Prior to tonight’s game, Jerry Manuel told reporters that Luis Castillo will be activated for tomorrow’s game, and will likely start at second base.
Manuel said he, Minaya and his staff had yet to decide on who will be removed from the roster in place of Castillo, whose 20–day rehab stint expired today.
It would seem to me that it will be either Argenis Reyes, Nick Evans or Brian Stokes, though I’m betting on Reyes.
Manuel told WFAN prior to the game that it will be difficult to break up the platoon of Reyes and Damion Easley at second base, because they have been part of winning baseball for his team.
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I thought Jerry Manuel said that he would play those who were playing best?
Hypocrite.
If we start playing poorly, and we lose our momentum as a result…
Omar (for fear of looking like an even BIGGER idiot for signing him to a FOUR-YEAR contract) probably overrode Jerry and forced him to start Luis.
All I know is, Luis HAD BETTER get his act together or the boobirds will be in FULL effect.
The fan reception for this clown will be VERY different from the one Church got tonight.
I’ll be clapping.
Me too. Why boo a guy on your own team just for walking on the field? Give him a chance first at least.
Count me to boo this clown- can’t stand him, his attitude or what he has brought to this team which is nothing.. Put him into the 2 hole and see how unproductive he will be…
Stupid stupid stupid. The team won 10 of it’s last 11
and you’re replacing players? Stupid.
Well he can’t be worse than Easley and Reyes..but you guys don’t notice that kind of thing, so you’ll boo him anyway.
Mrs. Castillo! How nice of you to stop by and comment on MetsBlog! I’m glad your son is feeling better. :)
Easley has been doing poorly of late – he’s ground into how many DPs this past week?
I like Easley, but he was never meant to be an everyday player. Some rest should do him some good.
If what you suggest is true than Omar is tripping over his own ego. One would think that Omar would subjugate his ego for the good of the team.
Not that it makes it any better, but he’s hardly in the minority as a person refusing to acknowledge a mistake.
He’s not a hypocrite. He just has his hands tied. I don’t think Omar is directly forcing his hand, like some here are suggesting, but the contract itself indirectly does so. I still think the team should wait until rosters expand on September 1st to activate Luis, and then use him as a backup (it’s unbelievable that Churchy is coming back as a part-timer, but Luis is seemingly getting his starting job back). I wonder if they are concerned that he will become a problem if he is not activated right away, and as a starter? If so, they need to get rid of him–maybe they can’t until after the season but, even if that is the case, they need to do that.
Then again, maybe he’d be professional and good about not starting, and I’m complaining about that for no reason! :)
I completely disagree that Jerry Manuel will automatically place Luis Castillo at second base. Im sure I am not the only one but I believe that Argenis Reyes should remain at second. Luis Castillo Im sorry man but I believe you need to earn that spot back rather than your 4 year $40 Million placing you there automatically. I think Baseball should stop doing this to young players who work their hearts out have to be told our 40 million dollar player is back you will sit now. Come on Jerry make Castillo earn it, like we all in life have to earn things in every situation we are in.
here we go again- you’re right-did you see this guy on tv last night. He could care less about the team other than himself. he was there last year when they collapsed – he may be here again. The guy is worthless. All about the money – right Omar!
argenis reyes has a 60 OPS+. he is not playing “best,” or “good” or merely “okay.” he is 40 percent below average.
this may be one of the worst player moves ever made, i mean the team is showing signs of coming together. each met game i have been at lately, whenever he plays Argenis follows Jose around, they run together, stretch etc before the game. Argenis has played well but I also have seen Jose look like a leader, he runs everything out, he looks sharp in the field and he looks like he maturing. Taking Argenis out of the mix, and putting back Castillo and his laid back attitude is a horrible mistake. Argenis plays hard every second he is out there. I think Castillo went on the DL around July 3 so if i counted right the mets were 41-43 with castillo, and 31-14 without, case closed, terrible move
I think omar played the 4yrs trump card on Luis tonght and told him to play hurt/.lame duck until sept 1st so they could keep the current roster intact.
maybe luis’ 4-yr mistake has a silver lining!!
I’ve said too many times, but Argenis Reyes is playing about as poorly as you can.
Are you mad? (or just being sarcastic?)
A. Reyes is hitting .271/.303/.306. He has one extra-base hit. One. He’s basically Castillo with, perhaps, even less power. I mean, much as I hate Castillo, at least he has a respectable .365 OBP. His OPS is almost a hundred points higher than A. Reyes’.
And it’s not like Argenis plays second base like Roberto Alomar either.
Can we stop acting as if we are waiting the return of 1976 Joe Morgan here?
This is Luis Castillo, folks. He could have a slightly higher oops, bops, or whatever stat it is. He is not that special, and this team has been WINNING (and that folks, IS what should matter) without him.
Also, I will dare say that Argenis’ defense is much better than Castillo, who’s range has been limited to one using crutches….
Oh, I hate Castillo. I think he sucks. All I’m saying is that Reyes is hardly the answer at second base, and not having him playing second will be no big loss.
And please don’t mock simple statistics; you just make yourself look bad.
I guess we should kick Church off the team too, huh? The Mets have a much better record when he’s out of the lineup.
Castillo isn’t good. He’s not even average. But Argenis Reyes is just one of the worst players in the major leagues right now. Granted, his defense is superior to Castillo’s, but he’s despite what you might hear from the resident homers, he’s no gold-glover.
Hernandez and Darling both love Argenis because not only does he give the Mets stellar defense at second, he’s a very heady player. Did Wally Backman hit with more power? Some player just contribute to a winning personality of the team and Reyes is that kind of player. To say that he is “one of the worst players in the league” is just flat out as wrong as one can be. You don’t screw up the winning chemistry of the team.
And comparing the Church and Castillo situations is comparing apples and oranges. Completely different situations.
They are the same situations, exactly the same. The only difference is that the Church situation doesn’t fit ideally into your anecdotal evidence.
There is no such thing as a “winning personality.” Argenis Reyes does somehow not make other players hit better. Wally Backman was a solid but unspectacular player who could get on base, hit doubles, and steal bases.
Argenis Reyes “contributes” by being in the right place at the right time, because he certainly can’t hit to save his life.
Not that I disagree with your statement that Argenis Reyes isn’t hitting, either, but saying he “can’t hit to save his life is a bit much–he did OK (albeit, nothing spectacular) in AAA this year. Nevertheless, as you said, it’s nothing horrendous to not have him starting.
What is horrendous, however, is having Luis start–at least at this point. Sure, my support for this argument is mostly anecdotal, but that doesn’t mean it should be dismissed. The fact is, when Luis was playing, he seemed to suck the life out of many a rally. *Whenever* he came up with runners on base, he would inevitably drop down a bunt–just giving away outs, regardless of the situation. And if he batted with runners in scoring position, he didn’t have the strength to get the runners in. Even when he got a hit in that situation, he is such a little wimp that he couldn’t hit the ball far enough to score a runner from second base. And he is pretty much incapable of a sac fly–except, perhaps, if Jose Reyes in on third base, and the fly is hit to an outfielder with absolutely no arm. He is just a human rally-killer. Argenis Reyes may not be the second coming of Rogers Hornsby but, at the very least, when he comes up with a runner on third base and less than 2 outs, I have faith that he can hit a sac fly. And if he comes up with a runner on second base, I have faith that he can knock a single well enough that the runner can score. I can’t say the same for Luis.
I hear what you are saying, but it’s just not true.
For a weak a bat as Luis Castillo wields, Argenis Reyes’ bat is that much weaker. The guy has one single XBH since being called up. One. It’s absolutely unthinkable that anyone could, when comparing two, try to bash Castillo by citing his lack of power.
Argenis has had 3 opportunities to bring in a man on 3rd with less than two outs. He’s succeed NEVER. As bad as Castillo was, he’d occasionally sent a ball up the middle or take a walk in those situations (12 RBI in 24 such ABs).
In terms of power, Argenis Reyes makes Jason Tyner look like Albert Pujols. Even Renyt would occasionally hit one into the gap.
Argenis has *way* too small a sample size to go by. You can’t focus entirely on stats, and then try and support your argument with as small a sample size as I’ve ever seen mentioned–3 plate appearances? Might as well be none.
As for Luis, I’m not saying he is incapable of getting a hit with RISP–at some point this season (and possibly still), he had the highest average on the team with RISP (or maybe it was RISP and 2 outs). The problem is, the hits don’t go far enough for him to score a runner from second base.
This season, when he has batted with a runner on 2B (whether it is just a runner on 2B, bases loaded, runners on 1B and 2B, or runners on 2B and 3B), which consists of 71 plate appearances, he has a whopping 13 hits (1 double, 1 triple, 0 homers, and 11 singles) and all of *12 RBIs*–keep in mind that some of those RBIs must have come on outs, so look how few runs he knocked in with his hits. Also, of those 12 RBIs, 8 came when there was also a runner on 3B, on 4 hits (all singles), so at least 4 of those 8 RBIs were the runners from 3B. So, at most, in 71 plate appearances in which there was a runner on second base, Luis had 13 hits, and no more than *8* runners from 2B scored (and, in all likelihood, it is less, as he probably drove in some runners from 3B on outs, too).
Then we have his 19 plate appearances with a runner on 3B and less than 2 outs. In those 19 plate appearances, he had 6 hits, 3 walks, and 0 HBPs, so he had 10 other plate appearances to hit a sac fly. Guess how many he had? 2!
The fact is, he is like a little boy playing with men. He doesn’t have the strength to make productive outs, and his hits will only produce “station to station” results. When you have a runner at 2B, that’s supposed to be “scoring position”–not for Luis, though, and that is very bad. Even your best hitters get out 60% of the time, so you can’t expect to always get two straight hits. When you get one, you need it to score the runner from second base at least most of the time. Luis doesn’t do that, though. With all his flaws, Argenis can do that–it’s too little of a sample size to demonstrate it with stats, but just by watching, you will see him hit the balls to “sac fly depth.” And the few hits he gets typically go more than a few feet beyond the infield. That has been so refreshing, and I am going to hate to see it go upon Luis’ return.
what more of a sample size do you need to see argenis is poor man’s luis except argenis doesn’t walk at all? luis castillo and his hitting approach shouldn’t be news to any one who watched baseball the last decade. it’s his stock in trade. he’s a slap hitter and he always was. he’s a table setter, not a run producer.
sorry i’ll take the guy who actually gets on base. it’s too late in the season to worry about minutia like a “small sample size”
Yo T-Pac, Keith and Ron agree with me. I rest my case.
Sample size – how about the fact that the mets have been winning why crippled Castillo has been out of the lineup. Who gives a xxx$$%% about sample size- you’re playing for the division and you go with the hot hand. Not awith a loser…
No such thing as a winning personality?
HUH.
Just ask David Eckstein about that one
Is that why Toronto has been so much better this year?
Your out of it completely- forget the offense – which btw compares with Castillo anyway at a fraction of the cost I may add. How about the defense-do you really think Castillo could make any of the plays we have seen from Reyes? Not even with roller blades on can Castillo get to the ball. Wait till you see-it won’t take long!
I think Evans will be going down…..Tatis will then take Evans’ platoon spot.
You wanna keep Reyes in case Castillo really plays badly so you can go back to an Easley/Reyes platoon.
And then, obviously, Evans comes right back up in 10 days
Apparently Tatis is still the starting rightfielder–Church is only a part-timer at this point, according to Manuel. I think Argenis is getting sent down. Since Luis is being activated one way or the other, that would be the right move. Regardless of which player is better, neither one of them is exactly Rogers Hornsby, and there really isn’t room for the both of them.
where did you read that? that’s not what jerry on the mets pregame with howie rose.
I didn’t see roger play- you did I guess? How about we move it up a little and compare him with Chase Utley? Castillo is not in that ballpark – looks like Omar will determine where this club goes. Or maybe Bernazard! Certainly not Manuel.
You’re right, he is starting in second place… to everyone else that has played 2b this year.
and second place is where the mets are going to be if he starts everyday… hopefully Jerry has a short leash on Mr. Slappy.
I’m exaggerating… but you know… I really don’t like Castillo.
I agree – he sucks. Worse offensive hitter I have evr seen. I can’t wait for him to take the first strike three ABs in a row tonight- what an offensive force!
I understand A. Reyes’ stats aren’t great. But with him in there the team has been playing great. Obviously its not ALL Castillo’s fault. I just hate fixing things that aren’t broken.
Well, he kind of is broken though, isn’t he? I mean, for a guy who I recall Manuel saying “always seems like he’s in the middle of rallies,” he sure is 3-for-25 (that’s .120) with runners in scoring position.
Take today’s game for instance:
With Jose on 2nd, he laid down a terrible bunt that should have had Jose thrown out at 2nd.
Second AB, he grounds out harmlessly to 3rd base.
Does anyone believe that he has had anything positive to do with the lead the Mets have?
Yes. He’s our best defensive second baseman. And he’s not Luis. All Luis does is try to sac bunt. I think he sac bunts with the bases empty, too.
When Luis can hit the ball more than ten feet into the outfield, and doesn’t try to sacrifice *every* time he comes up with runners on base, he might contribute enough for me to change my opinion. Until then, though, I want Luis on the DL until the rosters expand on September 1st.
I agree with you. I will take Reyes and easley anytime over anuthing that Castillo will provide and that will not be much. This is simply the case of the large contract having to be fulfilled. It may cost us-this guy is a cancer…
i agree too, Castillo is a bum. I think Reyes youth and chemistry with Jose are overlooked intangibles in this situation. I would much rather watch homegrown talent suceed at 2nd base rather than an over the hill, overpaid free agent mercenary.
it’s funny because castillo’s slugging percentage is higher than the easley/reyes platoon. so your power argument is BS.
How the hell do you figure Argenis Reyes is homegrown? Castillo has been in the organization longer than Argenis.
Not that I necessarily think this is a good argument in Argenis’ favor, but I think Manuel also counts when Argenis gets on base via a fielder’s choice. In reality, he didn’t do anything to get credit for but, lately, the Mets have been stringing some rallies together, so, he ends up scoring runs after getting on via a fielder’s choice. His name is mentioned as one of the players who scored a run so, in the most literal sense, he was “in the middle of the rally.”
I understand what you’re saying but that still makes zero sense since he’s making an out, and the guy who ends up being out would have been in scoring position. Would you rather have Reyes hit into a fielder choice and get on first or Castillo walk and get the same base without making an out.
If Manuel is actually thinking that then he needs to be fired at the end of the season.
We probably dont’ need Wagner back either then huh?
Don’t even say it in jest, or sarcastically, Ceetar! :D
Forget it. There’s two, and only two guys that say we are all wrong. That say Keith and Ron are wrong. That say Jerry is wrong. Cold hard stats are the only thing to go by in evaluating anybody, period. Thats why at the start of the season, on paper, the Mets are the best team in the league by far and they’re up by a dozen games over everybody. Oh, wait ….
Oops, sorry, three guys.
Not gonna blame Jerry for this one.
This is ALL Omar.
Omar should just stick to his full autonomy or whatever it is, and let Manuel MANAGE the team.
Castillo. Absolute disgrace. Did anyone see his pre-game interview… He looked as tired and smug as ever.
I don’t buy the “we can send X player down” because it is “only” until September 1, as if the Mets don’t have any important games to play between now and then.
I want the best team out there. Castillo should be on the outside looking in. IMO, he has brought little to nothing to the Mets since he was traded for, and even less since Omar foolishly handed him a 4 year deal.
Maybe if Manuel looked capable of managing the team?
But the best option for the Mets is Luis Castillo playing 2B.
He’s more capable than Willie was…
And honestly, I’d rather prop up a large sandbag in the infield than play Castillo.
He’d swing at just as many pitches…
And get on base more than Reyes and Easley too.
Oh, Mrs. Randolph! How are you? So sorry for calling you Mrs. Castillo before. I just couldn’t imagine anyone else supporting Luis.
T-Pac.
lmao
Why is he the best option? What in your opinion has Luis Castillo ever done with the Mets that you would say that? Have you been watching the Mets since he has been out? Do you really think he would have come up with the hits that Easley has provided? Do you really think he could make the defvensive plays Reyes has made? Are you looking at the the Castillo from the Marlins times- that guy is long gone!!! This is a broken down crippled version that can’t hit, run or field. Eat the contract…
Castillo was leading our team in avg with RISP so I’d say yeah he might be able to come up with the hits Easley has provided.
I must agree completely; the interview of him I saw just now made me sick. The only thing worse than his attitude is his range and his extra base power.
He *has* no extra base power…he doesn’t even have *outfield single* power!
That being said, he seems to be a bit of a “space cadet,” but I never got the impression that he had an attitude.
Re-Luis Castillo
Tell me what you think everyone, you HAVE to trade Luis Castillo. I don’t care if you have to eat the contract, eat half of it, or not get the value you think you should out of him. You must get rid of Castillo. I’m afraid that he’ll get in the locker room and sulk becuase he’s not the starter and that kills team chemistry. All of you are right, this one is 100% on Omar. Four years, are you kidding me?
He already looked to be in a sullen mood in his pre-game interview. He basically said he did not know what Jerry had in mind for him, but if he ends up on the bench… “I no care”…
His words.
I will admit that, even though I thought this was a bad contract from the start–the money was okay, but way too many years–I didn’t really think it would be as much of a problem as it already has been.
I agree that this situation is all on Omar. However, I rather have a bad signing than a bad trade. All you lose is money with a bad signing.
Not true.
You also are forced to play him, especially on the Mets where they almost always opt to NOT eat a bad contract.
I believe Manuel. I really think he wants no part of Castillo here, but will be forced to play him because Omar wants to somehow justify signing Castillo.
I don’t like this at all… not when the team is going great guns right now.
“Not true.”
Actually, it is true. There are what? 10 more days until September 1st counting today. That means the Easley-Reyes tandem will be broken up for 9 days. Then the rosters expand and you can have everyone up. It’s unlikely Easley will be back b/c of his age so next year they can have a Castillo-Reyes tandem at 2B. We can live with 9 days of Castillo starting.
Really – 2.5 games can go real quick and remember who we play next week – Phillies-Marlins and Brewers. This is critical time and we are playing with a guy who doesn’t give a s%%%%% about this team starting at 2B. BTW-you all remember he never wanted to play in NY when he was with the Twins and they were here about a year ago- what makes you think he wants to play here now. Show me the money but the attitude is the same.. he sucks
The Mets do catch a drop of a schedule break though in that the Phils get the Cubs for 4 and that head to head series is onlty a 2-gamer. Their mission is to capture at least 1 game at all costs and no less than a split of that series. Philly needs both.
That’s bogus, Manuel’s acted since taking over like he has nothing to lose, which he doesn’t, so he wouldn’t play Castillo unless you realizes, wisely, that it’s his best shot at the postseason and any prayer of staying the manager.
Seriously…did Willie Randolph run into a burning building and save one of your loved ones?
The Mets have to do what the Bucs did with Keyshawn Johnson a few years ago. Send him home until the end of the season and then dump him during the off-season to a team in need of a 2nd baseman (obviously eating at least 80% of the contract). I don’t care if Argenis’ numbers aren’t as good on paper, it’s not about that, the Mets have a great chemistry right now and this guy’s sullen mood is the last thing the Mets need in the clubhouse, especially with Reyes playing as well as he is right now.
Precisely.
yes because the mlbpa will allow that to happen…?
luis castillo is hardly the antichrist and let’s remember damion easley’s quad still hasn’t healed fully yet. a-rey is a nice player who can get better but let’s face facts. he’s not a pure hitter. if you’re not going to hit for much power, you had better be a high obp guy and he’s not. castillo is and when he got here he had the highest average on the team with risp. that means something.
let luis work his way back into the lineup and if he falls on his face then you have reyes as a backup plan. no harm, no foul. although i’m sure the haters will yap away anyway.
I’m one of them… this is no time to play with experimentation and hope LUISSS decides he wants to play with us. he is a negative plain and simple. BTW – where did you ever see Luis provide these big hits and OBP – does he ever swing at a first pitch… C’mon eat the contract…
The difference is that, in the NFL, the contracts are not guaranteed. If a team wants to dump a player, thats it–and they are not on the hook for the contract anymore (well, for the most part–obviously, they do guarantee some of it, with signing bonuses, and the like).
Mind you, I want Luis gone, but I’m not shelling out nearly $20 million for him the next 3 years.
once again. the mlbpa woulf file a grievance and win. this has nothing to do with the contract.
With Tatis back to PH’ing duties there is no reason to keep Cancel. Splitting up Evans and Murphy would be bad as they seem to help each other keep focus.
Cancel’s gone already. If you’re going to call up Castillo, the logical choice is to demote Reyes. Personally, I wouldn’t mess with the chemistry they have now by bringing back Slappy, but there are 24 million reasons why that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
On another note, I wonder what it would take to pry Oswalt away in the offseason…he’s a beast…
I wonder, just a thought….
why not send Stokes down for the 10 days, as our STARTERS are going great guns right now and we can afford one less arm in the bullpen, and then 9/1, everyone’s up…
window dress the bench w/ the stiff, luis castillo…
I will debate A. Reyes being supposedly “the worst player in the league” right now…
These stat hounds definately have some fine points SOMETIMES about players, but to LIVE AND DIE by it drives me nuts. If you actually watch games, you can see this kid’s contributions to the team, even though he doesn’t put up GREAT numbers, have really helped the energy and attitude (most importantly). There are no known stats, as far as I know, for attitude and energy…
For good reason — attitude and energy can’t help you win a game, at least not if they don’t translate into things like, I don’t know, hits.
I’d have the best attitude and most energy out of anyone if you put me on the big league roster, but I don’t think I’d help the team win.
true, but when you have BAD energy and attitude, you just hurt the team.
and the thing is, this team is much more exciting with the younger players. Luis is just representative of everything that was wrong with the Mets earlier this year.
pure bs. then say the same thing about delgado. oh but wait, delgado started hitting…so did reyes…and so did tatis and look what happened, the mets started winning games and everyone is smiling.
attitude and energy mean jack if you’re still losing.how’s david eckstein doing in toronto since he leads all of major league baseball in grit and energy according to people here.
For the most part, I agree that chemistry is a result of winning, not the cause. That being sad, I do also believe that bad chemistry (and attitude, energy, whatever) can contribute to losing.
As silly as it is to dismiss statistics (generally done by people who don’t understand them, or realize that the stats don’t support their beliefs), it is equally ignorant to dismiss things like attitude just because you don’t know how to quantify that. Your attitude and energy would be irrelevant because you don’t have the talent of those in MLB (presumably). All else being equal, I’d take that high-energy/good attitude guy over the sulky one.
ok, so you have a team full of high energy guys who don’t hit a lick and we’ll see what that gets you.
attitude does mean something but you still need the production. believing otherwise is pure idiocy.
THE TEAMS DOING GREAT AS IS….. WHY DONT THEY PUT LUIS ON DAY TO DAY AND CALL HIM UP ON SEPT 1
Castillo likes to frequent hip hop clubs more than he likes to play baseball.
Darn. My first live game in months tomorrow, and I have to see Castillo in person? I do still despise him as a Met, in case anyone was wondering!
but at least with Maine pitching, I (and every other fan) have a great chance of catching a foul ball!
It sucks they have to send someone down for Slappy but in reality it will only be for a little over a week until they are back up for Sept. call-ups.
I love the energy that Reyes brought to the team but I think that Murphy, Evans and with Church coming back you have to now look at production.
If Castillo and Easly platoon as Reyes and Easly did we should be fine. The main thing is I hope why’ll Castillo was on rehab he was watching Reyes play and come back with a little fire.
I will agree that after this year HE MUST GO!
The problem, in my opinion, is not demoting Argenis Reyes–I like him, but the Mets can win without him–it’s activating and starting Luis. Maybe he’ll at least be hitting 8th.
look, they’re going to give Castillo a shot to take his job back, however, the leash had better be short. The obvious choice to demote is Evans, because we now have Church back, and Tatis and Endy can spell both Murph and Church. You can’t have 6 outfielders. So what you do, is you play the hot hand in the infield, keep the leash short on Castillo and hopefully light a fire under him. He’s a winning player, he’s shown that in the past, and if he’s healthy, he’s a decent enough to good player, he just needs that fire lit under him, and having his job taken away will do that.
Unfortunately, none of our second base options are optimal. Heck, all of them pretty much suck. Argenis Reyes has a .297 OBP and.596 OPS, and that may be too high based on his minor league record. Damion Easley has been solid much of the past year and half, but lately he’s been terrible.
We all know about Castillo, but at this point the production we received from him in his past tenure with the Mets is easily the best of our options. That’s why you’ve got to give him significant playing time. I’m not a fan of a Castillo-Easley platoon because Castillo is a much better hitter vesus lefties. I’m not a fan of any platoon involving Argenis Reyes because he can’t hit minor league pitchers.
Castillo has been extremely consistent (although unspectacular at best) over his career, so taking the .350 OBP and moving forward (as long as it’s at the bottom of the lineup) is probably going to be your best bet, with some Damion Easley sprinkled in.
That might work if Luis could hit the ball more than 150 feet, and wasn’t always dealing with some injury that is a hinderance to his play.
Argenis Reyes can’t hit a ball 90 feet.
Unfortunately, just because you want that to be true, doesn’t make it so. The fact remains that, since Luis only bunts, Argenis can hit the ball farther just by having the pitch accidentally hit his bat.
The only thing Luis has going for him is his advantage in OBP–which is signficant (both the difference and the value of that difference). Still, factor in that his injuries render him constantly gimpy, and often unavailable, leaving the Mets with a short bench, not to mention his inability to hit a sac fly or get a multi-RBI hit, and the difference decreases signficantly. When there’s such little difference, the “if it ain’t broke…” principle should apply.
i will spell this out to you in the simplest terms i can think of. slugging percentage is a measure of a player’s power. it’s calculated by dividing total bases by at bats.
luis castillo’s slugging percentage is HIGHER than that of argenis reyes. why you think argenis reyes isn’t the same slap hitter that castillo is, i don’t know. easley’s slugging percentage isn’t even over .350 this year either.
also, why are you trying to diminish castillo’s advantage in OBP? OBP is the most important stat out of the 3 common offensive stats (BA, OBP, SLG).
EVEN IF JERRY DOES SEND DOWN REYES OR STOKES HE IS GOING TO CALL HIM UP ON SEPTEMBER 1 WHEN THE ROSTER EXPAND.
NICK EVANS CAN NOT GO THEN I BELIEVE MURPHY WILL DO BAD.
CAPSLOCK: UNLEASH THE FURY!
:P
I think Castillo will do well
LETS GO METS!
Send down Stokes.
Give Castillo three or four games to show us what he’s got, and unless he does really well after two games, start platooning him right away.
I like A. Reyes’ energy and attitude. Anyone who says chemistry doesn’t matter probably has little understanding of what makes a team play well.
Some of these posts are beyond belief! Did Castillo injure someone’s family? Good god!
Look, I like Reyes, but this is a pennant race, folks. I’m going to go with the guy with 2 World Series rings over the non-roster invite/career minor leaguer, thank you very much. In case anyone wants to go back and look, btw, Castillo hit a very respectable .296 as a Mets last year down the stretch. He’s been there. Reyes has probably never played in September anywhere.
And for all those with a hard-on for “homegrown” players…Argenis Reyes is no more homegrown than Castillo.
That said, I send down Evans here. Outfielder (Church) in, outfielder out. On any given day Chavez and either Church, Tatis, or Murphy is on the bench. That’s plenty. Keeping Reyes gives Manuel the flexibility to pinch hit for Castillo in a big spot while having a good defensive guy in reserve. Remember also Easley can play OF. Evans is not necessary – and Murphy appears to be a big boy who can make it 10 days without him.
Well, my mother is also a big Mets fan, and feels the same way about Luis as I do, so I guess, in a way, he *has* hurt a member of my family.
I don’t really know if putting Luis back in will do much, if any harm, but he should not be played because he played on teams that won the World Series 5 and 11 years ago. Using that logic, we should see if we can “pry” Miguel Cairo away from the Mariners. Or maybe coax Luis Sojo out of retirement.
honestly i think the biggest mistake this team can make is putting castillo back into the two hole. Lets be realistic here, Easily and argenis were playing very well at the position. I don’t know why we would mess with a good thing. That being said, i don’t mind castillo coming back as an 8th place type hitter.
As a 2 hitter he kills this team late in games. Check up on the stats, in close and late situations he’s hitting .100. That one week earlier in the season where we got swept by the braves he literally grounded into like 4-5 double plays that killed rallies for us.
Late in games teams aren’t afraid to pitch to the guy. There not going to walk him, so that leaves two possibilities, he either hits the ball weakly somewhere or he singles to left. Thats all he pretty much does.
If he comes up and plays well, so be it, however i hope jerry sticks to his work and plays the guys that are playing well. If castillo slumps he needs to be removed from the lineup immediately. I hope this organization doesn’t get caught up in trying to justify the contract they gave him.
You’re absolutely right – they are doing just that by letting this guy on the roster. He is a horrible #2 hitter and Jerry probably lost respect with the players all ready because he said that he was going to play the players that are producing and that Castillo would have to justify his position before getting into yje lineup. He didn’t – you will see soon enough what damage this can cause…
Let’s not get on Jerry prematurely. Giving your starting second baseman one start after coming off the DL does not constitute Jerry being a sell-out or not rewarding guys who perform. I think Manuel will play the guys who perform but Castillo has to play a few games for Jerry to make that determination, right? Besides, Damion “Hits dont come” Easley has been total crap the last week anyway and may need a rest. I am no Castillo apologist and hated the way he began the season, obp or not. He was a ground ball out machine. But then again so was Delgado. For the money we’re paying Luis he should get a fair shot at getting his job back. Like someone above said though, the leash should be short and one of those choker leashes people use on pitbulls.
I know, I know, the Easley joke is awful but I couldn’t help myself.
Perfect post regarding Castillo. Terrible #2 hitter and a Human Rally Killer. 8th place hitter I can live with, but NO WHERE NEAR the 2-hole.
Why not demote Joe Smith? He’s been pretty awful lately and has options.
I don’t see this as a bad thing. While the Mets have indeed been successful with Castillo on the DL, it’s not like A. Reyes has been an offensive threat. If you can keep both on the roster, it’ll turn out to be a spring training-type battle for the job. Since Jerry seems inclined to play the hot hand/bat regardless of the name or contract, then let these two battle for the job.
Maybe, as others have said, it lights a fire under Castillo — b/c a good Castillo is light years better than A. Reyes. And if Castillo continues to disappoint, then A. Reyes gets the bulk of the starts.
Anyone else bet that Castillo immediately gums up the works and constipates the offense in a loss tonight?
no, but i will bet that he gets on base more often than argenis reyes has.
As long as they don’t hit Castillo in the top of the line-up I’d love to have him back over Reyes or Easley.
A lot of people on here are throwing stats around to jusitfy starting Castillo. Here’s a couple of stats:
Record with Castillo starting: 30-34
Record with Castillo not starting: 42-23
the two are definitely related. castillo’s absence has caused reyes/wright/delgado/tatis to hit better, caused evans and murphy to play well, and has caused the starting pitching to improve. AMAZING.
So then we shouldn’t bring Church back either, right?
The ONLY stat that should count! End of story. Good post.
What will the “Castillo Apologist” say if this team AGAIN plays under .500 with castillo in the line-up?
Hey listen, I a Die Hard Mets fan since 1967, and I want nothing more than for Castillo to be his ‘OLE” self, but I see him as player on a major down slide at this point in his career and also a “negative” influence on this team. That’s just my opinion. Time will tell the true story about Castillo and the wins/Loss record record will back it up. plain and simple.
Let’s give him a shot (one last one) and see what he can do. Fingers crossed.
It would be very coincidental if the Mets should lose tonight on Castillo’s first game back! LOL
So you don’t want them to bring Church back either right?
great post dave27. I don’t know why everyone on here is so enamored with A. Reyes. He’s a nice little player, but in the heat of a pennant race, I’m going with the guy with 2 WS rings and a very respectable OBP.
I hope I’m wrong, but we will soon see again why so many people on here can’t stand Castillo and why the team was UNDER .500 when he played. I won’t even bother to throw out stats here becuase you will just spin anyway you like to either refute or support Castillo. But the fact of the matter is that this team plays better wihout him. If he was the Castillo of old, then I would have no problem with him starting, but he’s not.. He’s got two (not one, but two) bum knees and his range at 2nd has dramatically decreased. He also seems to be a “Human Rally Killer” when he bats in the 2-hole. His ideal of a productive AB is to bunt reyes over EVERY TIME therefore giving away an out autiomatically. I personally prefer a more productive bat in the 2-hole that can actually drive in Reyes home with a hard hit single or double up the gap.
You people on here who constantly throw out that we’re under .500 with Castillo in the line-up aren’t looking at the bigger picture. We also have better records with Church & Wagner out of the line-up….does that mean we don’t need them? The reason our record is better without Castillo has more to do with Delgado hitting better and our starting pitching performing like the # 1 starting staff in MLB. Trust me, as good as the team is playing now, Castillo’s experience will only help in a pennant race.
Your point is well taken, experience does play a key roll in a penant race. Fingers crossed Castillo will not mess up the team chemistry. You can’t “Quantify” chemistry with any stats but I believe it plays a huge factor in how a team plays and therefore in the win/’loss records.
By the way, what was he in the minors? something like 5-35? Correct me if I’m wrong. How will that translate to Major league pitching?
Ryan Church was 2 for 19…..I don’t care if he was 0-35 in the minors. The guy has been in the majors for 10 years, I think he knows how to hit MLB pitching.
just another quick stat on Castillo, if the Mets do in fact make the postseason, Castillo is a career .220 postseason hitter in 82 at bats….i am just saying that if the Mets do make the playoffs, how much can we count on a second basemen with bad knees, a bad hip, and all of the other injuries he has had (all of which neutralize his greatest aspect of the game, speed). Can we count on a guy who represents the lackluster and laid back attitude that Manuel has basically rid the team of?
If a ball is hit in the hole between first and second or up the middle in a pressure spot with the game on the line, is gimpy Castillo going to be able to make the play?? If the Mets need a stolen base in a tight spot, can he be counted on?
I am not saying that Argenis Reyes or Damion Easley are the answers at all, I am simply asking, do you trust Louis Castillo in a pressure situation? I don’t know how the Mets can solve their second base problem, but the solution that has been working best has been Reyes and Easley. Both of them have been doing OK in a pretty pressure filled pennant race. Every game is important and they have been getting the job done.
With Castillo back in the lineup the second weakness of the Mets becomes second base. And when Wags comes back, the bullpen will be fine, and the immediate weakness of the Mets becomes second base. Castillo is the walking wounded and brings back memories of a lazy team from last year, and at a time when Met fans are getting excited about the way the team is playing, this may be a true shot in the character, chemistry, and energy of this team.
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