Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 by Adam Wagner
Jose Castillo . . . Pirate no more
Jose Castillo was officially signed by the Florida Marlins on Christmas Eve, moving the infielder from the team that was once the face of Latin American players to the team that is quickly establishing itself as the cheapest team in baseball.
When he burst onto the scene in 2004 as the starting 2B, making the leap straight from AA Altoona to the majors, Castillo was an all-field little-hit shortstop just making the transition to second base. He quickly became an adept fielder at the position, forming one of the more entertaining double play combos in baseball with Jack Wilson. Castillo began bulking up in 2005, however, hitting 11 home runs (with 14 more coming in 2006). He has, however, lost his power, going the entire 2007 season without hitting a home run.
During his time as a Pirate, Castillo proved to be at least a valuable bench player due to his versatility. Beyond that, however, he never into the power hitting infield star that he had the potential to become. To make things worse, his attitude turned sour after he was demoted to the bench in favor of NL Batting Champion Freddy Sanchez last season.
Castillo will definitely have a chance to start, either at 2B or 3B (with Dan Uggla taking the other spot), with the Marlins. Maybe he will perform the best, in a carefree atmosphere on a team that is expected to lose.
Another concern about Castillo is that he gained weight over the last two offseasons, which could be a case of deja vu for Florida, considering that they just dumped Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera is a legitimate star who also has problems controlling his weight, cutting down on his movement just as much as it cut down on Castillo’s.
Castillo is still a young player and could still bust out, but has not quite reached the expectations placed upon him. If he does not, he will make Neal Huntington look smart. If he comes anywhere close, he will make Huntington look like an idiot.
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