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Paying dividends Castilla goes from castoff to contributor
Updated: Thursday August 16, 2001 11:44 PM
Sports Illustrated's Stephen Cannella checks in with his baseball thoughts every week throughout the season on CNNSI.com. Jerry Seinfeld once observed that players switch teams so often that sports fans are essentially cheering for laundry. That's especially true during the marathon baseball season, when the inevitability of injuries and the unpredictability of many players' production makes it virtually impossible for a team to finish the year with the same roster it began with. Usually, it's the clubs that do the best job of updating themselves as the season progresses that have the greatest success in October. Nobody has done a better job of roster refreshment this season than the Astros. There was, of course, their landing of Pedro Astacio from the Rockies at the trade deadline. Astacio has performed reasonably well (1-0, 3.32 ERA in three starts for Houston), but several less-heralded pickups have played larger roles in the Astros' success. In May, general manager Gerry Hunsicker swung a deal with the Rockies for left-hander Ron Villone. A month later he swapped the struggling Jose Lima for right-hander Dave Mlicki, and just before the deadline he grabbed reliever Mike Williams from the Pirates. Villone, Mlicki and Williams have gone 8-2 for the Astros and have given what was an already strong bullpen impressive depth. Hunsicker's foremost acquisition, however, was third baseman Vinny Castilla -- if Houston makes the postseason, he'll go down as the steal of the year. After one-and-a-half injury-plagued seasons during which he played only 109 games, batted .219 and hit just eight home runs for Tampa Bay, Castilla was left for dead. The Devil Rays released him in May, content to eat the remainder of his $7 million salary this year rather than have him dirty up one of their uniforms all summer. Five days after Tampa Bay dumped him, Hunsicker signed Castilla for $153,000, a prorated share of the $200,000 major league minimum. At the time, the GM called it a "low-risk, high-reward situation," and the bet has paid off. Castilla went 3 for 5 in his first game to help Houston beat the Cubs, and he hasn't stopped producing since. Through Wednesday's games Castilla was hitting .273 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs in a Houston uniform, far better production than the team got from weak-hitting Chris Truby early in the season. "I think it was a situation where a high-profile player had fallen on hard times, became available and just happened to fit our club," Hunsicker said. "We felt we had a contending club this year and an opportunity to pick up a proven veteran run producer for no compensation financially or personnel-wise. What did we have to lose?" Nothing, and perhaps a playoff spot to gain. Beware of harmful RaysThrough Thursday, the Devil Rays are 38 games under .500 and 30 1/2 games out of first in the AL East. What effect could they possibly have on the playoff races in either league? For starters, the scraps other teams tore from the Rays' carcass before the trade deadline have become key pennant race figures. In addition to Castilla, there's Fred McGriff, who drove in 12 runs in his first 16 games as a Cub and has provided some much-needed punch in Chicago's lineup. As dominating as Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling have been, the Diamondbacks' postseason hopes may ride on right-hander Albie Lopez, who was traded from Tampa Bay to Arizona in July. The Diamondbacks' rotation gets weak fast after Johnson and Schilling, and unless Lopez (1-3, 4.62 ERA through Thursday) pitches better, Arizona could be looking at a two-wins-every-five days pace for the rest of the season. The remaining Rays could be significant players down the stretch in their own division as well. The Red Sox (11-2 against Tampa Bay so far this year) and Yankees (11-2) have both padded their record against the Rays, and they each have six September games scheduled against the division doormats. Keeping up the dominance over the Rays could be the key to winning the AL East. Sports Illustrated staff writer Stephen Cannella covers the baseball beat for
the magazine. Touching Base appears every week on CNNSI.com.
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