The September Callup Thread
- Thread starter Rasputin
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If it's a blowout why does it matter if it's Brentz or Castilo in the outfield. At least to my eye, Brentz seemed perfectly adequate in either corner, and the advanced metrics will be unreliable in the sample size he has.
But he would t have been in today's game anyway, because he can't hit and the game was tied. That's not a situation where you use a defensive replacement.
People are just looking to justify a sunk cost. He's a terrible hitter and a terrible base runner.
But they offered him the same amount of money as Jon Lester. Good riddance Ben.
Whatever mistakes were made in signing Castillo are done. But you have a superb defensive outfielder that could be used situationally. Holt's not due up for two innings, which meant nine outs that the Sox had to navigate. If anyone got on base, it would be six.
If Farrell was going to burn his closer in the ninth on the road, then defense should have been paramount. But the second best OF defender in the system was in PAW so Holaday could be protected.
If Farrell was going to burn his closer in the ninth on the road, then defense should have been paramount. But the second best OF defender in the system was in PAW so Holaday could be protected.
You're pinning today's loss on Holt? The closer who throws 99 comes in and walks a guy and then gives up a rocket. How about this guy starts missing more bats? You really think he was going to get out of that situation not coughing up the game even if Brock fields that ball cleanly? You're dreaming.
He was scoring either way. The runner got a great jump and was heading home bobble or not. It would have taken a perfect exchange and throw.
And since when was Castillo a superb defender? What are we basing that on? The guy isn't even close to having played a significant enough sample size to make that kind of assertion with any kind of competence.
And since when was Castillo a superb defender? What are we basing that on? The guy isn't even close to having played a significant enough sample size to make that kind of assertion with any kind of competence.
He wasn't to third at the bobble, as I saw it from the replay angle Plus Castillo has a better arm.
And not letting Kimbrel off the hook or blaming Holt. You are missing the point. Castillo has a better chance to make that play because he is a better defensive OF with a great arm. But he can't because the FO or the manager chose not to even have that option for whatever reason that he has become personae not gratae in the organization
And when has Castillo not been a very good defender since joining the team? MLB or milb? The number I saw this week had him at +10/150 in cf this year, which correlates with his career OF numbers in MLB. Yeah, he is a bust because he can't put the ball in the air consistently and he is a careless base runner despite his speed, but he can play the outfield very well.
And not letting Kimbrel off the hook or blaming Holt. You are missing the point. Castillo has a better chance to make that play because he is a better defensive OF with a great arm. But he can't because the FO or the manager chose not to even have that option for whatever reason that he has become personae not gratae in the organization
And when has Castillo not been a very good defender since joining the team? MLB or milb? The number I saw this week had him at +10/150 in cf this year, which correlates with his career OF numbers in MLB. Yeah, he is a bust because he can't put the ball in the air consistently and he is a careless base runner despite his speed, but he can play the outfield very well.
Got to go with the consensus that you're being unfair to Brock/Farrell on this one. Even if Castillo was less likely to bobble the ball (speculative and unprovable) and has a stronger arm (firmer ground but IMO barely relevant), the odds that an athletically gifted but inexperienced and unproven defensive replacement is going to make a big enough positive contribution to offset his offensive liabilities should he come up in extra innings seems dubiously small.
You want the guy with 69k in 44IP and a 1.09 WHIP to "start missing more bats"?
Okay there.
Even if Rusney had been called up P91 is absolutely correct there is no chance he is in the game in that situation.
Your point about defense being paramount in that situation also makes no sense either since more than half of Kimbel's outs have come via the strikeout. If you had a flyball pitcher in there then it would at least make a little more sense, just a little though.
It's clear that BrockHolt! isn't a good defensive outfielder but posting saying that Rusney F'ing Castillo should have been in the game is simply more hindsight that doesn't stand up to any rational thinking.
I thought the earlier discussion about bringing him up was interesting and worth having, this specific case isn't.
Also 2nd best defensive outfielder in the system? I guess he might be but it seems like a stretch.
Your point about defense being paramount in that situation also makes no sense either since more than half of Kimbel's outs have come via the strikeout. If you had a flyball pitcher in there then it would at least make a little more sense, just a little though.
It's clear that BrockHolt! isn't a good defensive outfielder but posting saying that Rusney F'ing Castillo should have been in the game is simply more hindsight that doesn't stand up to any rational thinking.
I thought the earlier discussion about bringing him up was interesting and worth having, this specific case isn't.
Also 2nd best defensive outfielder in the system? I guess he might be but it seems like a stretch.
I understand now. Every time there is a misplay, the manager should have known in advance and subbed to avoid the poor play or the GM should have known and had a player on the roster who would have been put in the game to avoid the future misplay. On the side. I could also hire them to pick stocks, and avoid terrorist attacks.
Whatever happened to "Sometimes shit happens"
Whatever happened to "Sometimes shit happens"
Too much focus on the play and not on the point that relates to the thread, which is, why is Castillo redundant with Young with expanded rosters.
Because he's not a good enough baseball player to take playing opportunities away from the guys who might make a postseason roster.
And by adding him to the 40-man roster, a corresponding move needs to be made, which could impact the Sox marginal talent pool in future years.
And he's really expensive, for a late-inning defensive specialist.
Because Castillo isn't on the roster to begin with. If Castillo was already on the 40-man roster, I don't think there's any question that he'd be up for the last month, redundancy or not. But considering he's not on the 40-man roster and it would take an additional move to put him there (not to mention the potential added cost), it's not worth it for the marginal at best upgrade.
Don't need Holaday, ph's to cover for him, and the expense is negligible for Sept if winning a division is the goal. He would not be needed when Benintendi returns, and can be removed from the 40 man again.
Unless Benintendi has a setback in his recovery, in which case the Sox will still need some combination of Holt and Young to play LF for the entirety of the game.
Castillo just isn't good enough to make a playoff roster. He might be playing a good CF this year, but you're suggesting he play LF. Meanwhile, he doesn't run the bases smart enough, and still certainly doesn't hit well enough, to rely on as the 25th man on the roster.
And since he wouldn't even have been on the field when Holt made last night's error -- as the Sox never held a lead -- this really has become preposterous.
This is only about a September call up, no playoff roster. This is all about expanded rosters and Farrell's claim he is redundant with Young.
And he did play LF quite well last year. I'm advocating defense, nothing else.
And he did play LF quite well last year. I'm advocating defense, nothing else.
Holt bobbled a ball off the wall last night. He didn't not get to it because of range. He was in the right position to get the ball back into the infield quickly. The arm would have had nothing to do with it. He just flat out dropped the ball. It has absolutely nothing to do with Castillo or Young or Holt on that specific play.
The fact that management doesn't believe it's worthwhile leads me to believe they know a little bit more about their OF defensive alignment than the rest of us.
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Are you arguing that it's pointless to have a differing opinion on anything the Red Sox do since they always know best? Why are we here?
Youre advocating putting in a defensive replacement in a tie game on the road. You are advocating doing something that no actual baseball manager would do, unless perhaps the outfielder is of Hanley Ramirez '15 proportions of suck. Or maybe Ortiz IF he had batted recently so his turn didnt come up for a few innings.
Holt has 0.0 fWAR this year. He has been below average defensively in LF this year. Playing Castillo over him is not some agonizing decision. It's also not crazy to think he's a better option than Young vs. RHP because of a huge increase in defensive value. Benintendi should be the every day LF when he's back, but before then, Castillo is a good option.
Other names were mentioned, but Jerez seems a likely candidate too.
Also, not going to make a very strong case for Castillo since he isn't on the 40 man, but he did slash .301/.337/.403 in the 2nd half. 186 PA. Most of that was in August though where he slashed .351/.402/.495. He walked 9 times in 106 PA in August, and walked 15 times in the previous 309 PA. He was also 9/12 in SB, but all 3 CS were in August so meh.
He'd make a perfectly fine 4th OF on most teams.
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This is the juvenile type of argument for which posters were tarred and feathered
I came for the waters. I have no idea why you're here.
No dog in the Castillo call-up fight, but looking at the40-man roster and wondering why Williams Jerez and Brian Johnson are on it and Castillo isn't? Holaday seems redundant now too. Only four OFs on the 40-man: Betts, JBJ, Holt and Young. That seems thin for September. I suppose Shaw can play LF, but that seems sub-optimal.
Castillo was DFAed to get his salary off of the luxury tax calculation .. Ala Allen Craig.
Apparently that can be said 1,000 times and some people still don't get it.
Johnson hasn't been very good this year, but he's deserving of a spot on the 40. Had he not had his injury setback and the being held at gunpoint incident, Johnson probably would've made 7 or 8 starts for the Sox this year. He has/had value. Jerez is just occupying a spot until they need to protect someone else.
Last I checked, Benintendi is on the 40-man even if he's on the DL. As is Brentz. Marco Hernandez could be called upon to play a few innings in the OF if needed...he's got about as much professional experience there as Shaw, and is seemingly a bit more athletic as well. They're not that thin in the OF, and barring injuries, they don't need to be all that much deeper right now.
Given the choice, I can't see an argument for starting Castillo over any of Betts, JBJ, Holt or Young. They all have proven themselves more capable at the plate and whatever defensive shortcomings they may have relative to Castillo aren't enough to balance out the equation.
Simply put, the utility of having Castillo on this roster at this time is so small as to be negligible. They aren't going to win or lose games based on the difference between him and whomever he might replace. He's just not that good.
You're entitled to your opinion, but your arguments aren't convincing to me.
You think he's good enough to be on the roster and trot out in close games but for some reason keep using dubious sample size defensive values to support that claim. Most here and the Red Sox do not share your view point.
It still doesn't answer the question as to what happens when Castllo comes up to the plate in those close games after coming in. I think it's very unlikely he hits for himself.
“@ScottLauber: With 4 catchers on roster, Leon remains #RedSox’ primary backstop. Holaday-Pomeranz combo has worked well. Hanigan/Vazquez must bide time.”
“@brianmacp: Farrell acknowledged that he can’t ignore Hanigan’s win-loss record this year. The Red Sox are 21-6 when he catches. https://t.co/zfZUrU9e1s
“@brianmacp: Farrell acknowledged that he can’t ignore Hanigan’s win-loss record this year. The Red Sox are 21-6 when he catches. https://t.co/zfZUrU9e1s
They obviously know more than we do in ways that we probably don't know we don't know. Working that into your arguments helps them. It might be a buzzkill but ignoring that--while rampant--will always be a flaw.
Many of us find a way to discuss these things with that in mind and represented by what we're saying.
If Rusnay Castillo were in another organization, would you trade Jerez to get him to Boston?
I'm not even sure I'd waive Haladay to make room for him. Haladay might actually be an improvement for the Indians if they got the claim, and I don't want to help them.
Castillo's August spike in BABIP is at least promising to me. If it reflects an adjustment he's trying to make and he works hard in the offseason on it--hope he plays in PR this winter--then he can come into spring training and try to win a job again. Or at least make another major league team willing to pay some of his salary.
If Castillo was getting paid the league minimum? Yeah, if I needed OF depth. If he's getting paid $13mil? No. If I'm an MLB team and the redsox release Rusney for some reason, I'd might sign him as a FA to be my 4th OF. The only reason Rusney isn't in the majors is his contract.
I wasn't the one who said the Red Sox know better than we do in reply to the argument that Castillo would be a good OF option right now. That's the same thing as saying we don't deserve to have our own opinion and thus, there is nothing to discuss.
It's not the same thing. You're entitled to your opinion, you've aired it out here, and it appears that almost no one, the Red Sox (who have much, much more information than you on the subject) included, agrees.
Grimshaw said: "The fact that management doesn't believe it's worthwhile leads me to believe they know a little bit more about their OF defensive alignment than the rest of us."
That's a completely accurate statement.
You replied: "Are you arguing that it's pointless to have a differing opinion on anything the Red Sox do since they always know best?"
Which is juvenile. Grimshaw wasn't saying that at all. We disagree with what the team does all the time. But we also have to acknowledge that the team knows more about its players than we do.
It can just as easily be read as the metrics you are pointing to are insufficient, unconvincing and are heavily overshadowed by the amount of information the Red Sox had when they decided not to add him to the 40 man when rosters expanded, so either up your game by expanding your argument or stop repeating yourself and hoping people who are thus far unconvinced will suddenly change their minds.
Wow, this place sure has consensus opinion decided upon. I won't rock the boat by being so preposterous.
So why can't you use that same reasoning for every single decision that the Red Sox make? They know more than us about everything. When is that reasoning sound and when isn't it?
Offering your opinion is fine, its what we all do. It just so happens no one agrees, partly because it isn't well argued and doesn't really make much practical sense. Getting emo about a very obvious fact--that the Red Sox have better proprietary information about the OF defense of Castillo, Holt, Young and the relative value of the move you're suggesting--is odd, because it is obviously true and in no way an impediment to making a case in a discussion about baseball.
Admitting someone else may have a point probably isn't as hard as you're making it, either.
They pinch hit Young for him and Young hit a homer. What game were you watching? Sorry for the snide remark but it was a pretty big moment in the game. Hill then pinch hit for the pitcher and hit a double....then...nevermind....
I was just responding to Humphrey's original game thread type remark. Sorry for the distraction.
Is he that much better than Ryan Lamarre that the Red Sox would call him up if their contracts were reversed? Lamarre's small sample CF advance defends is similar to Castillo's and he out hit him by a significant margin.