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Prior to yesterday’s game, Willie Randolph told reporters that he is confident Luis Castillo will get back 
on track, adding, “Just like the rest of the guys, Luis is a guy who’s proven in the past that he can hit Major League pitching. He’ll get going again, and I’m not concerned.”
…i mean, what is willie supposed to say when asked a question like this…
…if he says, ‘Luis sucks,’ which is what most fans are feeling, then he embarrasses his player and gets called out in the press and by fans for being too hard…if he says what he said above, which makes so little sense it makes my head hurt, then he looks like a passive, delusional bump on the log…and if he says nothing, he’ll be characterized as scared, or avoiding the media and will get ripped by reporters for being unavailable…
…fact is, Luis Castillo is past his prime, he’s aging, and has nowhere near the speed or mobility he once did – especially on defense…castillo will get hot, but then he’ll be cold…he’ll hit well, then not hit well…and such is the case with so many players on this team right now…it’s hard to have a winning streak, when you have no streak at all…
For more on Castillo, check out Anthony DiComo’s recent report for MLB.com.
All you need to know about the 2008 NY Mets is right here:
“Just like the rest of the guys, Luis is a guy who’s proven in the past that he can hit Major League pitching.” —Willie Randolph
These guys are old and slow. Delgado cannot jump or bend. As someone hilariously said yesterday, Castillo has no knees. Beltran is playing like Castillo.
They have proven in the past that they can hit.
Willie Mays has proven that he can hit major league pitching too, should the Mets sign him to a 4 year deal?
LOL.
Key word “in the past”
What about now. Its tough to put castillo anywhere in the lineup because he shows flashes of being a good hitter but is very inconsistant. Again the worst part is we are stuck with this for 4 years. This is only the begining guys…
I hope omar got something up his sleave with this one.
Maybe he’ll trade Castillo for Jonny Estrada.
Maybe I wasn’t clear. I agree with you guys 100%.
Delgado in the field is actually more troubling to me (for this year) than Castillo at the plate. It is at least theoretically possible that Castillo gets going, at least to his recent career averages.
I don’t think it is physically possible for Delgado to make the kind of diving stop or grab that is essential at 1B. How many runs have scored from 2B or 3B because of this?
Even more troubling, I haven’t heard anything encouraging about Carp’s defense at 1B. How are the other young guys?
Think about David’s what, 5 sick grabs, last night. Had they been by LH hitters all 5 would have gone past Delgado.
Mike Jacobs looks pretty good right now.
I may have not been clear. I agree with your point. I was just adding on
DW will be a good 1B next year.
DW is a pretty darned good 3B right now and that’s where he should stay. Talking about moving him because he occasionally sails a throw (which would be less of a problem with a defensive upgrade at 1B over CD) just strikes me as wrong. It’s a lot easier (theoretically anyway) to pick up a first baseman than a 3rd baseman.
That’s exactly the point. Everyone wants to bash Willie but who else is he supposed to trot out on the field but the old and tired veterans Omar has stocked this team with. I’m not trying to bash Omar either. I’m just hoping people will curb some of the Willie bashing, because frankly, it is annoying. He is one of the least paid components of this team and he doesn’t take the field. There is plenty of blame to go around and it should start with some of the underperforming players making upwards of $10M per year
The problem is with all these old vets we have no roster room. We can’t even try out Carp, Evans, Murphy, anyone unless we cut someone or someone gets hurt. Not good at all.
All these problems are on Omar. He’s made some good signings but also some terrible ones. If it is a .500 team that is because they do not have the players to be any better than that. It’s that simple.
Who else is he supposed to trot out there ummm how about easley or marlon anderson for starters. Both these guys have shown they can hit when they are in the lineup and I had once thought this season that at least castillo defensively was worth it but hes belwo avg there now. Easley and anderson should be the left side of the infield over castillo and delgado hell they can even flip flop innings between the two positions.
Since he is going to be around in 2111, what use will he be by then? Defensive replacement? Pinch-bunter? I can’t imagine he’ll be starting by then. Overall, I think Omar has done a fine job, but the 4-year deal for Luis looks like his worst move so far.
I also like how he is unable to play day games after night games, as if he’s a catcher. They should probably give him next week off after his effort last night.
I went to sleep last night when the Mets were winning 4-3 and I knew, KNEW, they were going to lose. It’s really sad how far this team has fallen from two seasons ago. It’s like whenever a Met gets up with runners in scoring position, they’re batting not to make an out. They bat scared. It doesn’t matter if it’s Castillo, Delgado, or even Wright, no one on this team seems to step it up and be clutch (at least on a semi-consistent basis). I know it’s not all Willie’s fault, but something has to be done, some change, to shake the foundation of this team.
I did the same thing last night. I was going to stay up to watch the whole game, but when it was 4-3 in the 5th, I knew they were going to lose. I saved myself the aggravation and a sleepless night and turned it off. Woke up this morning, turned on SNY to catch the highlights and just as I suspected…
As someone said above, Delgado’s defense has been terrible. I can’t remember when it was, but he clearly should have had that ball last night that scored those runs.
I went to sleep at the same time thinking the exact same thing
“Luis Castillo has past his prime, he’s aging, and has nowhere near the speed or mobility he once did”…and has a 4 year contract!
Who the hell voted “10″ in the Mets confidence poll? Jesus, have some more Cocoa Puffs why don’t ya.
not me, but someone voting 10 is probably doing it to pull the average up, just like an idiot voting 1 to pull the average down. makes sense with the way Matt calculates the confidence rating as an average across the scores rather than the “winning” score.
LMAO!!!! Thanks for the laugh…definitely needed that.
That was Omar.
A Phillies fan, perhaps? Or David Wright’s mom?
Castillo drove in a run and stole a base last night. Sure he left 3 men on base, but other than Alou and Schneider, everyone left at least 3 men on base last night. I understand why people are upset about Castillo, but why bring this up now? I mean, if I get an RBI and a SB from my 8-hitter, I’m happy. I didn’t stay up for the whole game last night, so maybe this is coming from something else, but I did see the RBI single, and to me he got it done.
I agree, I haven’t been on Castillo that much. He is what he is. He is a light (very light) hitting middle infielder who will end the year with close to a .300 batting average and a good OBP. He still plays good defense….what do you expect from him? He has always been this kind of player.
that was encouraging to see that poke early in the game too bad he couldn’t get it done in the ninth.
We’re kind of screwed on the Castillo contract. We may end up eating a chunk of it down the road if we get a kid to emerge in the minors. Dan Murphy, who currently plays 3B in Bingo could be asked to move to 2B. He’s got a nice little bat.
Just to reiterate. David Wright will play 3B for the Mets until the Knicks have a winning season. I am proposing that we move Dan Murphy to 2B.
Here’s a converation to have with Danny boy.
Omar: “Kid you’re blocked at 3B. Go play second”
Dan : glove in hand hustling to second base. “OK”
silver lining from last night: Saito is my closer in fantasy!
Matt, Willie doesn’t have to say “Luis sucks,” but how about something like “I respect what’s he’s done in the game in the past, but he has to carry his load just like everyone else. “
You just knew the way the Dodgers anouncer kept praising Castillo for only strking out 7 times all season that Luis would come up in a big spot and strike out. unbelievable how bad our hitting with RISP has been BY EVERYONE. Wright better be careful or those boo birds may fly his way
Guess who had one of those 2 hits with RISP last night. Yup, Castillo. I’ll take 1-for-3 with RISP from my 8-hitter. Hey, the guy can’t do it all by himself.
Question: If the mets are out of the race by the trade deadline, do the mets have a fire sale? I would trade everyone on the team besides, Reyes, Wright, Church, Santana, Maine.
A fire sale? Why? The 2009 Mets will have Castillo, Reyes, Wright, Beltran, Schneider, and Church all starting with Santana and Maine in the rotation and Wagner closing.
What would they possibly get in return for anyone not mentioned above?
Salary dump. Open up spots for guys with desire and passion for the game. Give me guys that love to be in the big leagues and play hard. I am tired of watching guys on the field because of contracts. In the Matt Wise section, some people are arguing with me about getting rid of Sosa. He has no options, he will get claim. Good! Get rid of the dead waste on this team.
Look, the mets have very little in the farm system and the fact is, it does not matter anyway. Unless a prospect comes up to the big leagues and produces right away, the mets give up on them.
But who’s salary are they going to dump? One month of Moises Alou? Nobody is going to trade for Delgado unless the Mets pay for his contract anyway, and even that might be a stretch. What sort of top level prospect are we going to get in return for Scott Schoenweis? Maybe we can get something decent for Ollie, but he being a Boras client won’t yield too much in return because it will definitely be a rental situation.
I watched plenty of years with young kids trying to prove themselves on the major league level and the team was horrible. I will take a winner that doesn’t settle for rookie mistakes anyday.
No, no rookie mistakes on this Mets team (because their are no rookies). Just mental lapses from veteran players who don’t give a crap……
Dude, you are messed up….watching rookies make mistakes is clearly more exciting than watching dead wood or paint dry (which is what we have been doing with this team for over 1 year)…..fire Willie now.
I disagree. Watching milledge play last year was one of the most frustrating things I have experienced in a long time.
I like the way you think.
For all this talk about how slow castillo is and how bad his knees are, he has 7 SBs in 7 attempts. That looks pretty good to me. Is it just becasue he limps around after each one that makes everyone think he’s slow? He’s been doing that since he broke into the league when he was 20. Also, even though he is only hitting .232, his OBP is .342 which is still pretty good, especially for an 8 hitter. Why can’t any Met ever have a slump without being characterized as washed up?
well played Mackey. I recognize he is in a slump, but Luis is the least of my concerns right now…
“…fact is, Luis Castillo is past his prime, he’s aging, and has nowhere near the speed or mobility he once did”
Then Omar is on the hook BIG TIME for signing him for a ridiculous 4 year deal.
These are the kinds of deals that lesser GMs on smaller market teams get raked over the coals for. I think it’s time we start doing the same to Omar.
This deal in no way shape or form has any on the field value even remotely close to the contract.
well, that’s not really a fact. It is actually Matt’s opinion. Is it absurd to think that possibly castillo gets hot and slaps his way to .320 this year?
The guy just came off knee surgery in both knees too, lets not forget. I am inclined to give him a little more time to get into a groove (for lack of a better term)
Didn’t he essentially say “he sucks” by batting him 8th from the 2 hole??
Predictions for today’s lineup???
1. Reyes – SS
2. Pagan – LF
3. Wright – 3B
4. Church – RF
5. Delgado – 1B
6. Easley – 2B
7. Chavez – CF
8. Cassanova – C
9. Maine – P
I still can’t believe Omar gave this guy 4 years…..Castillo must have some imcriminating pictures. The Mets are going to have to eat 3 years of this guy’s contract…..he sucks moose *ock!
Out of all the available 2B’s, they signed *THIS GUY*??
At the time, all I could say to myself was “Four years? On *THOSE* knees?”
A friend of mine is already saying the Mets wil be sellers at the trade deadline. Sadly, the only reason that won’t happen is because the Mets have no one other teams want.
MANY OF U PROB KNOW BY NOW I NEED THE CAPSLOCK TO ACCOMODATE MY DISABILITY & FOR YOUR CONTINUED INDULGENCE I THANK YOU.
I’VE BEEN A FAN OF THIS TEAM FOR AS LONG AS THIS TEAM HAS LIVED & OTHER THAN FRANK CASHEN, I KNOW OMAR IS THE BEST GM WE’VE HAD. SAYING THIS, HOW COULD HE HAVE BEEN SO EXTRAVAGENT TO CASTILLO? I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS JOHAN. REMEMBER THE HOWLING FROM SANTANA WHEN TWINS DEALT LUIS? OBVIOUSLY, THERE’S A CONNECTION THERE & OMAR WAS BENT ON EXPLOITING IT. WHAT BETTER SALESPITCH THAN LUIS WAXING ON HOW WANTED HE FELT & HOW WONDERFUL LIFE IN NY IS. LUIS’ 4 YRS, 24M IS CALLED COST OF DOING BUSINESS. WILL EVERYONE PLEASE TAKE A VERY DEEP BREATH & UNDERSTAND WE CAN NOT CLINCH A PLAYOFF SPOT IN MAY NOR CAN WE BE ELIMINATED FROM ONE. PERHAPS HAVING TO SCRATCH & CLAW FOR EVERY ‘W’ WILL TEMPER THIS TEAM INTO WHAT IT TRULY NEEDS TO BE. A COMPANY OF WARRIORS. THERE’S 131 GAMES LEFT & THE BKLYN BRIDGE ISN’T LONG ENOUGH TO HOLD ALL OF YOU JUMPERS. WHAT ARE WE, UNDER .500? IN LAST PLACE? FADING FAST? NO 1.5G OUT, COMPETITIVE. I KNEW ALL ALONG THIS SEASON WOULD BE A 3-WAY DOGFIGHT UP UNTIL THE BREAK, EXPECTING ATL TO FADE POST BREAK WHEN THE CHIPPER LEGS GIVE OUT. NONE OF YOU WOULD’VE LIVED THROUGH THE 60s, LET ALONE THE 70s. YOU THINK THE 90s WERE VERY BAD? LOOK AGAIN! PHILLIES WILL DOG US TO THE END, CASTILLO, BELTRAN & DELGADO WON’T KEEP MENDOZA COMPANY ALL SEASON & WHEN THEY BREAKOUT, THEY’LL BE HELL TO PAY. ENJOY THE PROCESS, WINNING WHEN U EXPECT LOSING IS THE SWEETEST; BUT LOSING WHEN U ANTICIPATE WINNING IS THE MOST BITTER. LEARN TO TAKE THE BITTER WITH THE SWEET, FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE. IF U REALLY NEED TO VENT E-MAIL YOUR SOUREST REPORTER CALLING THEM OUT ON THEIR NEGATIVE EXAGERATIONS. WE’RE ALL FANS OF A SPORT ROOTED IN FAILURE, WHERE FAILING 6 OUT OF 10 TRIES IS HEROIC. IF U BELIEVE U’VE A RIGHT TO BOO FAILURE, REMEMBER U WOULD BOO TED WILLIAMD 6 OUT OF 10 TIMES IN HIS .400 SEASON. NOW THAT’S MORE REDICULOUS THAN BOOING SANTANA ON SHEADAY 1.TRY TO SAVE BOOS FOR TRUE LACK OF EFFORT. DELGADO K’s 1 RUN DOWN W/BASES JUICED? TRY SIGHING OR EXHALING LOUDLY INSTEAD OF BOOING U’LL SEND A DISSAPOINTMENT MESSAGE WHICH IS BETTER THAN A U SUCK MESSAGE FOR YOUR OWN PLAYER. IF IT’S TRULY AGE THAT’S CAUSING HIS DECLINE, THAN WHAT DOES BOOING ACCOMPLISH, WOULD YOU BOO A BLINDMAN FOR BUMPING INTO A CHAIR ON AGILITY DRILLS? SAME THING.
well said
Matt, Matt, Matt, you’re trying too hard, my friend. You take Willie quotes and try to imagine fans’ negative reaction to them. Who complained about Willie’s comments about Castillo? The problem with Willie is that that type of response is what you always get from him. He doesn’t have to call Castillo, Perez, Beltran out, per se, but he can tweak them a little bit.
Instead of saying, “Luis is a mjor league hitter, blah, blah, blah”, how about, “Luis has to hit better. He knows that. A lot of guys have to hit better.” You get your point across without being overly negative.
That should read “He doesn’t have to call out Castillo…”
Castillo is doing better than some of his numbers suggest. And given his history, I’m sure that he’ll bounce back. Nobody bats .290+ for 10 years and then vanishes in one season.
His on base percentage is higher than Reyes at a low but far from terrible .342. And he has quite a few stolen bases and a good BB/K ration. He’s done a decent job of moving other runners forward — his greatest strength when he’s hot. He also had some good streaks of batting like his old self. He will fall back into place.
Delgado and even Beltran have been on a steady decline for the past few years. That’s a different story that Castillo’s funk.
Unfortunately, sudden declines when players get into their 30s is fairly common, it happens all the time. And the Mets have been victimized by this several times. George Foster in 82 was nothing like 81. Gary Carter fell off precipitously, I think he started his offensive decline during the 1986 season. Robbie alomar is probably exhibit A. Mo Vaughan exhibit B. Of course, everybody slumps, and differentiating slumps from being over the hill is critical. My feeling is that Beltran is still swinging well, he looks good and he’s just slumping. Delgado and Castillo? No. If Castillo was an 18 year old unknown, there’s not a scout around who’d even write his name down. I think he is through.
Beltran’s been on a steady decline? What have you been watching? Yes, he’s off to a terrible start, but his past 2 seasons have been nothing short of spectacular. What’s not to like of 77 HR’s and 228 RBI over 2 seasons? All that while being one of the best CF’s in MLB and one of its smartest baserunners.
I wouldn’t be too quick to dismiss Castillo’s low OBP. Unlike Reyes, Castillo has no power and the thought of him on 1st doesn’t strike fear into opposing pitchers. If he’s not getting on base, he has aabsolutely no value.
Sorry Matt but your opinion/analysis here is far too simplistic and black and white. You only offer the two extremes as to what Willie can say and are right that neither are satisfying to the fans.
However, there is something Willie could say which neither glosses over it nor fries the player and this is the big problem with Willie and the media/fans. He won’t have an open conversation nor provide any details. What he should say is:
“Luis has proven he’s a quality hitter who’s gotten off badly and still has some nagging injuries that may be contributing as well. What we’re doing to try and help that is X, Y, and Z. In fact HoJo the other day offered up X and this is why you’ve seen more line drives of late. I’m also giving him one day a week off and by batting him 8th I think he’s still a contributor while working through this.”
If he said something like that then the media/fans at least know Willie recognizes the problem and is trying to do something. With his generic answers (and not just on this but everything) people either think he is out of touch with what’s happening, aloof, no fire, or skirting the issue. None of these are what fans want to see and is why people get on him. He has this faux nobility thing going on that if he reveals one detail of his thinking he’s weak or something.
In general, I like the hiring and I’ve generally been a Willie supporter but him continuing to act this way when things started falling apart last year and the beginning of this year has tarnished him in my mind. Problem is, I doubt he can change.