. He makes contact, works the count well, he has speed, and he has some pop in the bat.
I’m not going to totally jump on and say “this guys an all star” … but I really like what he brings to the table.
They told a story during one of the games how his father died recently, and he’s been playing extra hard for his dad. I hope he keeps it up.
I honestly hope he stays in the 6 spot. Gets a chance to drive in runs and set the table for Church and Schnieder.
What about Endy Chavez? He does all those things and is a stud on defense to boot. Endy doesn’t switch hit, but he’s hit lefties better than righties the last two years.
Not that I don’t like Pagan, but they seem very similar to me, and I feel bad for Endy having to ride so much pine.
I think Pagan looked great in the 2-hole. He took pitches, worked counts, showed he could hit with two strikes… AND he can get the ball out of the infield! It’s not that I’m pining for Gotay… I’m pining for NOT Castillo.
Is Pagan a career .300 hitter with a .370 OBP? I like Pagan but the fact he can hit it out of the infield does not matter to me. In fact I would much rather have Pagan in a spot for RBI’s.
Castillo has not fallen of the face of the earth, he’s not even that old. He is not on the decline that you can prove. Look at his numbers last year, and he should be more healthy this season.
Castillo is the perfect at bat to help clear the pitcher. I think at this point that’s where he’s best utilized.
Why would Schnieder not be the perfect bat to clear the pitcher. His OBP is usually so much higher than his BA. He takes a lot of pitches as well.
Either one of them are good there. I think when comparing Castillo to the 2 spot and the 8 spot … he’s better suited for 8th. I know you like him at 2, we’ll just have to see how it all plays out. Especially when Alou gets back.
Compare Schneider in the 8 spot to Schneider anywhere else in the order, and I think you have to conclude that he needs to be there. We don’t want him clogging up the bases, Castillo should be able to run this year (Beltran’s roaming the outfield OK after the same surgery)
Castillo has had a nice career mainly because of his speed and his glove. Now he is aging and has bad knees. I don’t get it…are you still quoting Mo Vaughn’s stats with the Red Sox?
Luis was a fine, fine pickup at the deadline last year and I would have liked to have him around this year. Not the next four years.
I can agree with the next 4 years part, however, for this year I think he will be just what he is supposed to be. And yes, Luis could just fall off the map like Mo did but there are no signs to show that. Look at last year’s numbers.
OK, therealsince86, I will look at last year’s numbers. While with Minnesota, Castillo had an EqA of .268, slightly improving to .280 while with the Mets. His 50% PECOTA projections have him at .283/.353/.685. That’s just not good enough for a #2 hitter.
Given his balky knees, the fact that many of his hits are infield hits/bunt hits AND the fact that he is only good in the #2 hole IF Reyes gets on in front of him… this guy should be hitting 8th if he plays at all. He is on the downside of his career, and I feel his decline may come in the form of a fall-off-the-cliff.
While yesterday was a small sample size, Pagan has been showing many of these qualities while in the 6 hole as well. It will be interesting to see what happens when Alou comes back because Pagan is playing his way into an every-day role.
I love projections that all of a sudden fall of the map. He hit better than that last season while injured. Why would he not do the same this season? You have absolutely no proof that he is in decline.
Anyone else think Castillo will be rounding the bases on a Vespa by year 3 of his 4-year deal?
One of Omar’s biggest slip-ups
were about to play game 8 of the 4 year deal, give it some time
The point is, we’re about to play game 8 of the 4-year deal, and the bad knees we were concerned about in the winter already have him out of the lineup. To me, that doesn’t look good for his knees in 2011.
Easley is better than Gotay. How are the Braves doing recently? on the verge of getting swept by the Rockies?
How can anyone think that Gotay was a short/medium term replacement for Catillo (if he needed more time to recover from his off-season surgery).
Easley is supposed to be our RH pop off the bench and general infield guy. If Castillo wasn’t ready to go we clearly would have kept Gotay and platooned him with Easley.
I don’t think so. I think if the Mets ever got that desperate Minaya would have acquired someone or brought up Argenis Reyes. I think Argenis just beat out Gotay in Spring Training.
Argenis Reyes is looking promising in AAA:
7-20 (.350) with 6 walks, 4 Ks, 3 SB, 0 CS and 0 errors.
Someone to keep an eye on.
Can Castillo hit the ball 200 feet?
No. Definitely not. Not even close.
easley will be fine at second and at least he can hit the ball past the infield. Pagan will be great batting second if Reyes wakes up. Maybe he should start dancing again
Thanks Matt, I am sure all the Omar bashers were waiting for something to do :)
It was a bad signing only because of the years. Either way he would be our 2B this season.
Hey, I have an idea.
Let’s give a 32 year old 2nd basemen with bad wheels a 4-year contract.
I still have not been offered a legitimate reason behind this signing.
Castillo has always utilized his speed to compensate his lack of power. He hits singles, steals bases, and scores runs. Now that he cannot run, Omar offers 4 years.
How come nobody is screaming about this contract? How come Eckstein signed a 1 year deal? Who else would have offered 4 years? Hmmmm
Do you know how many IF hits Castillo had last season? Do you know how many steals he had?
Not bad for a guy with “bad wheels”.
Yeah, Castillo had a “whopping” 19 steals last year. Wow. I would hope if you are strictly a singles hitter that you could at least steal 25.
Did you realize he had 25 extra base hits last year?
Please, if you are going to counter my argument get informed.
How many of those steals were with the Mets? Based on his stats with the Mets he would have had 32 steals last season. As far as the extra base hits, that is not his game. Who cares. Ryan Howard can’t hit for average or steal bases or play defense but he still has value.
The years were too many, I agree. However, either way we would have him this season and next so enjoy having a good defensive 2nd baseman who knows how to play the game.
Saying Ryan Howard still has value despite his defense and speed is like saying John Maine still has value despite his lack of plate discipline.
There’s a very good reason why I’m inclined to happily gloss over Howard’s flaws and not Castillo’s: Ryan Howard is awesome at hitting a baseball very, very far.
And Castillo is “awesome” at being a relativily inexpensive role player that plays good defense, knows how to get on base and move runners over. You can’t have a team full of superstars.
Are you Jay Horwitz?
If not, please tell me,as a fan, ten things you dislike about the team, the GM, the manager, etc. because, frankly, you sound a lot like a PR guy.
;-)
1) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
2) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
3) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
4)It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
5) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
6) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
7) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
8) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
9) It’s fairweather fans that critizize every move like it is life or death.
10) The fact that Greg Jefferies did not turn into a star. I have 100+ baseball cards of his.
Just admit it was a terrible signing.
You wanted #’s that proved he was not in his prime, I gave you #’s. Then you said he was not in his prime after the fact.
SO what is it? Is he not in his prime or is he? Stick to your guns and stop losing credibility. Thanks for playing.
Again, I guess we would like to have it both ways. Are his best years behind him probably. Is he in utter decline no. Will he still hit .300 and have an OBP of .370 and steal 25 bases likely.
apparently the Astros offered Castillo 3 years, so the Mets gave him 4, big deal, get over it, not the best signing, but is this really going to hurt the team THAT much long term?
Omar made a great decision in not overpaying for Barry Zito a year ago, when another team offered him an absurd contract.
He should have treated Castillo the same way, after hearing the Astros made him a 3 year offer.
The difference is that Zito was 125 million and Castillo was 24 million. You can afford to make a 12 million dollar mistake as I will assume he will be fine for at least 2 years. You can’t make a 100 million mistake.
There is no difference in terms of principle. As a GM you should be consistent with your principle. Saying the team can afford a 12 million dollar mistake because they have a high payroll is just an excuse, because the more 12 million dollar mistakes you make, the quicker it adds up to a 100 million dollar mistake.
There is a huge difference. A pitcher for 7 years at 4 times more money is much different than a 2B for 4 years at very little money.
If that were the case then why take risk on guys like Pagan, Wise, Valentin, Endy they still cost money what if they don’t work out?
I respect your opinion but I don’t see how you can compare Castillo’s contract to Zito’s.
Besides you can’t even make enough 12 million dollar mistakes to make up for the 100 it’s impossible. You would have to sign 8 12 million dollar mistakes and still have room for a 4 million dollar mistake like Show :)
LOL … it is possible though. If a GM makes 2 Castillo type moves a year over 4 years … that is about 100 million dollars. It doesn’t happen all at once, it’s all about track record over a long period.
Or you can just do it all in one shot like the Giants did with Zito. Either way … same result … wasted money and long term roster problems.
and has Omar shown the propensity to sign players to long term deals like that? No, other players he’s signed who have issues, like Alou, have been on short team deals. Delagdo would be the only other comparble player, but we got him in a trade, and his first year he was very good for us, and everyone applauded that one.
Showenewies … don’t forget Showeneweis. I didn’t say he had a propensity … I said it will be judged over a long period of time. Omar has made some mistakes and made some really great moves. In a few more years it can be evaluated.
The question in hand though, is Castillo. I think we all agree it was a bad signing, right?
*A bad signing in terms of the length of the contract, not to be misunderstood.
Point is that you don’t have enough room on your roster to make that many 6 million dollar mistakes to make up for 1 Zito contract.
Lets say that Elduque, Alou, Castillo contracts are all bad. That adds up to 12, 24, 11. You still need to make at least 3 more of those mistakes during those years. IT’s just not possible, unless we get rid of Reyes and Wright and sign ARod and ARod.
It is possible if you start doing salary dumps in trades … or if guys you sign to big dollars and long contracts have injury history and end up not playing after 1 or 2 years.
I didn’t say Omar did this … or would do this … just stating that it is entirely possible.
I will try to explain this as easy as I can.
I like Luis Castillo as a balplayer. Always have.
Unfortunately, age has depleted him of his greatest asset-SPEED.
On top of that he had surgery in the off-season. This is something Omar knew about.
I DO NOT CARE if the Astros offered 3 years. You do not give Castillo at 32 years old a 4 year deal. You give him a cane.
As far as your comment “is this really going to hurt the team THAT much long term”; with an attitude like that, how do you expect to win championships? mind-boggling.
This was a terrible, terrible signing. End of story.
what do you mean by that? how do I expect to win championships? what are you talking about? Do you think every signing has to be perfect? Do you expect that? Do you truly see in 3 -4 years this team looking back being like, man, if only we didn’t sign Castillo to a 4 year deal, we’d be world champs? we’d be a good team? I just highly doubt that this signing is going to have THAT much of an impact. He’s a solid vet, if he falls apart, you move on. He’s here for this year and next mostly, Omar oversigned to get him here. You’re making judgements based on the first 7 games. I expect him to have his usual year this year. Do I expect that in 4 years? No, I think by then there will be other solutions, and this contract won’t be such a burden as some are making it out to be, like the guy comparing it to Zito’s contract, thats laughable. $125 mill vs. $25 mill? $100 mil doesn’t make a difference? I wish…
What do I mean by that???? Are you serious???
Look, please try to read this slowly if need be.
You DO NOT SIGN A SINGLES HITTER PAST HIS PRIME FOR 4 YEARS. END OF STORY.
Can you understand that? Is that possible?
You realize we are talking about a starter.
These guys play everyday and usually bat 4-5 times a game. Got that?
Explain with the best of your ability how a guy with no wheels, no power and diminishing range as middle infielder was the BEST case scenario for the Mets.
I am not comparing the signing to Zito- never have. Please stick to the facts. Thank you.
are you that dense? Sorry, but I clearly stated that the Zito thing was about another poster, read my post, I referened another guy who posted about that, not you, reading comprehension. As for me not understanding what you wrote, again, read my post, it was about what you said about being a championship caliber team. I understand what you’re saying about Castillo, I just don’t agree. Got it now? Furthermore, if Castillo sucks in 3-4 years, I highly doubt he’s going to be run out there if he’s hitting .220 and can’t run. What makes you think he would be?
Obviously we need reading lessons for darkstar.
My Zito comment was in regards to you changing the subject. I do not need any Zito references to prove my point. Got it. No Zito.
This was just a terrible signing period.
Stop wavering with the whole, “if he’s hitting .220 and can’t run, he will not play. What does that mean???
The signing was terrible- period. That’s the point!!
C’mon big boy, you are getting closer to admitting it.
If you think making Castillo signings HELPS you win a championship, then you need to get informed ASAP!
just stop it already, I was referencing Zito and the other guy’s post because you were making it out like the Castillo contract was going to be a big burden, which I disagree with. Now, do I think Castillo will be the same player in 4 years? No, so in that sense, yeah, no need to sign him to that long of a deal. But my point is that if he sucks then, he won’t be playing. The deal was all about getting him here for the first 2 years of the deal, when he’ll still be productive. If you want to judge him on these first 7 games go for it, but I still believe he’ll be a good player for us these next 2 years. The years after that? Not so much, but like I said, I don’t see that as a huge burden. Castillo is a good player and has won a championship before. Is he that same player? No, but he’s still quite capable. Judge all you want on 7 games, but i’m letting the season play out. And now, i’m done with you.
From the begining I have said it was too many years. However, if it were for 2 or 3 years he would still be here this year.
Also, you have no stats to prove that he is past his prime or is slowing down.
No stats to prove he is past his prime???
You are beautiful, so hear it goes. Please read slowly
from 1999-2002 (4 years)- Luis Castillo stole 193 Bases.
From 2003-2007(5 years)- He stole 96 bases.
But he is a power hitter, right?
therealsince86- keep it real and thanks for playing!
Darkstar,
so you are admitting 4 years was wrong?
Thank you, I knew your would come around and admit it
the mets will be paying bobby bonilla until 2036. i think they can handle $6m or so for castillo at the end of the deal. he’d actually be a decent bench player since he bunts well.
not that it was a good contract, but it doesn hurt the mets long-term. the wilpons have tons of cash coming in…it’s actually refreshing when they’re less careful with money
While keeping it real, he would have had 32 steals based on his numbers with the Mets last season. While not as good as his “prime” numbers he is no slouch if he is still hitting .300 and getting a .370ish OBP while playing good defense and moving the runner over I have no problem with him being our 2nd baseman. When he is no longer doing that for an extended period of time then get rid of him.
No you could have went with Gotay and had horrible defense and no idea if he could continue to hit and then kept the extra money. That would have won us a championship too right?
i never said that he would be a productive player in 4 years, never, however, I have not wavered on my point that I do not think that matters as much as you’re making it out to be. There’s a difference between saying, ok its a bad deal because he won’t be good in 3 to 4 years, and saying, we signed him for 4 years, but all we really want is 2 good years and we’ll see about year 3 and 4, but we had to do it to make sure he would sign with us. Is he in his prime? No, but he’s still a good player. Year 3 and 4 of this deal are not that crucial. Either way, if we signed him for 1 or 2 years, he’s still on this team this year.
Lets see,
sign a guy for 4 years even though we think he will only be valuable for 2? right?
Boy, this Castillo must be a really big deal if we are just going to throw 12 million dollars away.
If money is no big deal, why didn’t we just throw him 50 million, how about 100 million?
Look, get informed. You need to look at the market value and realize we offered a ridiculous contract for Castillo. If you cannot understand this point, I cannot help you.
So what, Omar over paid by a year. Castillo had a 3 year offer on the table. Omar went less money and more years. It’s not that big of a deal.
thank you the real, i seriously do not see how this is such a huge deal at this point in time.
Jerry, has the fact that you’re the only one arguing your point, and several other people are saying different, show anything to you? I didnt think it would. He’s a good player with playoff and World Series experience. We needed a better defensive secondbaseman than what we had. We needed somebody better in the number two hole that would give Reyes a chance to steal and could get on base himself. Yeah he hasn’t stolen to many bases lately but maybe thats cause Minny didnt allow him to run that often or maybe his knees were hurting from playing on the turf all that time so he didnt try to run that often. The fact that he hasn’t been stealing bases seems to be your only reason of proof that he’s in decline. As everyone said, 4 years was too many but that doesnt mean he will be playing all 4 of those years. Since Houston was offering 3 we had to offer 4 for all that I said above and for one other big factor that hasn’t been mentioned. We signed him because of his close friendship with the big guy, Johan. Dont think that wasn’t part of the thinking on Omar’s part. It made Johan even more willing to be traded to and signed by us, with a close friend already here to ease the transition.
Hey Mudville, get a clue and mind your business.
Thx for jumping in after 4 hours. Way to go guy.
It was a Terrible Signing period. No way around it.
No legs, No power, average defense. Are you really a Philly fan in disguise????
Explain to me , why we need to give 4 years to a guy WAY past his prime? thx for playing
little jerry
using you’re timetable, castillo’s defense is getting better:
from 1999-2002 (4 years)- Luis Castillo 52 errors
from 2003-2007(5 years)- He had 44 errors in an extra year
last year he was the 2nd best defensive 2b (2nd fewest errors; 3rd best %)
Duh…….Zen-no-master,
uhh, do I have to explain defense to you as well???
I want you look up the word RANGE as it pertains to Baseball defense. Please, please, get a clue, and before you write please take a moment to think. Thank you…
(Unbelievable……)
Castillo is serviceable this year, but really should have not been offered that contract.
I agree Jerry, a ridiculous signing. The fact Omar knew he was having surgery just makes all the more unexplainable.
Why pay a speed guy when he has no wheels????
little jerry seinfeld
range is one aspect of playing 2b. castillo makes the routine plays almost everytime unlike most 2b’s including the mets other options. he’s great at turning the double-play. he holds runners well and has great overall instincts around the bag.
his range is down. he’s still much better overall than most 2b’s.
willie loves his defense and was a 6-time all-star at the position. you were a rooster in a tv show
What fact do you have that he has no wheels. He had 10 SB in 50 games as a Met while needing surgery on his legs.
He overpaid in years but offered less money. Again, not a big deal. Mark Ellis will be a FA next year and wants 12 a year. Do you really think he is twice as valuable as Castillo?
Just read it Jerry. I have other things to do and its obvious your so concerned about it you keep coming back and rereading. Well guess what? Your still wrong, and its obvious from your reply. Your the only one saying it. Everybody in the world is an idiot or a Philly fan because no one else sees it your way. You seemed to be all alone on this one big guy, but I guess smart retorts are your only way to make yourself feel good. As for explanations, how many do you need? Everybody who’s responded to you gave great explanations, you just dont want to hear it. So you know what, your by yourself on this one so I’ll let you play by yourself as well.
jerry, it’s a friggin blog where people post, not your personal chat line. Anything you put up here is anyone’s business who cares to make it so. If that bothers you, don’t post.
And since I’m here, arguing that Castillo’s most valuable offensive asset is his ability to steal bases is absurd. He gets on base at the top of the order, allowing the sluggers behind him the opportunity to drive in runs. He’s been great getting on base his whole career, and fits very well into this lineup.
he did manage to limp home for 91 runs last year. good for 8th among the 30 2b’s.
The Castillo signing also might have to do also with that trade the mets worked out…you know the one involving that lefty thats on the Mets home page….what’s his name….. oh yea Johan Santana.
Since when do .300 hitters with .370 obp that play 2b grow on trees?
In 2007, Castillo was 10th in the MLB in OBP for 2b, 6th in SB, 7th in average.
Besides slugging percentage, how is he not a top 10 2b in the major leagues. It is 2b. I apologize that our team couldn’t go out and sign Chase Utley or trade Fernano Martinez for Orlando Hudson. Sheesh. Not to mention Castillo is no slouch on defense. Even with the shotty knees he is among the best in league at turning the double play.
The problem with Castillo batting 2nd is that he simply isn’t an RBI guy and with Reyes ahead of him you need someone who can drive in runs.
LaRussa that the Cards score more runs when the pitcher hits 8th in the lineup. I’d suggest that the Mets put Pagan in the 2 hole, the pitcher 8th, and Castillo 9th. Unorthodox, yes. Creative, yes (which is why Willie wouldn’t dream of it.) However, I think it would be effective.
You don’t need someone who can drive in runs when Reyes is ahead of you. Reyes should take care of that.
Reyes, singles, steals 2nd, Castillo moves him over, Wright drives him in. Sounds good to me.
Besides it’s nice to have an RBI man in the 7 spot, there always seems to be chances there where not so much from the 2 spot.
Again, according to LaRussa’s data, his team scores more runs when he has a hitter batting ninth.
>> Reyes should take care of that.
Reyes, singles, steals 2nd, Castillo moves him over, Wright drives him in. Sounds good to me.
Sounds like an oversimplification to me. First of all, the scenario doesn’t work with two out. Secondly, Reyes may not be the runner on base. I think that there is a definite advantage to having a hitter in the 2 hole with some extra base power. I seem to remember Fonzie driving in a lot of runs when he batted second. There’s also this guy named Jeter who’s done well for the hated Yankees batting second.
While I can agree in theory, you can’t convince me that we need an RBI man in the 2 hole more than we need one in the 6th hole.
the only reason castillo had so many infield hits lately is because he was playin in minnesota, with the turf it was so much easier to find holes, now hes playin completely on grass, you’ll see this year i dont know if he will hit .260
Thats why theres a problem, pagan should be the 2nd hitter, but when alou comes back castillo is our 2nd hitter and were screwed.
Ok, so I am assuming you looked at his home and away splits last year and his average while with the Mets last season. You would not have just put up blind biases?
therealsince86, Castillo had 52 infield hits last year and 113 to the outfield. the outfield hits don’t include dribblers that find a hole. Regardless of home/away split, about 1/3 of his hits are of the infield variety. With bum knees, that is much much much more likely to decline.
From baseballreference.com.
He had bum knees last year and still did it. No reason to think he wont continue.
How much astro turf is there in Florida where Castillo played for years and batted over .300 almost every year? He played in Twinkie ville for a year and half.
sure.
and then he got old.
And still hit for the same numbers.
I hate to tout a Mike Francessa idea, but he suggested Church in the 2 hole the other day and I find it intriguing. Church seems to like fastballs, and with Reyes (hopefully) on base in front of him and Wright on deck, I think Church would get a lot of fastballs. Some 1st inning RBI doubles would be sweet. Now for Reyes to get on base…
When Alou comes back IF Castillo is still struggling I would love to see Church in the 2 hole.
Of course, this all assumes Jose, Jose, Jose actually gets on base.
Who’s Alou?
See, with the leadoff hitter on, you need a number two hitter thats willing to take pitches for the guy to steal. Thats willing to protect the runner when he’s stealing. To give himself up by bunting or hitting the ball to the right side to move the runner over to third when neccessary. A guy that can get on base at a good clip. The two hole is not an RBI hole. The only RBI chances he gets is when the leadoff man gets to second or third, or when the number 8 hitter is on second or third due to a sacrifice by the pitcher and the failure of the leadoff hitter to drive him in. Extra base power is not a neccessity from the 2 hole.
When Castillo gets going and hits .310 and steals 25 bags and Reyes is running around ahead of him everyone will stop the “Castillo was a bad move” talk.
Agreed four years was a bit much, but I’m sure the thought was 2-3 with a platoon starting in years 3 and 4. Eventually Hendandez or the other Reyes is slotted for 2B. Too many people have already written off Henandez who is a whopping 24 and is a defensive gem. He hit over .300 in AAA last year.
Those are the same instant gratification people who have already written off Pelfrey, who is going to eventually be a quality starter, if not already. Those people are probably not bad mouthing Big Pelf today.
Bobby, Bobby..
Hernandez??????
The guy will NEVER, NEVER hit at the Pro-level. You lose alot of credibility with that previous comment. Even the Mets know that.
Yeah. Ryne Sandberg batted .167 his first year and .214 in the minors. Ozzie sucked his first couple of years to.
Hendandez is 24 years old and has 87 at bats. I think the professional scouts know a little more than me and you, and considering they continue to support him, I’ll go with them.
Look at the stats. Hernandez has 554 AB’s in AAA last year and batted .301. It must be able to hit something.
Bobby,
your Sandberg comparison was so ridiculous I can not even muster a comeback.
So how is this- If Hernandez is such a prospect how come he did not make the team this year? Was it because we do not like .300 hitters who play the middle infield?
The guy is completely overmatched at the plate. End of story.
Bobby, I’m so happy to hear you say that. Why everyone has written Anderson off after so few abs, boggles my mind.
Moving Castillo to the 8-hole is a great idea. First of all, the 2-hole is the most underrated/misunderstood spot in baseball lineups. Luis no longer provides the type of dynamic running skills needed to overlook his complete lack of RBI ability. He’d be great clearing out the pitcher’s spot AND leading off innings (pitcher bunts him over, he and Jose do their thing in time for David and the Carloses).
What’s more, it’ll take pressure off his knees, since apparently we’ll need them until Barrack’s reelection bid :)
He has better dynamic running skills than Pagan or Loduca.
The chief necessity in the 2 should be just to get on base as much as possible. That, not speed or dynamic running skills, should count most. The 3-4-5 spots are power spots, so speed in front of them is less important. Where speed would seem to be most preferable is in front of weak hitters…that’s when you neeed a guy who can go 1st to 3rd on a single (or 1st to home on a good single). Castillo gets on base (last year, only Moises and DWright got on base more), that’s why he belongs in the 2 hole.
I am really impressed with Pagan so far this year, but wow are we jumping the gun or what? Let’s give it a little time before we write off Castillo and book Pagan into the 2 hole..
Pagan wasn’t going to make the team a month ago. His lifetime MLB numbers are .259 and OBP of .316. His lifetime OBP in the minors is .337 and that is after 7 years.
Castillo is a proven MAJOR league player (lifetime .294 and .368 OBP) who granted is off to a slow start, but I’m not shelving him yet.
Castillo is a proven major leaguer. I agree.
So is Hank Aaron.
I take full responsibility for Castillo’s injury and slow start. Every single player on my fantasy team has been awful so far, including guys like Howard and David Ortiz hitting under .200. I’m sure Castillo will tear it up as soon as I release him, and a few of Beltran’s doubles will start going for homers.
Castillo is cheap enough to be a bench player the last two years of his contract, so I’m really not worried about that. And if there was even a 1% chance that he helped bring Santana over here, then he was well worth it.
I agree that Castillo has stunk in the two hole and Pagan looked good there last night. However, Reyes has stunk pretty bad as of late which forces Castillo to act like a lead off hitter as opposed to have the responsibility of doing things like letting reyes steal/advance with bunts and patience at the plate, two things I think he does well. So until Reyes gets his act together, I don’t think we’ll see Castillo do what he does best.
Well, might be a moot point.
With the mets, it goes from resting a day, to sore, to swollen, to the DL, to surgery and maybe see you next year.
What the heck, Argenis reyes might just be ready!
Very true.
Actually, I think all around offensive play is more important that simply getting on base for the two-hole. The ability to do different things, a la Ryne Sandberg and Jeter..the two best two-hole hitters ever.
Also want to ascertain that Castillo is a good player…he turns DPs as well as anyone and I have no problem with his contract.
1 last comment. Many have said that Castillo’s contract is bad, however look at the alternatives. Some have suggested how great it would have been to get Orlando Hudson. Well, here is what he wants according to MLBtraderumors.com
5-7 years at around 15 million each. So 2 years of Hudson will get you the same as 4 years of Castillo plus an extra 6 million.
But some how Omar is ripped to pieces for it?
I know Hudson’s numbers are better but lets take a closer look
Hudson,
Age 30
BA .278
OBP .343
OPS .773
Career high for steals 10.
Castillo
Age 32
BA .294
OBP .368
OPS .725
Had 10 steals in 50 games for the Mets.
2 questions
Which one looks like a great #2 hitter?
Is Hudson worth 3 times as much money and 3 more years worth of contract?
therealsince86 and others, it’s obvious you’re a fan of Castillo. I agree that, in today’s economics, $6 million a year is really a drop in the bucket. I think we’re all in agreement that we’d be lucky to get 2 years out of “present” Castillo, with two more years of “over the hill” Castillo at the end of the deal.
However, please start seeing some of the warning signs the “Castillo haters” are mentioning. Here are Castillo’s at bats this year:
3/31: BB, Bunt single, BB, 4-3, 4-3
4/2: Infield hit to SS, sacrifice, 3-1, popout 4, 1-3
4/3: ground ball single, K, popout to shallow center, line drive single, 4-3
4/5: 1-3, K, 4-3, 3 unassisted, popout to SS
4/6: 3-1, popout to shallow center, K, 3 unassisted
4/8: BB, 3 unassisted.
He has hit THREE balls out of the infield all year.
As one of the other posters mentioned, his fielding stats are pretty bad. Not Gotay bad, just bad.
Now: I recognize your points. It’s early in the season. Past seasons show he’s not a bad player. Reyes hasn’t been on base, so he can’t do the little “Castillo-esque” things that he’s valuable for. Etc., etc., etc.
But, when you factor in his lack of anything at the dish, his balky knees, etc… AND the factor that Willie shows an undying loyalty to veteran players…
PLEASE tell me you acknowledge our reason for concern. That way, you and Jerry can part as friends!
in 2001, barry bonds had 73 hr 137rbi 177bb
the first 7 games bonds was 3-29 hitting .103
it was a clear sign that there are 162 games in a season.
Sorry to join the party Jerry, but excellent work with the castillo argument .. I could not agree with you more….i thought you were going to invoke some Stratomatic references to Castillo’s range… i’m also surprised that nobody raised the “Castillo is hispanic” argument… and i cant believe that one guy actually has Castillo on his fantasy team…
the bottom line is that the guy cant hit the ball out of the infield.. Watch him… He never does…i’m surprised that teams dont move an extra outfielder to play near second base. The guy is terrible. He is another example of the Mets brass falling in love with a player in 1980 and getting him well past his prime. Oh lets see… Vince Coleman or Shawn Green ring a bell? Bobby Bo #2, ,Glen Rice, Penny Hardaway (oh yeah, the knicks do it too.. but believe me this is the last time i equate the Mets front office with the Knicks). I’d say the same for Moises Alou, but I do recall that he was the only Met who hit in September last year.
As an aside…. I hate when willie bunts Reyes to second base… why give up the out, especially with the lack of production with runners in scoring position from Wright and Beltran (give me a fly ball with a runner on third and less than 2 outs… just once…). Why not steal first, then bunt him over. It boggles my mind. It takes you out of any chance of a big inning by giving up that one out.
Another thing about Willie.. I think that Willie has Omar thinking that you need some kind of defensive prowess at second base… just because willie was a solid guy with good range, doesnt mean that the Mets need the same. There have been some abysmal defensive second basemen over the years and no team has lost because of said second base defense. Give me some production out of second base, especially since we are below average in Catcher, First base and Corner Outfield production. Give me a Jeff Kent at second base any day of the week… who needs Harold Reynolds… Its second base…