I don't get it... Again

Seems like only yesterday I was scratching my head wondering why the Phillies picked up Luis Castillo in the first place... now I'm wondering why they dropped him.

First, I don't understand the sudden love affair people have with Wilson Valdez. He started 88 games for the Phillies last season and performed admirably as a defensive replacement for Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Placido Polanco. But that's where his usefulness ends. He's a 32 year old AAAA player who held his own on defense, but grounded into 20 double plays into in 333 ABs. How bad is that? Once every 16 at bats he was responsible for 2 outs. Take into account the 86 times he was lucky enough to get a hit, and once every 12 at bats where he recorded an out, he actually created two outs! And how bad is that? Pablo Sandoval led the league with 26 GIDPs, but in 563 ABs. Once every 21 ABs for those without a calculator. Give Valdez that many ABs and he grounds into 34 double plays. THIRTY FOUR! That would be #3 on the All Time Single season list... (not that he'll ever get 500+ ABs) What I'm trying to say is he's not a good every day player. The value of having a Wilson Valdez on your team is in being able to use him a couple times a week at 2nd, 3rd and Short. He has the defensive range and can spell someone for a day. But he offers nothing else.

And why not Luis Castillo? Aside from no-showing his 1st day, he did nothing wrong. He was 0 for his first 8, but then started to string together hits. His fielding was never tested, and he was 1 for 1 on steal attempts. He's 34 (only two years older than the golden boy above), and has shown the ability to hit for average AND swipe a few bags. It seems to me as though the Phillies completely wasted his time this spring. To bring the guy in on a minor league contract that was only guaranteed if he made the roster, and then cut him loose for seemingly no reason is a slap in the face. It's almost as if Ruben Amaro, in his ultimate smugness, snagged him off the waiver wire just so no one else could have him for a few weeks. The only other reasonable explanation is that Ruben knows something we don't (trade? Utley is feeling much better?)

As for the other dishrags that will be spending time plugging the hole as 2nd Base, Pete Orr and Michael Martinez aren't exactly names that make one do a double take. Martinez is a Rule 5 guy that the Phillies swiped from the Nationals in the draft. He's hit for decent average in the minors the past few years but done little otherwise. To keep him, naturally, he has to stay on the 25 Man Roster. So either they see something I don't or he has pictures of Charlie Manuel in a compromising position. Pete Orr is a 2B/OF type much in the same mold. I could throw a rock from my front porch and hit two guys in the neighborhood with the same skills as Pete Orr. But both of these guys are now going to make the squad over Delwyn Young and Josh Barfield; two of the hottest hitters of the spring and both young guys with substantial major league playing time. Again, a head scratcher...

It doesn't get much better with pitching... Michael Stutes has been amazing this pre-season, and both Mike Zagurski and Scott Mathieson were impressive early. The three of them will be sent down in favor of Danys Baez, David Herndon, and Antonio Bastardo. Baez is about as useful as a paperweight, Herndon is a mop up guy, and Bastardo make me yawn and say "meh." Guys like those three fall out of trees in the majors anymore. But Stutes, Zagurski, and Mathieson are young fireballers who have each had something to overcome and worked their tails off for spots. Who has more fire that can help propel the Phillies to another World Series? Danys Baez and his career $40M worth of stolen paychecks, or Scott Mathieson and his two Tommy John surgeries and desperate attempt to sniff big league glory?

I'm not as down on the squad as this post seems, but I sure would like to be a fly on the wall when these decisions are made. Still looking at 97 wins and a division title.

Phils Spicing Up the On-Deck Series

First, that's a pretty sweet SI cover. Hard to believe that up until about 3 years ago, the Phillies had only graced the cover of SI about a half dozen times. I'm struggling to find the info to back that up so you'll just have to take my word on it... 2nd year in a row for Doc.

Anyway, I'm surprisingly excited about tonight's game. A co-worker handed me some pretty nice seats for free. If you don't have a set of your own, a cool 89 cents should get you in the gate. What makes this on-deck series so special?

"The Phillies On-Deck Series features a spring-training like atmosphere filled with plenty of prizes and surprises! Both games include a mini-fan appreciation day, unique player and alumni interactions with fans, merchandise specials, entertainment, and more!"

I don't really know what that means, though it's been suggested that certain active and former players may be meandering around the concourse doing a little meet and greet with the fans. I wouldn't mind rubbing elbows with a few Phils while standing in line for crab fries.

Other things to look forward to:

• Roy Oswalt throws today. I'd expect to see him stretched out for about 5 innings.
• Luis Castillo will almost certainly see significant playing time.
• New video board and 800+ new TVs.
• New food stands.
• Complete remodel to the Majestic Store.

44 Degrees an Sunny for the first pitch. Not exactly the shorts and t-shirt weather we had for Opening Day in DC last year, but I've had a blast at games with far worse weather (see: Game 3, 2008 World Series). I realize I'm psyching myself up for a meaningless game, but unless one of you wants to send your favorite blogger to Friday's game on your dime, I'm going to have to settle for meaningless baseball this week!

Wait, we signed who?

No, I haven't been wallowing in self pity over my first round loss in ThePhield or hiding under a rock the past three days. In fact, I've been in a place the locals call "Baseball Heaven". Though, unless you're thing is a car full of sloppy looking Latino chicks flashing you on the highway at midnight (yes, that happened), I don't exactly consider St. Louis heavenly. Why a city would plop a beautiful stadium in the Midwest equivalent of Camden is beyond me, but I digress...

So, Luis Castillo, huh? We're going to replace a top three second baseman with a castoff from our enemy who can't make it to his first game on time. More than a bit of a head-scratcher to me, but maybe that's why I build houses for a living instead of running baseball teams. There's pros and cons and at the end of the day it's a move that's worth trying, but that doesn't mean I agree with it.

First, the good... he's a three time All Star and Gold Glover who pokes singles like they're going out of style and has stolen a bunch of bases in his career and has put up respectable numbers as recently as 2009 and only signed a minor league deal worth a few pennies. He's definitely a small ball player which was one of my 2011 predictions.

That's all I got for the good.

The bad... well, I'm going to need bullet points for this one

• He's 35 years old. We're already the oldest team in the majors and he shifts the curve further in the wrong direction. He's already started to show that there's not much left in the tank...
• Remember all those reasons I said Lastings Milledge might be a good fit? Those are the same reasons why Luis Castillo is not. There's a difference between a 26 year old with an attitude problem and a 35 year old. Castillo is proof that a Leopard cannot change his spots and has had more than his share of 2nd chances. 
• Number 1 is retired in Philadelphia.
• He has zero pop. That was acceptable when he was a 62 SB threat. That's no going to happen at his age.
• His 2010 was dreadful. Wilson Valdez out-performed him in just about every category. His season ending "bruised" heel was the equivalent to putting an injured horse out of its misery.
• He was cut by the Mets. Seriously. If the welfare bound Mets are willing to swallow $6M and let him walk away in favor of three guys who aren't even a blip on anyone's radar, what value does he really have?
• His signing takes away opportunities from guys who have done everything right this spring. I know how meaningless ST is to most people, but Josh Barfield, Wilson Valdez, and Delwyn Young have had impressive springs. These three guys have more to lose than Castillo and are simply more hungry for a job.

Sure, this is the epitome of a tiny risk, medium reward move. If he pulls his diva routine or stinks it up, the Phillies can cut him and go back with the Valdez/Barfield/Young/Orr/Martinez Plan B. If he gets his act together, maybe he can stick it to the Mets once or twice and give us a solid OBP. But I'm doubtful we'll see any of the latter. It's not my favorite move ever, but it's certainly no Adam Eaton.