Rusney Castillo Conundrum

[ToeKneeArmAss]

Dropped fly ball? Check
Swing at first pitch with 2 out and runner going to get into scoring position for you? Check
Fall flat on your face running the bases? Check
Say "screw it" I'm not even gonna try to get in a rundown so the runner can get into scoring position? Check

What's next for Rusney?

You forgot failing to coach at home when he was on deck on that horrific send of Napoli the other night.

To Papi's credit he made a point to talk to him about it. But I do get the feeling that I've forgotten more about baseball than he knows.

To add to the concern it's not like he's Mocanda or Bogaerts or Betts. The guy is 28 years old.

 

[Al Zarilla]

The elephant in the room is the big contract. Unless he can hit like Manny, why did they do it?

Well, 2/3rds Manny.

 

[Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt]

I'm going to suggest we take a collective breath and give the guy a couple of months, at least.

 

[Al Zarilla]

I'm going to suggest we take a collective breath and give the guy a couple of months, at least.

Yeah, he's probably wound up tighter than a drum right now.

 

[O Captain! My Captain!]

Yeah, he's probably wound up tighter than a drum right now.

especially after the first screw up. these things snowball on you in a hurry; it's not like we all haven't seen players get the yips or something. 

 

[benhogan]

especially after the first screw up. these things snowball on you in a hurry; it's not like we all haven't seen players get the yips or something. 

I hate to be an apologist for Rusney BUT he just had a baby in the last week, just got called up to the pressure cooker (Boston) that was bubbling pretty hot 2 days ago and has been in and out of baseball over the last 3 years.  Lets take a breather here and let him work his way into the Majors.  
 
Hopefully he has 'Nanny-ed up' and the wife has lots of help, so when he gets home he isn't buried with diapers and bottles.  I imagine he hasn't slept much over the last week.

 

[Doctor G]

It wasn't bad luck, it was because he was looking back over his shoulder at the ball instead of relying on the third base coach. Rent pointed this out on the telecast. Do they not have third base coaches in Cuba?

They have third base coaches who coach from somewhere near the coaching box. Butterfield coaches from the on deck circle. Quite possible Rusney thought he was a batboy.
 
This teams base running is a joke that is costing runs. 

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

With all due respect to Remy, his comment is getting blown out of proportion. When a guy is going first to third, he's trained to be his own base coach on a ball he can see. Pick up the ball and make your own decision. He'd be as much off balance checking with the base coach before he gets to second as he was taking one last glance once he turned around second. He fell down going hard. It's got nothing to do with "third base coaches in Cuba". He's in a new country playing against new right fielder every day. Looking back one too many times will go away once he gets a feel for who has what kind of hose out there. 
 
Go to MLB.com and watch the play. As hard as he was going, had the stop sign been up, he would have had trouble getting back to second. He was going hard, I'm fine with that approach.

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

Huh?
 
We agree that a baserunner is supposed to be his own coach going first to third on a ball hit where he can see it. But that means left field, not right field. 

 

[geoduck no quahog]

Not to state the obvious, but Castillo had a grand total of 18 games in the Red Sox minor league system, 13 major league games and 9 spring training games. Anyone can look up his fall league and Cuban league stats.

He's 28 years old but still a baby when it comes to the methods taught here. I'm guessing that the foundation provided by Cuban ball is somewhat lacking (compared to, say, Japanese baseball). Give him some time.

My only concern is that he falls into the wrong crowd with his newfound wealth, and that's something we'll never know. I ain't worried about the baseball.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Huh?
 
We agree that a baserunner is supposed to be his own coach going first to third on a ball hit where he can see it. But that means left field, not right field. 

It's not limited to left field. Common dialogue in that situation is if the play is in front of you. This ball was right center and clearly getting behind him as he got to the bag, but he saw enough of it to make a decision. Go watch the replay that shows Butter. You'll see that he was doing nothing, hands at his side, waiting to see if he needed to call slide. If it is so obviously a ball that the third base coach is the only beacon of instruction on, why wasn't the guy tasked with that job, giving some instruction?  The reason is the decision to come to third was on the player, not Butter. The kid messed up glancing one too many times. 
 
But in a thread where serious posts are asking about whether they have 3rd base coaches in Cuba and whether Butter would be confused with a bat boy from a visitors dugout, I thought I'd point out the decision to go to third is on the player in that situation. Those guys may actually coach one day and I don't want to see 10 year olds picking up third base coaches when they get a secondary lead off first.

 

[grimshaw]

The elephant in the room is the big contract. Unless he can hit like Manny, why did they do it?

Well, 2/3rds Manny.

 
I keep going to the Rusney Castillo fangraphs page, and there is a link to a 2/3/15 article titled : "The Boston Outfield:  An Embarrassment Of Riches"
While he makes a shade over 10 million AAV, it's still relative peanuts nowadays, and he's being paid for less than Brock Holt level production from last year.
10 million is like 5-7% of their payroll
 
He should be larruping baseballs in no time and putting pressure on the pitchers on the bases like a young Michael Coleman.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

It's not limited to left field. Common dialogue in that situation is if the play is in front of you. This ball was right center and clearly getting behind him as he got to the bag, but he saw enough of it to make a decision. Go watch the replay that shows Butter. You'll see that he was doing nothing, hands at his side, waiting to see if he needed to call slide. If it is so obviously a ball that the third base coach is the only beacon of instruction on, why wasn't the guy tasked with that job, giving some instruction?  The reason is the decision to come to third was on the player, not Butter. The kid messed up glancing one too many times. 
 
But in a thread where serious posts are asking about whether they have 3rd base coaches in Cuba and whether Butter would be confused with a bat boy from a visitors dugout, I thought I'd point out the decision to go to third is on the player in that situation. Those guys may actually coach one day and I don't want to see 10 year olds picking up third base coaches when they get a secondary lead off first.

Failure to remain upright on the bases was the least of his problems compared to the others however there is a technique that at 28 should be mastered on how to keep your head on a swivel to see the ball without falling down. On its on sure it can be a one-off blunder.....in this case it's compounded by 4 other head scratchers in a very small window. The far greater egregious error was quitting on the play once he went down. Imagine the outcry had Allen Craig hit a one-hopper to the mound and remained in the box prior to walking to the dugout? I get that we all want Rusney to succeed and be a staple in RF.....that doesn't mean we have to ignore his weekend from hell. It's something to keep an eye on moving forward now and Rusney made it this way.

 

[BoredViewer]

Disney Castillo - the first guy to ever stumble running the bases. That'll be on his tombstone.

 

[joe dokes]

Failure to remain upright on the bases was the least of his problems compared to the others however there is a technique that at 28 should be mastered on how to keep your head on a swivel to see the ball without falling down. On its on sure it can be a one-off blunder.....in this case it's compounded by 4 other head scratchers in a very small window. The far greater egregious error was quitting on the play once he went down. Imagine the outcry had Allen Craig hit a one-hopper to the mound and remained in the box prior to walking to the dugout? I get that we all want Rusney to succeed and be a staple in RF.....that doesn't mean we have to ignore his weekend from hell. It's something to keep an eye on moving forward now and Rusney made it this way.

 
Or, we can look elsewhere and be confident that Castillo will be really good at some parts of the game; and somewhat shitty at others.

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

Not sure what the stabilization point is for mistakes inconsistent with the "way we do things around here", but I'm assuming the sample size is somewhere between 3 games and Bobby Valentine. I say give him a few more games before we label him a guy who doesn't get it.

 

[HomeRunBaker]

 
Or, we can look elsewhere and be confident that Castillo will be really good at some parts of the game; and somewhat shitty at others.

For a site that analyzes sleep patterns in 74 page threads I find it bizarre that a handful of boneheaded plays by a player we are all watching closely should be ignored. It's your prerogative though to watch the game red-colored glasses if you choose.

 

[Cuzittt]

A look at Rusney Castillo and his fellow countryman, Yoan Moncada.

Rusney and Yoan

 

[GaryPeters71]

Rusney translated must mean "made of glass".
 
Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe  7m7 minutes ago
Meanwhile Rusney Castillo is out with a shoulder injury. Hurt it while diving to make a catch. Can hit, not throw.

 

[grimshaw]

Rusney translated must mean "made of glass".
 
Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe  7m7 minutes ago
Meanwhile Rusney Castillo is out with a shoulder injury. Hurt it while diving to make a catch. Can hit, not throw.

He can hit now?

 

[geoduck no quahog]

Same shoulder?
 
Red Sox right fielders are just snakebit.
 
(And how can someone not be able to throw but still hit?)

 

[Darnell's Son]

Same shoulder?
 
Red Sox right fielders are just snakebit.
 
(And how can someone not be able to throw but still hit?)

Jose Bautista has the same problem. He's been DHing since late April. He has inflammation in the joint which is causing an impingement. 

 

[Dahabenzapple2]

Jose Bautista has the same problem. He's been DHing since late April. He has inflammation in the joint which is causing an impingement. 

 well at least we know Bautista can hit

 

[geoduck no quahog]

Do we assume RH DH until healed? I can only imagine how that would play in the clubhouse.
 
The worst thing about this is the prospect of More Nava. (They've got to go to Holt as choice #1, right?)

 

[GaryPeters71]

Pete Abraham @PeteAbe · 4h
4 hours ago


Need to check this, but don't think Castillo has played more than six days in a row at any level since he signed.

 

[Van Everyman]

Rusney Glasstillo, amirite?

 

[nattysez]

 

Pete Abraham‏@PeteAbe

Castillo says he could have played today. Injury not that serious. #RedSox
 

 

[PaulinMyrBch]

https://twitter.com/TimBritton/status/603660804966100994

 

[JohntheBaptist]

For a site that analyzes sleep patterns in 74 page threads I find it bizarre that a handful of boneheaded plays by a player we are all watching closely should be ignored. It's your prerogative though to watch the game red-colored glasses if you choose.

Well yeah. This is a site that studies and knows baseball, and it hasn't collectively freaked out when a guy back up in the majors for the first time this year had a few brainfarts in a small window. Because this is a site that watches a ton of baseball and would know the difference between "concerning" and "what is this, WEEI?" 
 
So it isn't watching the game with red-colored glasses, just common sense. Sorta like how this site knew back in April Jon Lester wasn't going to be imminently out of baseball because he was struggling with his pick-off move to first. A more accurate post would be wondering what you're doing trusting your own take or predictions about anything.

 

[KillerBs]

In fairness, the two absolutely astoundingly good catches he made yesterday deserve some mention here, don't they? Not many RFers make either of those plays, which on their own should just about put to bed any notion that this guy cant play the field.

 

[Lowrielicious]

In fairness, the two absolutely astoundingly good catches he made yesterday deserve some mention here, don't they? Not many RFers make either of those plays, which on their own should just about put to bed any notion that this guy cant play the field.

http://m.redsox.mlb.com/bos/video/v133431183

 

[AB in DC]

Farrell putting him 9th in the batting order (behind the catcher) tells you all you need to know about what the manager thinks.

 

[grimshaw]

Farrell putting him 9th in the batting order (behind the catcher) tells you all you need to know about what the manager thinks.

That he's trying to take the pressure off him?  Swihart has hit 9th since he came up.  Bogaerts hit 8th most of the year.

 

[Harry Hooper]

In fairness, the two absolutely astoundingly good catches he made yesterday deserve some mention here, don't they? Not many RFers make either of those plays, which on their own should just about put to bed any notion that this guy cant play the field.

 
 
Interesting to see him playing so aggressively shallow on those.

 

[czar]

Horribly small sample size, but now at 17 wRC+ in 39 PA. Now has a career 6% LD%
 
Tough position -- you want to give him run, but he's cost the Sox about half a win since his recall.

 

[In my lifetime]

I thought it was time to bump this thread up from the second page.
 
.236/.267/.292 in 72 ABs is of course weak.  But in another small sample of 36 ABs in 2014 he was .333/.400/.528.
He certainly fields better than the de Aza's.
 
So why aren't we seeing Castillo as the starting RF on a regular basis while Victorino is out and Holt is busy playing the IF for Pedey, Napoli, Panda, etc.?  I can't imagine that the front office feels de Aza is the better long term answer, so why not give Castillo a couple weeks of starts and see how he responds?

 

[JBJ_HOF]

I thought it was time to bump this thread up from the second page.
 
.236/.267/.292 in 72 ABs is of course weak.  But in another small sample of 36 ABs in 2014 he was .333/.400/.528.
He certainly fields better than the de Aza's.
 
So why aren't we seeing Castillo as the starting RF on a regular basis while Victorino is out and Holt is busy playing the IF for Pedey, Napoli, Panda, etc.?  I can't imagine that the front office feels de Aza is the better long term answer, so why not give Castillo a couple weeks of starts and see how he responds?

 
Farrell answers this daily saying he feels the other players give them a better chance to win on any given day and that's what they care about at the moment.

 

[Todd Benzinger]

If they don't want to play Rusney--which I sympathize with--why don't they send him down to AAA?

 

[nattysez]

Farrell on Rusney Castillo: "You see the need to continue to develop the skills that he has in all phases of the game.”
 

 
Pete Abe.
 

[SIZE=10pt]KANSAS CITY — Rusney Castillo was again not in the starting lineup for the Red Sox on Saturday, with Alejandro De Aza starting in right field. Manager John Farrell said Boston is still looking for opportunities for Castillo, though it appears those won't be coming against right-handed pitchers.[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10pt]"You see the need to continue to develop the skills that he has in all phases of the game," Farrell said. "It’s clear where he likes to handle pitches within the strike zone. He’s been pitched to accordingly at times, particularly by opposing right-handers. He’s catching up to the speed of the game. Last year, he was a little more of an unknown commodity and he was able to play well in a short period of time. As the league gets to know him, he’s being forced to adjust in his own ways. We like the skills, we like the tools and the athleticism, and yet we’re working him in to gradually grow him."[/SIZE]
 
[SIZE=10pt]Given Castillo's lack of regular playing time at the major-league level and his general lack of game experience since coming over from Cuba, it would seem as if a demotion to Triple-A Pawtucket could be helpful for the outfielder. On Friday, however, Farrell said that hadn’t yet been discussed. [/SIZE]
 

 
Tim Britton.
 
This whole thing is laughable at this point.  They are throwing away $72mm.  I'm glad it's not my money.  I cannot believe none of the writers asked Farrell the obvious follow-up:  if he needs to see more pitching to deal with the league adjusting to him, how does him seeing less than an AB per game at this point going to accomplish that?
 
Rusney should either be in AAA playing every day or in the majors playing regularly, if not every day.  If Farrell won't play him regularly, he should be demoted.  As P91 said in the Farrell thread, you can add this to the list of evidence of Cherington being incompetent; now that Farrell has made it clear that he won't give Rusney regular playing time, Rusney should be demoted.  

 

[soxhop411]

KANSAS CITY — Rusney Castillo was again not in the starting lineup for the Red Sox on Saturday, with Alejandro De Aza starting in right field. Manager John Farrell said Boston is still looking for opportunities for Castillo, though it appears those won't be coming against right-handed pitchers.
"You see the need to continue to develop the skills that he has in all phases of the game," Farrell said. "It’s clear where he likes to handle pitches within the strike zone. He’s been pitched to accordingly at times, particularly by opposing right-handers. He’s catching up to the speed of the game. Last year, he was a little more of an unknown commodity and he was able to play well in a short period of time. As the league gets to know him, he’s being forced to adjust in his own ways. We like the skills, we like the tools and the athleticism, and yet we’re working him in to gradually grow him."

Full quote

http://m.providencejournal.com/article/20150620/SPORTS/150629873/14009

 

[canderson]

We don't see day-to-day fielding drills, batting practices, situational play, etc. Farrell does.

He very well might be lazy, unable to routinely field correctly, adjust to in-game hitting needs, whatever just as easily as he most be the best player not playing. There is too much we don't know, other than IMO if he was remotely worth playing the FO would be pressuring the coaching staff to put him on the field to recoup the investment.

 

[MuzzyField]

If Ferrell is seeing this and not playing him, what is Ben doing?

 

[Plympton91]

We don't see day-to-day fielding drills, batting practices, situational play, etc. Farrell does.

He very well might be lazy, unable to routinely field correctly, adjust to in-game hitting needs, whatever just as easily as he most be the best player not playing. There is too much we don't know, other than IMO if he was remotely worth playing the FO would be pressuring the coaching staff to put him on the field to recoup the investment.

Sand his reward for that would be continuing to play in the major leagues rather than riding buses in PAWTUCKET? Why wouldn't you send him down in that case?

Either he should be playing in Boston or playing in Pawtucket. I can certainly imagine they're not happy with his play. But he hasn't actually played regularly in 2 years. Why continue to let a 72 million investment rust on the bench?

 

[KillerBs]

So true. Either Farrell is an idiot for benching him or Cherington is for signing him for 6 years to ride the bench in his age 27 year.

 

[Bigpupp]

So true. Either Farrell is an idiot for benching him or Cherington is for signing him for 6 years to ride the bench in his age 27 year.

No middle ground? Has to be one or the other?

 

[Sprowl]

I see several possibilities:
 
a) both Cherington and Farrell think that Castillo needs to learn by watching major league baseball and absorbing the importance of every single play, and not by hitting more AAAA sliders out of the park. It's a matter of learning, but not a matter of playing.
 
b) Cherington and Farrell are divided on his readiness, Farrell thinks Castillo loses games, and Cherington hasn't figured out his Moneyball roster move to force Farrell to play Castillo yet.
 
c) Both Cherington and Farrell agree that he's not ready, but Cherington won't demote Castillo because of obscure contract reasons, so Toolsney has become the fifth outfielder by default.

 

[Snodgrass'Muff]

I see several possibilities:
 
a) both Cherington and Farrell think that Castillo needs to learn by watching major league baseball and absorbing the importance of every single play, and not by hitting more AAAA sliders out of the park. It's a matter of learning, but not a matter of playing.
 
b) Cherington and Farrell are divided on his readiness, Farrell thinks Castillo loses games, and Cherington hasn't figured out his Moneyball roster move to force Farrell to play Castillo yet.
 
c) Both Cherington and Farrell agree that he's not ready, but Cherington won't demote Castillo because of obscure contract reasons, so Toolsney has become the fifth outfielder by default.

 
It's also possible that they believe this team has a good run in them (pitching has been better and the offense seem to be waking up a bit) and are more concerned with having their best 25 players available at the major league level than a smoother path toward acclimation for Castillo.

 

[ivanvamp]

No middle ground? Has to be one or the other?

 
Right?  Because there's no possible way that Castillo won't end up getting better and becoming a pretty decent major leaguer.

 

[MuzzyField]

 
It's also possible that they believe this team has a good run in them (pitching has been better and the offense seem to be waking up a bit) and are more concerned with having their best 25 players available at the major league level than a smoother path toward acclimation for Castillo.

How does the rest of the math play out for surpassing the rest of the division?

 

[Snodgrass'Muff]

How does the rest of the math play out for surpassing the rest of the division?

 
I wasn't arguing they are likely to do so.