Castillo a no-show, 2B scratched from today's lineup

According to multiple reports, Luis Castillo, who will either win a job on the 25-man roster in the next handful of days or be released, has yet to arrive at Phillies camp. According to Twitter reports, Charlie Manuel had him hitting second in today's lineup. Quipped one reader "He must have forgot his magic beans at home." Update: It doesn't end there. The Phillies also posted tomorrow's lineup, and according to reports, Castillo isn't in that one, either. Here passes the Luis Castillo era (March 21 - March 21).

Update 9:19 a.m. ESPNDeportes is reporting that Castillo is flying from Miami to Clearwater, will have a physical and may participate in a minor league game. Word is there was confusion over Castillo's hotel accommodations.

Comments

[Meyer]

"Wilson Valdez Appreciation Day"

[lorecore]

And CJ is missing too... coincidence?

[Andy]

Castillo missing?
Or is he in the movies -
under Potter's cloak?

[Meyer]

I think not.

[Andy]

This is the year: combined 45 HRs from Mayberry, Francisco and MiniMart.

(18, 26, 1 (a dispuited in the park home run on a chopper mishandled by the catcher which ticks off the 1b's glove rolls into the bullpen, under a mascot, and is retrieved late by the RF who stopped to get the phone number of the ball girl)

[denny b.]

Castillo is a loser.

[Bob]

Well, reports were that he has lost a lot of footspeed...

[R.Billingsly]

When I have confusion over hotel accommodations, I just don't show up. God forbid I reach into my mound of millions and pony up the $200 bucks to get a nice hotel room in Clearwater on my own, so I can participate in a Spring Training game with my new team that picked me up of the scrapheap, and is giving me an opportunity to play 2B for the favorite to win the NL.

Hotel accommodations? Come on. It could have gone a long way in overcoming the "bad teammate" stigma had he made the extra effort to get to that game.

Am I being too harsh on Castillo here? I know it's not that big of a deal, but it really irks me when things like this happen. It shows me that he is somewhat indifferent about the situation. He was released by a horrible team, with an allegedly horrible clubhouse, and picked up immediately by a perennial contender with an allegedly great clubhouse. Wouldn't you want to make a good impression? Getting scratched from potentially two lineups for confusion regarding hotel accommodations isn't a good start if you ask me.

[lorecore]

Alerady having a WS Ring and a guaranteed contract can do some wonders for your efforts of making a good impression.

[Meyer]

Good news is that he made it through security if he is in the air. Maybe he needed extra rooms for his entourage?

[GM-Carson]

Castillo is already a hot button issue with Phils fans and now this travel debacle. Not a good start.

[Meyer]

Classic. a Louie Louie Oh no, said we gotta go now yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

[Bowlcut]

Castillo is expected to arrive at 1 p.m. Ruben Amaro Jr. says he expects he will play tomorrow

Meh....much ado. He'll begin the process of being released tomorrow instead of today.

[Andy]

The worst part about all this: no matter what happens with Castillo, we're still out one Chase Utley.

The best part: if he makes the roster it automatically gives all of BL someone to rag about. (I'm not sure we've had such a unanimous gift horse since Adam "Don't Let the Damn Screen Door Pound Your Butt (Like Matt Stairs in a Happy Mood) on the Way back to Whatever Swamp You're Heading To" Eaton.)

[awh]

"When I have confusion over hotel accommodations, I just don't show up. God forbid I reach into my mound of millions and pony up the $200 bucks to get a nice hotel room in Clearwater on my own, so I can participate in a Spring Training game with my new team that picked me up of the scrapheap, and is giving me an opportunity to play 2B for the favorite to win the NL."

RBill, totally right. Totally.

According to b-r.com, Castillo, including his $6MM in 2011, will have made over $50MM in his career.

An, no, that is NOT a misprint.

Receptionist Answers Phone: "Hello, Clearwater Beach Marriott [(727) 596-1100]

LC: "Hey, Lady, you got any room tonight..I need room bad?"

Recep: "Yes, Sir, We do."

Case closed.

[Luis Castillo]

I called Scott Rolen when I signed and he said this is how you are supposed to do it.

[awh]

Andy, true. Some here do need a new whipping boy.

BenFran and RFD have performed well so far, so there has been minimal griping about them.

The infield troika already in camp (Barf, MiniMart, Orr) are replacement level at best so no one expects much anyway.

So, bring on Castillo.

Should be amusing around here for a few days.

[MG]

Its roughly a 4 1/2 drive (and less if you speed) from Tampa to Miami. Flying almost defeats the purpose since the flight time is an hour & have spend a fair amount of time at the airport before the flight.

Basically, it would have been easier to rent a car and just drive.

[Scotch Man]

Where's Brad Harman when you need him?

[awh]

In other news, Ryan Zimmerman and Mike Stanton of division opponents Washington adn Florida, respectively, are recovering nicely form their age-related injuries ("ARI's").

Stanton had a strained quad and has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game, and Zimmerman has a mild groin injury.

In other ARI news, the Nats top prospect, 18 year-old Bryce Harper, sprained an ankle playing RF yesterday. X-Rays were negative.

Washington GM Mike Rizzo, when hearing of the injury, said "Dammit, first Strasburg with an ARI and now Harper. If they were older they would have been smart enough to avoid it."

[GM-Carson]

In Austrailia

[awh]

mlbtr is reporting that Nate Schierholtz is on the bubble for the Giants.

Is he worth bringing in for depth if he's released?

He a LHB with pronounced reverse splits:

vs RHP: .249/.295/.373, 603 PA
vs LHP: .354/.390/.500, 155 PA

[dk]

somebody park a camper a la Rod Beck behind the stadium for the guy!

[bay_area_phan]

From David Hale at Delaware Online:

"And ESPN Deportes reports that Castillo refused to stay at the Extended Stay America I’ve been living out of for the last five weeks and wants an upgrade to the Motel 6. (OK, to be fair, I may have lost something in the translation there.)"

First of all, isn't Extended Stay America considerably nicer than a Motel 6? And second of all, if this has even a kernel of truth to it, then the Luis Castillo era will be over by opening day, if not considerably sooner.

[Meyer]

If Luis has any friends at Clearwater they better hurry to meet him at the airport.

[Shawn]

Per Wikipedia:

[Schierholtz] bats left-handed and throws right-handed. Schierholtz used to bat without batting gloves, one of the few Major Leaguers to do so, but switched to gloves earlier in 2010.

[awh]

mlbtr also has an interesting take on The Elite Shortstop Shortage
.

Makes me wonder what the Phillies will do with JRoll.

[awh]

Also, Tim Dierkes at mlbtr had this to say about JRoll:

"Despite Rollins' slipping on-base percentage, his 10.2% walk rate last year was a career-best. He still has good pop for a shortstop, and his defense remains well-regarded. If Rollins stays healthy and his batting average bounces back, he could be in line for a four or five-year deal worth upwards of $15MM a year."

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/03/rollins-talks-about-free-agency.html

In my considered, yet humble, opinion, if Jimmy Rollins can get 4-5 yrs at $15MM/yr from some team out there, then this will be his last season as a Philadelphia Phillie.

[bay_area_phan]

Schierholtz would be AAA depth for the Phillies, and nothing more. And not very good AAA depth at that.

[awh]

Also, Roto got their hands on a Uniform Players Contract.

If you want to take a look, it's here:

http://rotoauthority.blogs.com/files/mlb-contract.pdf

Lists all prohibited activities, etc.

[Steve The Met Fan]

Someone forgot to tell Looie that he is playing for his major league life. But such is life for a player who has always felt a sense of entitlement since he put on a Met uniform.

[MG]

I pity the team that would give JRoll a 4-5 yr/~$15M yr to a 33-year old SS.

[DPatrone]

On Castillo: Good maybe we'll release him before he plays a game.

[CJ]

I'm sure you were all waiting for me to chime in on my favorite player.

I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Word of the deal came down late Sunday and wasn't official until yesterday. Moving takes time and there's a lot to do.

Ah... screw it... I tried. He's a bum. This just hastens his departure.

I. Told. You. So. ;-)

[awh]

MG, I LOVE Jimmy Rollins.

That said, the Phillies would be fools - ABJECT FOOLS - to give him a 5/75 deal.

If that kind of contract materializes for him I think the situation will be similar to the one they just went through with Werth.

OTOH, if Jimmy really wants to stay in Philly, would he sign an extension during the season?

[CJ]

Stark tweets:

Charlie Manuel on if he's "disappointed" Luis Castillo hasn't arrived: "I don't get disappointed. I'm not disappointed."

... But when asked if HE'D have been here, Manuel said: "If it was me? I'd have been here 2 days ago. But it's not me"

[PhillyCuban]

@ awh
my take on that is that Bud Selid has a brutal signature,

On Castillo, I still think he has a solid chance of making the team. Obviously he shouldve busted his ass to make it there to play today. Hes only gonna be there a week, its not like he has to get his whole life together and move to the Gulf Coast. But being cut may not have made any dent into his alleged ego, so this news could indicate that he thinks he has a spot locked up. Who knows , just gotta let it play out

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Good thing Tim Dierkes isn't the Phils GM. Perhaps he's right, but 4-5 years at $15 mil sounds like a ton of money.

[awh]

CJ, I tried to demonstate yesterday, through the use of "acrobatic" stats, as you called them, that Castillo, despite his superior OBP, is just not much of an upgrade from Valdez - if at all.

If Castillo effs up and the Phillies dump him it will be HIS loss.

[NEPP]

Jimmy will get extended at some point as long as he's healthy this year.

On Castillo: Wow...hopefully this is just bad reporting.

[DPatrone]

If Dierkes was the Phils GM we'd be screwed. He hates the Phils.

[NEPP]

Nobody in their right mind would give a 32 year old SS a 5 year deal like that. Not in the post-steroids era.

[bay_area_phan]

CJ: This will make you feel better. My source tells me that the Phillies plan to cut Luis Castillo. Their new plan is to move Polanco to 2nd & bring back Pedro Feliz.

[CJ]

bap: Sounds good. Pedro Feliz brought us a World Series ring, right?

[NEPP]

Feliz could hit 25 HRs a year playing half his games at CBP.

[bay_area_phan]

If Rollins stays healthy and has another 2009/2010 type season -- .250-ish with 17 to 20 homeruns and Gold Glove caliber defense -- I'd see him getting around 3 years, $30M. The dollar amounts could obviously rise or fall depending upon his season & his health. But there is no way in the world I see him getting more than a 3-year deal anywhere. OTOH, I could easily see a 2-year deal if his numbers continue to drop or his health problems persist.

[CJ]

NEPP: And he is a wizard with the glove, maybe the best defensive third baseman this side of Zimmerman.

Viva Pete Happy!

[Jack]

Pretty sure everyone is massively overreacting to the Castillo thing.

As both Olney and Rosenthal noted on Twitter, players have personal matters to attend to. Let's remember these are real people, with real families. Have you guys ever switched jobs to new cities (4 hours away) in the matter of two days? I doubt it.

[CJ]

Jack: Blah, blah, blah. As Charlie said, he would have been there. So would have most players fighting for a job. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Castillo.

[CJ]

Jack: On top of that... how does it come as a surprise that he won't be there today? He's managed to make his manager and GM look like idiots. He should have told them he wouldn't be there until tomorrow.

[Meyer]

A temporary job 4 hours away?

[Old Phan]

He's one day late. What a catastrophe.

[awh]

bap, you joke, but if I were the Phillies I would sign every warm body I could to try to come up with a solution to the loss of Utley.

Atkins? Why not? Scheurholtz? Why not? If I'm a warm body I would seriously consider signing with the Phillies because there's a good chance that I'm going to see some playing time in south Philly this season.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Jack: I tend to agree a little bit. Castillo should know that he's on watch at this point, but who knows what is really going on. Beerleaguers believing what they want, as long as it confirms their opinions.

[Meyer]

Maybe Castillo found out that they were bringing him in to rest Valdez.

[NEPP]

One time I met Luis Castillo. Dude spit in my face and kicked my dog with no provocation.

[Shawn]

The Jimmy thing is just a reflection of the SS market. Are there a lack of SS prospects coming up through all of the farm systems in the MLB? Also,whether or not it is worth paying for the marginal WAR you gain from having a veteran SS with above average defense.

[Andy]

They should sign Feliz AND Castillo. That'd get us 25 HRs and 25 SBs. Easy. Puls Happy would save us a gazillion runs with his defense. (Heck, he'd probably cover so much ground on the left side that J-Roll could play right up the middle, leading to even better defense.)

Then we bring up Rizzotti and Galvis, dump those other stiffs and BAM, WFC!

[CJ]

Bed Beard: When the feelings you have about someone are true, they tend to do things that confirm those feelings. This isn't an aberration. This is Luis Castillo.

[MG]

I am in the 'massive overreaction' phase. If Castillo doesn't show up though in time for tomorrow's game especially after Amaro said he would earlier today, they yeah there is more legs to this story.

As Davey Lopes well knows, you don't contradict Rube after he makes a public statement.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I'm embarrassed that i'm in the "Castillo Defender" category, but i'm willing to submit that I have no idea what is really going on in this story and will wait for more information before I condemn him.

[Jack]

CJ: You know him personally?

I mean, look, if he was delayed because he beat the crap out of his wife on a public street and then got thrown in jail, then maybe I'd have some concerns about him as a person. Otherwise, I think it's a little ridiculous to try and claim that confusion over a flight and hotel status confirms something about a person you've never met.

[Meyer]

He's probably just a neat freak (non obsessive compulsive variety) who has a preference for clean hotel rooms and needs to have everything in order before he moves. I'm sure that's it.

[CJ]

Jack: Yep... just confusion over a flight and a hotel room. There's NO way to work around that and get here on time. Tough life this Castillo leads. Tough life.

[lorecore]

I hope Rollins gets extended midway thru this year - partly because that means he's healthy and playing relatively well.

I love Rollins but his cockiness would likely rub a lot of people the wrong way if negotiations started going public in the offseason.

[bay_area_phan]

It's really not a matter of condemning him. It's simply that the burden is on Castillo to prove, in 9 games, that he's still good enough to warrant a spot on our roster. Now the burden is on him to prove this in 8 games.

Luis Castillo certainly needs the Phillies more than the Phillies need Luis Castillo.

[Jack]

Again, all that matters here is whether over the next 9 days (now) he can show that he is a better option to start at 2nd Base than Wilson Valdez. That's the issue here. I agree that this snafu makes it harder for him because he has one less game to do that. But the idea that this says something more about him or whether he should be on the team is ridiculous.

He will make the team if they think he can play adequate defense and hit enough to get on base at a significantly higher clip than Valdez. If he can't, he won't make the team. Whether he can leave his rental home in Port St. Lucie and get to a hotel room in Clearwater doesn't appear to me to have any impact on or signify anything about his defensive range. But maybe I'm crazy.

[CJ]

A guy who can't make it from one part of Florida to another in two days clearly has a range issue.

[bay_area_phan]

"Whether he can leave his rental home in Port St. Lucie and get to a hotel room in Clearwater doesn't appear to me to have any impact on or signify anything about his defensive range"

Well, his range between Port St. Lucie & Clearwater evidently isn't what it once was.

[MG]

If Luis Castillo really wants to 'disappoint' Cholly, maybe he can suggest they take a break from drills to watch 'Gran Torino' in the clubhouse.

[CJ]

bap: I totally beat you to that one! And that we're competing over the same jokes scares me. It scares me a lot.

[bay_area_phan]

CJ: Yesterday, you wrote negative posts all day. Today, you write the same jokes as me. I'm just sayin'.

[Meyer]

I know this type. He's a perfectionist. One little roach and he swears off that hotel chain for life. I'll bet he washes his hands twenty times a day and only swings at strikes.

[Rex]

I have never ever seen any confirmation bias on beerleaguer. What a ridiculous thing to propose.

[mdz]

Rotoworld via NY Daily News says Phils ready to make a run at Michael Young. BS?

[R.Billingsly]

Have you guys ever switched jobs to new cities (4 hours away) in the matter of two days? I doubt it.

That's not exactly an apt analogy. He's not switching jobs. More apropos would be the following:

You are fired from your job at your floundering company, where your diminished skills leave you less prospects for rehire than they would have 5 years ago. A Fortune 100 company gives you shot in an office 4 hours from your home, but you need to start immediately to see if they will keep you past the alloted probation period.

I don't know about you, but I haul ass to my new office and make sure I get that job. I'll worry about my personal affects later.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

Meyer: Keep trying.

[Meyer]

And they get mopey if things don't go their way.

[CJ]

Rex: "I have never ever seen any confirmation bias on beerleaguer. What a ridiculous thing to propose."

Rex wins.

[CJ]

The Phils are making a run at Michael Young if, and only if, Polanco's injury is more serious that we know.

[bay_area_phan]

Ah, now it all makes sense. They signed Luis Castillo so they can trade him to Texas for Michael Young.

[jr]

Good deal for Castillo,gives him 1 less day to screw up.

[Bedrosian's Beard]

I'd think Young would mean Utley's injury is even more serious-season ending-then we know at this point. Polly can move to 2b, Young to 3b. Castillo can then remain at any motel he chooses.

[bay_area_phan]

Speaking of Michael Young, I read yesterday that Texas is now willing to eat half of his salary in order to move him. Michael Young at 3 years, $24M sounds a lot more attractive than Michael Young at 3 years, $48M. If the Rangers have any interest in Blanton, I could actually see a match. If Texas eats half his salary, it would be a salary-neutral move.

[Meyer]

"Heah Luis, why do you have 25 suitcases man"? "I packed 9 days of clean sheets, pillows, 100 pairs of clean underwear,...."

[donc]

Castillo is an ex-Met. Once a Met always a Met. Nuff said.

[cut_fastball]

Too much Michael Young talk. Why do I feel a serious injury to Polanco -- hidden in expert Phils' fashion -- is the 3rd leg of this rotten troika (Utley, Dom Brown, ????...).

[DPatrone]

BAP~ It is a match if Texas wants Blanton. I'm guessing that IF this happens assuming Texas does pay 24 million to the Phils, the Young will be in the OF next year, replacing Raul. Since we would only be paying 8 million a year for Young which which would actually save us 3 million when you compare Raul's 11 million to Young's 8.

[awh]

MLBTR's list of average comp by position for FA's. It's interesting, because it gives "some" perspective to what positions MLB teams value the most. Of course, the skill level of the players at those positions is what matters the most.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/03/average-free-agent-prices-by-position.html

[mm]

unfortunately Castillo has 6 million reasons to drag ass. If he's really as washed up as scouts say he is, then even if he works out this year(and my work out i mean put up close to his career average), he's probably only looking at a 1 year 2-3 million deal next year anyhow.

His only motivation is to say f-u to the mets and *possibly* win another world series.

[Jack]

Michael Young even at 3 years, $24 Million is far too much.

Young would receive only a 1-year deal at this point on the open market. Look at his seasons in 2008 and 2010.

While he would obviously be a nice addition to this year's team, I want nothing to do with Young's 2012 and 2013 seasons.

[Bonehead]

There is a slight (very slight) chance that Luis can significantly help this team.
I still very much want to use the next 9 days to give him that chance.

[Bonehead]

There is a slight (very slight) chance that Luis can significantly help this team.
I still very much want to use the next 9 days to give him that chance.

[awh]

Add another name to the awh ARI LIST:

Yankees outfielders Curtis Granderson has been diagnosed with an age-related right obliques strain.

THE ARI List(partial):

Strasburg
Harper
Stanton
Coughlan
Heyward
Granderson
J Upton
Medlen
Cueto
J Donald
Tulowitski
Jiminez
Zumaya
C Gomez
Hart
Greinke
Gillies
Cervelli
Chamberlain
A Bailey
D Brown
Cain
Wilson
Wainwright

[Bonehead]

oops

[awh]

From Roto:

"Luis Castillo believed he had all day Tuesday to report to Phillies camp.

At least, that's what a source with knowledge of the situation told Mike Sielski of the Wall Street Journal. Castillo was originally slated to play second base in the Phillies' Grapefruit League game Tuesday afternoon against the Blue Jays, but he had to be scratched because he had not yet reported to camp. Look for him to make his Phillies debut Wednesday."

[CJ]

Check out the Angles depth chart from MLB.com.

As I suspected, it has Macier Izturis starting at third. I suppose it could change, or that this depth chart is wrong, but it matches what I've read elsewhere.

Does that make Callaspo more available?

[Unikruk]

I dunno, CJ, I get the feeling that a lot of us here agree with you on Castillo to some degree, but the flurry of aggressive posting and premature 'I told you so' indicate a pretty severe bias that only you seem to have.

Hard to attribute a screw up to personality, though if you want to say he's a screw up who just can't get positive results, I'm willing to share that interpretation.

Also, the airport thing disturbed me, too. Hire a cab, rent a van, something -- lots of quicker, cheaper alternatives than flying.

[CJ]

They've got the radio feed going on MLB.com but the announcers are just doing mic checks. Sounds pretty funny. Can't wait for Larry Anderson to say something crazy!

[NEPP]

***The Phils are making a run at Michael Young if, and only if, Polanco's injury is more serious that we know.***

The Phillies FO says its a minor issue and that he'll play this week. They dont lie about such things.