Baseball Musings: Infield Shift

November 17, 2004

Infield Shift

If yesterday's signings by the Exposés are an indication of the direction of the franchise, Peter Angelos doesn't need to worry about the competition. The Montreal/Washington franchise inked third baseman Vinny Castilla and shortstop Christian Guzman to play the left side of the infield.

"Guzman and Castilla will be above-average defensively on the left side of the infield and that's important," interim general manager Jim Bowden said. "These two guys have been to the postseason and that's important, especially for this franchise that has a lot of players that haven't been to the postseason."

Sorry, Jim. I understand wanting good defense. But post-season experience as the second reason to sign someone? Sounds like an excuse for not having the money to sign anyone good.

The Expos had made an initial offer to third baseman Corey Koskie, but he was asking for too many years and too much money.

"[Koskie's people] came back with a conversation of what they needed and what they were thinking. [It was] enough so that that we wouldn't be able to afford the length or the amount they were are probably going to end up with. That's why we went with Castilla," Bowden said.

Please take a look at Castilla's career. There's no reason to believe he can get on base outside of Colorado. There's no reason to believe he can hit for power outside of Colorado. Are there no light hitting defensive wizards in the minors that could be had for a few hundred thousand dollars a year? It's a waste of the future owner's money.

Guzman isn't as bad a choice. He's an out machine, but he is a very good defensive shortstop, leading the AL in defensive win shares last year. He's also 26, so the Exposés will have him during the prime of his career. At a bit over $4 million a year, he's not being overpaid. Maybe Frank Robinson can teach him to be selective at the plate. His batting average is fine for a shortstop, his power is fine for a shortstop but he needs to find a way on base more. Otherwise, with the pitcher batting, Montreal/Washington will have three very easy outs in their lineup. The defense is going to need to be really good to win games.

Aaron Gleeman has more.

Posted by David Pinto at 08:18 AM | Free Agents | TrackBack (1)

Comments

I'm sorry, but 4 years for Guzman??? Yeah, he's a very good fielder, but that is a LOT of money for a slick fielder who can't hit. If they could have found a cheap slick fielding 3B in the minors, they CERTAINLY could have found a slick fielding SS in the minors somewhere, too. The Expos continue to go downhill.

At least they don't have Bautista anymore.

Posted by: sabernar at November 17, 2004 09:45 AM

One good point that Aaron makes is that, not only did the Expos pay WAY too much for these two guys, but THEY ALSO GAVE UP DRAFT PICKS!!! For a team with a small budget (which the Expos are until/if they get a new owner), that is reprehensible.

Posted by: sabernar at November 17, 2004 09:48 AM

Bowden is auditioning for a new job at the expense of his current team. He's trying to make a splash, regardless of how many draft picks he throws away. He was exactly the wrong guy for this job, and things would have been much better if Bob Watson had signed on.

Posted by: Ryan at November 17, 2004 10:19 AM

"There's no reason to believe he can hit for power outside of Colorado. "

his .avg/.ops away were far worse than his home numbers -- but he actually hit 21 hrs on the road while hitting 14 at coors, for what it's worth (not that i don't agree with you about this being a poor move on the expos' part).

Posted by: m at November 17, 2004 11:55 AM

Yeah, they're pretty weak moves, but I'd hold off judgement on the Washpo's long-term prospects until they get the new owner and start actually working under his direction.

Posted by: Adam Villani at November 17, 2004 01:11 PM

Yeah, but he batted something like .215 away froM Coors. He had some pop, but he couldn't buy a hit otherwise. His OPS away from Coors was around .770 or so if I remember correctly.

Posted by: sabernar at November 17, 2004 01:20 PM

Castilla's old and has always had huge home/road splits even for a Coors guy.

My question is, why get guys with postseason experience for a team that is obviously not headed to the postseason?

Posted by: Crank at November 17, 2004 02:35 PM

And does having postseason experience really make a darn bit of difference in the postseason? I don't recall David Ortiz, Carlos Beltran, Josh Beckett, or KRod having a significant amount of postseason experience, and they seem to have done pretty well. What a stupid reason for a stupid signing.

Posted by: chad at November 17, 2004 05:16 PM

Doesn't Washington still have Brendan Harris to play 3B? Did they just sign an aging veteran to start over an up-and-coming prospect? I'm not saying that Harris will light the world on fire, but he's got to be at least as good as Castilla away from Coors.

Posted by: Barron at November 18, 2004 08:56 AM

If UZR and DRA are any indication, Guzman is _not_ a good fielder; in fact, he has been a genuinely poor fielder. Perhaps he was OK in 2004, but not before.

Posted by: MikeHumphreys at November 18, 2004 02:20 PM