Rusney Castillo Conundrum

[GaryPeters71]

Scott Lauber ‏@ScottLauber  2m2 minutes ago
Farrell on Rusney: "He needs to get back to playing every day. He needs to get back in the rhythm of the game." #RedSox

 

[nattysez]

 
Scott Lauber ‏@ScottLauber  2m2 minutes ago
Farrell on Rusney: "He needs to get back to playing every day. He needs to get back in the rhythm of the game." #RedSox
 

 
Says the guy who controlled how much Rusney was playing in the majors.  Farrell is truly a dope.

 

[moondog80]

 
Says the guy who controlled how much Rusney was playing in the majors.  Farrell is truly a dope.

 
I think implicit in the statement was that he hadn't earned the everyday job.

 

[MikeM]

 
Maybe he just needs a season of at-bats in the minors to acclimate to US Baseball. 1 season isn't make or break for Castillo. 

 
It ultimately may not turn out to be make or break, but i'm having a really hard time trying to rationalize that we would have handed Castillo that contract with a belief that he would need to spend a season hitting AAA pitching as a 27-28 year old. 
 
Or that Ben is really that high on De Aza for that matter.

 

[AimingForYoko]

It took them long enough. I don't see this move as him being a bust btw. And if JF isn't going to play him everyday, then he should be with a team that will.

Allen Craig has played more baseball recently.

 

[moondog80]

Anyone know if he's in the lineup at Pawtucket?  Considering going if he is.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

To me this indicates that Farrell, at least, doesn't view 2015 as entirely lost just yet, and doesn't want to sacrifice wins and losses at the altar of getting ABs for Castillo (or JBJ for that matter) against MLB pitching. 

 

[Rasputin]

When's Vic coming back?

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Anyone know if he's in the lineup at Pawtucket?  Considering going if he is.

 
Tonight?  Doubtful.  He was packing his Fenway locker up less than an hour ago.  It's a short drive down 95, but he'd probably be arriving just before game time.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

When's Vic coming back?

 
I think he and Nava have been sent to a farm upstate somewhere.
 
EDIT: Wait, there's a serious answer to this now. He might start a rehab assignment this week.

 

[moondog80]

 
Tonight?  Doubtful.  He was packing his Fenway locker up less than an hour ago.  It's a short drive down 95, but he'd probably be arriving just before game time.

Wasn't sure if maybe he got the news earlier and was already there. Oh well. T-storms anyway.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Scott Lauber ‏@ScottLauber  31m31 minutes ago
Farrell noted Castillo is being pitched differently than when he arrived in big league. Challenge now: Adjusting back
 
So, he has to adjust in AAA to the way they are pitching him in the majors.

 

[nattysez]

 
I think implicit in the statement was that he hadn't earned the everyday job.

 
77 PA tells you very little either way.  This is pure mismanagement.
 

 
Scott Lauber ‏@ScottLauber  31m31 minutes ago
Farrell noted Castillo is being pitched differently than when he arrived in big league. Challenge now: Adjusting back
 
So, he has to adjust in AAA to the way they are pitching him in the majors.
 

 
I desperately hope the beat writers are not going to swallow this illogical b.s.  

 

[rembrat]

Good maybe he can work on his defense in RF as well. 

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

Will Farrell find a way to keep him out of the AAA lineup too?

 

[JohntheBaptist]

 
Says the guy who controlled how much Rusney was playing in the majors.  Farrell is truly a dope.

Yeah I have to be honest, I think I give managers more rope than many, but the whole RC thing has finally turned me on Farrell. Not frothing at the mouth or anything but that quote, gosh, come on man.

 

[The X Man Cometh]

Yeah I have to be honest, I think I give managers more rope than many, but the whole RC thing has finally turned me on Farrell. Not frothing at the mouth or anything but that quote, gosh, come on man.

 
You're turning on Farrell for not playing a guy who was hurting the team when he played?
 
Rusney has a lot of work to do, presumably off the field as well as on it. 77 AB isn't a lot but he was lost at the plate. Why should it be at the expense of the big club?

 

[E5 Yaz]

 
You're turning on Farrell for not playing a guy who was hurting the team when he played?
 
Rusney has a lot of work to do, presumably off the field as well as on it. 77 AB isn't a lot but he was lost at the plate. Why should it be at the expense of the big club?

 
That's not the issue being debated. Farrell said he has to make adjustments to his approach based on the way major league pitchers are attacking him. That's fine, but it seems as though it will be difficult to do in the minors

 

[Harry Hooper]

 
That's not the issue being debated. Farrell said he has to make adjustments to his approach based on the way major league pitchers are attacking him. That's fine, but it seems as though it will be difficult to do in the minors

 

And the minor league pitchers are now going to ignore the weaknesses that were exposed in the Bigs?

 

[JohntheBaptist]

 
You're turning on Farrell for not playing a guy who was hurting the team when he played?

Yeah thats what I'm doing.

 

[E5 Yaz]

 
And the minor league pitchers are now going to ignore the weaknesses that were exposed in the Bigs?

 
If they pitch him the same way and he adjusts, the argument will be made that he can only adjust against minor league pitching.
 
If he doesn't adjust, it won't matter

 

[The X Man Cometh]

Yeah thats what I'm doing.

 
 
OK. Difference in opinion. I don't think that's fair.  Farrell's job is to lead the team. Playing a sub-replacement player everyday, over more competent teammates, hurts the team in the short run and has to be frustrating and demoralizing for the players who are themselves trying to win. With Victorino (who mashes lefties and is by all accounts still one of this team's better players) on the way back, either de Aza or Castillo was going to be shelved soon anyway, at least until a Vic trade materializes or they give the manager a reason to think they deserve to play.
 
Castillo hasn't earned any rope, and has looked absolutely lost at the plate, so I'm not going to complain when he isn't given any. He has plenty of time to prove himself useful for us.

 

[grimshaw]

I don't mind piling on JF a bit, but Cherington is the one who sent Castillo down.  The (public) reasoning may be weak, but its not like Farrell is on his own island about the guy.
 
Unless he's pulling an Art Howe to Billy Beane.

 

[Plympton91]

 
It ultimately may not turn out to be make or break, but i'm having a really hard time trying to rationalize that we would have handed Castillo that contract with a belief that he would need to spend a season hitting AAA pitching as a 27-28 year old. 
 
Or that Ben is really that high on De Aza for that matter.

 
They spent the same amount of money on Moncada, and he's struggling in low-A.  I know there's a difference in age and development, but paying $30 million to a player in the minors is paying $30 million to a player in the minors.  
 
It is not a black mark if Castillo couldn't acclimate immediately after 2 years off and a winter of injuries.   If he goes down and puts up a 900 OPS in AAA while re-sharpening his defense, as he appears perfectly capable of doing, and then provides $15 million of value per year for the last 5 years of his contract, that's perfectly acceptable.    If he goes down and puts up only a 750 OPS while playing persistently poor defense, that is another story.
 
We shall see how it goes; but at least those of us who said he needs to be playing everyday either in Boston or Pawtucket are vindicated by Farrell's reversal today.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

I don't mind piling on JF a bit, but Cherington is the one who sent Castillo down.  The (public) reasoning may be weak, but its not like Farrell is on his own island about the guy.
 
Unless he's pulling an Art Howe to Billy Beane.

Cherington sent him down after he rode the bench for a week. I don't think it takes much to deduce Farrell's opinion of the guy.

 

[mauidano]

Cherington sent him down after he rode the bench for a week. I don't think it takes much to deduce Farrell's opinion of the guy.

Yoenis Cespedes and Rusney Have something else in common other than Cuban baseball players!

 

[chrisfont9]

Ya know, the only thing I think the Sox have bungled here is managing expectations. The guy was out of Cuban baseball for two years and had never played in the US. Then he has some minor injuries, presumably not entirely unrelated to being inactive so long. It would have been nice to see him succeed from day 1, but how many players do that, even under normal circumstances? I think it's silly to be making pronouncements on the contract he got right now. But in part this is the Sox' bullishness and media optimism getting in the way of reality.

 

[mauidano]

Ya know, the only thing I think the Sox have bungled here is managing expectations. The guy was out of Cuban baseball for two years and had never played in the US. Then he has some minor injuries, presumably not entirely unrelated to being inactive so long. It would have been nice to see him succeed from day 1, but how many players do that, even under normal circumstances? I think it's silly to be making pronouncements on the contract he got right now. But in part this is the Sox' bullishness and media optimism getting in the way of reality.

A lot of truth in all of this!

 

[JohntheBaptist]

 
 
OK. Difference in opinion. I don't think that's fair.  Farrell's job is to lead the team. Playing a sub-replacement player everyday, over more competent teammates, hurts the team in the short run and has to be frustrating and demoralizing for the players who are themselves trying to win. With Victorino (who mashes lefties and is by all accounts still one of this team's better players) on the way back, either de Aza or Castillo was going to be shelved soon anyway, at least until a Vic trade materializes or they give the manager a reason to think they deserve to play.
 
Castillo hasn't earned any rope, and has looked absolutely lost at the plate, so I'm not going to complain when he isn't given any. He has plenty of time to prove himself useful for us.

I was being sarcastic. Its mismanagement, it didnt need to be him starting, and it didnt need to be him rotting away on the bench for a few weeks when he could have been in AAA. The quote he gives as a reason for it strikes me as a cherry on the whole roster issue sundae.

But, agreed, difference of opinion. Like I said, not frothing at the mouth about it, this was just my line in the sand I guess. Been a long time sucking, it was bound to happen.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

I'm still curious what Castillo's defenders see in him, other than being an unknown that people can project their wishes upon. He has proven nothing in US baseball.
 
2014:
8 games in Arizona Fall League
10 games in Puerto Rico Winter League
10 games as a call-up 
 
2015:
18 games in Pawtucket
26 games in Boston (.230 / .260 / .284)
 
He's sporting one of the worst slash lines imaginable for a major league outfielder
 
Castillo's got a lot of potential, but as someone said above - what justifies him forcing another major leaguer to the bench? Other than career advancement...

 

[chrisfont9]

I'm still curious what Castillo's defenders see in him, other than being an unknown that people can project their wishes upon. He has proven nothing in US baseball.
 
2014:
8 games in Arizona Fall League
10 games in Puerto Rico Winter League
10 games as a call-up 
 
2015:
18 games in Pawtucket
26 games in Boston (.230 / .260 / .284)
 
He's sporting one of the worst slash lines imaginable for a major league outfielder

in 77 at bats! Or 117 including last year. You want a list of all the major leaguers who didn't do much in their first 117 ABs? Obviously the scouts see tools, and not just our scouts but the other teams who competed for him. Seems equally clear he is being sent down in order to get his development curve moving faster. The only thing that's even slightly concerning is that he's already 27, but whose fault is that? Castro's? It's not a reflection of his stalling out in the minors.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

I'm still curious what Castillo's defenders see in him, other than being an unknown that people can project their wishes upon. He has proven nothing in US baseball.
 
2014:
8 games in Arizona Fall League
10 games in Puerto Rico Winter League
10 games as a call-up 
 
2015:
18 games in Pawtucket
26 games in Boston (.230 / .260 / .284)
 
He's sporting one of the worst slash lines imaginable for a major league outfielder
 
Castillo's got a lot of potential, but as someone said above - what justifies him forcing another major leaguer to the bench? Other than career advancement...

I guess I'm not defending Castillo necessarily, but I do think it is a sudden and odd reversal. If they thought he was capable of contributing at the MLB level at some point this year, why not give him more of an opportunity to do so? If they though he would need more time, why call him up after only 18 games? It wasn't like he was banging down the door when they brought him up.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

in 77 at bats! Or 117 including last year. You want a list of all the major leaguers who didn't do much in their first 117 ABs? Obviously the scouts see tools, and not just our scouts but the other teams who competed for him. Seems equally clear he is being sent down in order to get his development curve moving faster. The only thing that's even slightly concerning is that he's already 27, but whose fault is that? Castro's? It's not a reflection of his stalling out in the minors.

 
Ooh.  Ooh.  How about everybody's favorite example of slow starts as a big leaguer....first 116 PA, 210/278/305, wOBA of 45.
 
Castillo is adjusting to a new country, a new family, and a new lifestyle after a couple years of sparse playing time at best.  Let's not abandon all hope because he's a bit slow out of the gate.
 
Perhaps Castillo being sent to Pawtucket has nothing to do with his big league performance.  Maybe Pawtucket just needs an outfielder more than Boston now that Bryce Brentz is on the DL for the next three months following thumb surgery.  Pawtucket has an International League title to defend/win.

 

[chrisfont9]

I guess I'm not defending Castillo necessarily, but I do think it is a sudden and odd reversal. If they thought he was capable of contributing at the MLB level at some point this year, why not give him more of an opportunity to do so? If they though he would need more time, why call him up after only 18 games? It wasn't like he was banging down the door when they brought him up.

Legit question. Injuries, in part. Impatience, or desperation, considering how the season started (and continued)? 

 

[rembrat]

If they though he would need more time, why call him up after only 18 games? It wasn't like he was banging down the door when they brought him up.

 
The Sox were in the midst of an epic slide and bringing up Rusney Castillo was one of the first moves when they attempted to "shake up the roster." He promptly provided nothing and was overmatched out of the gate. 

 

[chrisfont9]

 
77 PA tells you very little either way.  This is pure mismanagement.
 
 
I desperately hope the beat writers are not going to swallow this illogical b.s.  

I'd suggest reading the whole explanation:
 
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/red_sox_mlb/clubhouse_insider/2015/06/savior_to_superfluous_red_sox_send_rusney_castillo_back
 
It's a bit more logical than the cherry-picked tweets.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Castillo is adjusting to a new country, a new family, and a new lifestyle after a couple years of sparse playing time at best.  Let's not abandon all hope because he's a bit slow out of the gate.

 
Since when is common sense allowed in here?

 

[JohntheBaptist]

I'm kinda shocked two longtime posters consider that a significant sample, especially considering he showed none of that in his stint last year and drew impressive quotes from Cora in the AFL. They were bad plays but they were from a guy were all saying needs some acclimating.

And then fine- he gets called up, makes these mistakes and you determine he needs seasoning, so he sits on the bench... until he doesnt, and now we need to get him ABs.

Im not so tied to his being a definite contributor at any point but he was a significant investment and theyve been dicking him around now since the Spring.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

I'm kinda shocked two longtime posters consider that a significant sample, especially considering he showed none of that in his stint last year and drew impressive quotes from Cora in the AFL. They were bad plays but they were from a guy were all saying needs some acclimating.

And then fine- he gets called up, makes these mistakes and you determine he needs seasoning, so he sits on the bench... until he doesnt, and now we need to get him ABs.

Im not so tied to his being a definite contributor at any point but he was a significant investment and theyve been dicking him around now since the Spring.

 
I can buy into the notion of them "dicking him around" in the past week or two with De Aza getting the starts ahead of him.  But since the spring?  I don't see it.  He got hurt in the first week of spring training and came back with a week or so to go.  So due to the missed time, he "lost" the competition to make the big league roster to Victorino/Betts and they sent him to Pawtucket to open the season.  Where he promptly got hurt again and missed a few weeks.  He came back from that, got 3.5 weeks of steady playing time then got called up.  That's not dicking him around, that's him failing to stay healthy consistently (whether that's in his control or not).

 

[Harry Hooper]

I'm kinda shocked two longtime posters consider that a significant sample, especially considering he showed none of that in his stint last year and drew impressive quotes from Cora in the AFL. They were bad plays but they were from a guy were all saying needs some acclimating.

And then fine- he gets called up, makes these mistakes and you determine he needs seasoning, so he sits on the bench... until he doesnt, and now we need to get him ABs.

Im not so tied to his being a definite contributor at any point but he was a significant investment and theyve been dicking him around now since the Spring.

 
 
I think you're talking this for more than it was, just a bit of happy talk on his demotion to avoid saying something like "He's unprepared for MLB."

 

[Pumpsie]

Can't blame Farrell for Castillo's lack of PT.  Farrell is battling for his job and the season is on the brink.  The Sox need to win...right now.  It makes no sense for Farrell to play someone who will make winning that particular game more difficult.  Not a knock on Castillo but that was just the situation.  Perhaps the Sox thought he could add a little energy to the lineup...but he didn't.  With Holt playing really well and Victorino coming back soon, there's no place to play him regularly the way this roster is set up.  If Castillo starts turning it around at AAA and there's an injury or someone is traded, then that would be a better time to plug him in on a regular basis.

 

[NDame616]

I'm somewhat concerned at what this move means in terms of how the FO and management view this season. Personally, I think it's a lost season and I think we aren't going to do anything. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I think. I'd rather see what a 28-year-old Castillo has in a full year at the majors, instead of sending him down to AAA and hit OK again until he gets called up again. So what's the plan? Put him down there for a month to six weeks and wee what he has against expanded rosters in September?
 
I guess I'd rather see him get 450 ABs this season and go into 2016 knowing what we have in him. Because now we are sending him down, he'll probably hit well in AAA and come back up, and we will go into 2016 thinking "well, what IS he exactly?"
 
If you're looking at 2016, I think having Castillo getting everyday ABs in the majors is best, one way or another.

 

[JohntheBaptist]

 
I can buy into the notion of them "dicking him around" in the past week or two with De Aza getting the starts ahead of him.  But since the spring?  I don't see it.  He got hurt in the first week of spring training and came back with a week or so to go.  So due to the missed time, he "lost" the competition to make the big league roster to Victorino/Betts and they sent him to Pawtucket to open the season.  Where he promptly got hurt again and missed a few weeks.  He came back from that, got 3.5 weeks of steady playing time then got called up.  That's not dicking him around, that's him failing to stay healthy consistently (whether that's in his control or not).

This is fair. Y'all have talked me down significantly, good points all. I think they could have handled his roster spot on a few stops along his path so far a bit better but perhaps theres something else at play that slowed it down; he is going to get regular ABs now, so lets hope he can get his legs.

The roster has been a bit of a puzzle this year more than most and nobody's perfect but I have had qualms with their handling of issues here and there but reasonable soshers can disagree.

 

[Plympton91]

He makes these mistakes and you determine he needs seasoning, so he sits on the bench... until he doesnt, and now we need to get him ABs.

Im not so tied to his being a definite contributor at any point but he was a significant investment and theyve been dicking him around now since the Spring.

This.

What is it that people think those of us criticizing the decision to have Castillo sit on a bench all last week are defending?

I'm not saying he should be starting in RF for Boston. I'm saying if he's not starting in RF for Boston, he should be starting in RF for Pawtucket.

Not a single person defending Farrell or Cheringron has made a coherent argument for why they treated this situation the way they did.

We know Farell decided a week ago not to start Castllo. That was a reasonable decision given the performance. At that point the only rational option was to send him back to AAA. Case closed.

 

[AB in DC]

Yeah, I'm not sure what people are complaining about here.  He's been out of action for most of two years -- he needs some more playing time.

 

[MikeM]

 
They spent the same amount of money on Moncada, and he's struggling in low-A.  I know there's a difference in age and development, but paying $30 million to a player in the minors is paying $30 million to a player in the minors.  
 
It is not a black mark if Castillo couldn't acclimate immediately after 2 years off and a winter of injuries.   If he goes down and puts up a 900 OPS in AAA while re-sharpening his defense, as he appears perfectly capable of doing, and then provides $15 million of value per year for the last 5 years of his contract, that's perfectly acceptable.    If he goes down and puts up only a 750 OPS while playing persistently poor defense, that is another story.
 
We shall see how it goes; but at least those of us who said he needs to be playing everyday either in Boston or Pawtucket are vindicated by Farrell's reversal today.

 
So what, now we are upping the stakes to include a concession on his first full season, while increasing the need for him to be worth even more on a per/year basis? Seems like a fairly poor betting line being laid on an unproven 27 year old outfielder of his pedigree if you ask me. 
 
Outside the shiny factor, it's no secret i'm not the biggest fan of the buy in price on Moncada either btw. At least as long as the Sox still exist in a world where they let players we'd otherwise want walk over a couple extra million dollars a year. 

 

[Plympton91]

I think that's legit too. Castillo and Moncada are huge gambles by this front office. If they bust, the team will be hurt far more than the $/WAR and age-regression purists of SOSH will ever admit.

 

[Yelling At Clouds]

It just seems like we have these conversations about guys who show up here from AAA and struggle fairly often. And yeah, there's usually an excuse or other explanation for the struggles, fine. But the instances have been accumulating. At what point do we ask if there's something else going on with the team that's larger than just these individual cases?

 

[Rovin Romine]

This.

What is it that people think those of us criticizing the decision to have Castillo sit on a bench all last week are defending?

I'm not saying he should be starting in RF for Boston. I'm saying if he's not starting in RF for Boston, he should be starting in RF for Pawtucket.

Not a single person defending Farrell or Cheringron has made a coherent argument for why they treated this situation the way they did.

We know Farell decided a week ago not to start Castllo. That was a reasonable decision given the performance. At that point the only rational option was to send him back to AAA. Case closed.

 
OMG!  I've been really busy lately and have just now learned that our clearly overmatched, recently acquired, limited experienced OF who is under control for the next 5 years has been not starting for a whole week!  
 
I think you should sue or something.  It's like, gross malfeasance or something.  Because there's no possible explanation as to why the ML staff would keep Castillo around, get him a few PA, but not start him for a bit.  AND that complete, unmitigated waste of a week probably tanked the season!   Or next season!   Damn Ben and Farrell.  

 

[Rovin Romine]

We shall see how it goes; but at least those of us who said he needs to be playing everyday either in Boston or Pawtucket are vindicated by Farrell's reversal today.

 
And this, in a nutshell, is exactly what's wrong with Boston fans.