When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

03.24.2008
Joe Castle

I was off the grid over the weekend and returned last night to find the Giants had a new third baseman, sort of. The facts: Jose Castillo is a 27–year-old utility infielder who has been dumped by two of the worst teams in the majors. His lifetime OBP is under .300. If he makes the majors he will earn $650,000. The Giants got him without trading anyone.

Jose Castillo the Realtor, not the GiantHe is so under-the-radar that an Image search on his name nets one photo before moving on to Cardinal Rosalio Jose Castillo, Jose Castillo of the Don Pepe Workshop in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Jose Castillo of Coral Shores Realty in Ft. Lauderdale, and Jose Castillo, skatedude of McMinnville, Oregon.

Castillo (the utility infielder, not the realtor) is also arguably the best personnel move the Giants have made this winter. Picking him up — instead of trading a promising pitcher or two for Joe Crede or Brandon Inge, their bad backs, bad attitudes and multimillion dollar salaries — shows understanding of the team’s needs and chances. Castillo is not the final piece of the puzzle. He is another body to throw out there in case Frandsen and/or Durham aren’t ready to start the season. He is low-cost help to plug a hole until better solutions come along, even if those solutions don’t come until July or next winter.

Castillo, who can be stashed at Triple-A if he doesn’t make the big squad, will provide insurance if Omar Vizquel is out longer than expected. If Brian Bocock is not the answer for the first week of the season, Castillo can start immediately and save the Giants the minor headaches of a) watching Bocock flail pathetically against major-league pitching and b) starting Bocock’s service clock, which has a snowball’s chance in heck of actually making a difference in their future plans.

Again, we praise Castillo for the negatory: he’s preventing the Giants from doing things they ought notta.

Let’s turn the corner on this post and ask a positive question or two: Could Castillo, who just turned 27, be a diamond-in-the-rough story who revamps his attitude — apparently a problem in the past — and finds his inner OBP in his late twenties? Could he become a useful player resurrected from the scrap heap who plays a key role on a good team?

His track record doesn’t scream “Talented guy just waiting for the big break,” though a defense lawyer might point out he was rushed to the majors at the age of 22 and never got more than 150 at-bats in a season. If you squint you might see a glimmer of youneverknow in his future. Which is more than we can say for this year’s Giants.

SMALL PRINT UPDATE: Pat Misch and Guillermo Rodriguez will start the year in Fresno. Vinnie Chulk will start the year on the DL.



Also on the Network:



[March 24, 2008 2:36 PM]  |  link  |  reply
MrLomez said

Stop stealing my jokes!

bayareasportsmachine.blogspot.com

[March 24, 2008 5:28 PM]  |  link  |  reply
ELM said

Hmm, I guess it wasn't as clever as either of us thought. Add to it Grant's post today at MCC, which is much like mine and yours (except for the brilliant Joe Crede Threat Meter), and it reminds you how hard it is to be original when you crank out the daily blog pudding.

[March 24, 2008 6:18 PM]  |  link  |  reply
MrLomez said

Marginally above average minds think alike, right? Or something like that.

[March 24, 2008 6:33 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Jonathan said

Keep it up Lefty. Grant does a nice job with some of his original commentary, but you have to wade through too many cheeky puns and Simpsons references to get to any intelligent discourse in the comments.

Can we make this blog a platform to fire Sabean and hire Paul DePodesta? Some qualifications:

1. The Giants have been terribly mismanaged since 2002. It’s truly remarkable how bad the farm system is above A-ball.

2. After the Giants lose 100 games in 2008, the expectations in SF’s front office will finally be appropriately set for a proper rebuild (the fans have been ready since 2005)

3. Depo learned at the feet of the best rebuilder in the history of the game (Beane).

4. Beane seemed to lose a step after Depo left.

5. The players Depo brought to LA (Ethier, Kent, Martin, Matt Kemp, Penny) are the core of the team now.

6. Depo was the victim of a smear campaign by the traditional media in L.A., it’s only fitting that a new media campaign bring him to power in SF.

7. If it is possible for a GM candidate to hate the Dodgers as much as we do as a collective fanbase, it must be Depo. He merely needs a proper outlet to repay them what they are due.

8. I personally thought Depo was a little too cocky as a 31-year-old GM. Now he is 35 and a father, let’s see what he does with a second chance.
______________________________________________________

[March 24, 2008 7:13 PM]  |  link  |  reply
bigO said

Kevin Frandsen might miss the entire season after further injuring his Achilles tendon, possibly rupturing it, this according to the AP. So much for Frandsen being involved heavily this year. With all the injuries on the Giants infield right now, Eugenio Velez appears to have fallen into a starting role with the team. Considering the fact he is raw the road could be bumpy, but Velez has a lot of speed, is hitting the heck out of the ball in spring, and certainly makes an attractive free agent pick up at this point