Notes: Skipper excited about Castillo
12/06/2005
DALLAS -- Questions asked during the Winter Meetings are often focused on a club's needs rather than its strengths.
That's why it was no surprise that the majority of the questions directed at Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Tuesday dealt with what the team still has to accomplish this offseason. So when one question was finally asked about the team's most recent acquisition, second baseman Luis Castillo, a smile broke out across Gardenhire's face.
"We're excited," Gardenhire said about his new player. "He's a pretty special player. We feel very fortunate that we were able to do something like that."
Getting a player that has speed and will get on base was a big plus for Gardenhire. Adding him to a lineup that already features Shannon Stewart and Joe Mauer will only help an offense that has struggled. Exactly how Castillo will be used at the top of the order, though, remains to be seen. Gardenhire said that he has yet to speak to his newest second baseman, and where he will bat the veteran player will have something to do with Castillo's own interests.
"Those three guys will be at the top, but how they go at the top, I don't know," Gardenhire said. "Whether I would bat Castillo first or second, I want to talk to him first and I haven't contacted him yet. He's a pretty good player, so you have to talk to him a bit about it."
Castillo has batted in both the first and second spots for the majority of his career. The 30-year-old switch-hitter batted leadoff hitter for the Marlins until the 2003 season, when he moved to the second spot in the order. He was known early on in his career as a base stealer, but various leg and hip injuries the past few seasons have limited his productivity.
Despite Castillo being hampered by those injuries again in 2005, Gardenhire doesn't seem worried that health will be an issue again this season. The team looked into the problems before the trade and feels that Castillo will be ready to go in a Twins uniform at the start of Spring Training.
"He's been playing baseball a long time, and you know what, people get beat up when they run the bases and play as hard as he has," Gardenhire said. "He's got all winter to get healthy and we think he's going to be fine."
The Big Hurt in Minneapolis? Former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas was in Dallas talking with teams on Tuesday afternoon, and the Twins were one of his scheduled visits.
"We're looking at hitters and he's out there looking for a job," Gardenhire said of Thomas. "We're looking at a lot of different people, like any other ballclub. We know we need offense and Big Frank has done a lot of damage in this game." The Twins know what Thomas has accomplished during his White Sox tenure, with 448 career home runs and 1,465 career RBIs. But the main stumbling block for Minnesota, as with other clubs, remains Thomas' health. After undergoing two surgeries in the past year on his left foot, Thomas continues to be a question mark for many organizations due to his unknown health status.
"That's the issue," Gardenhire said. "You have to look at whether a guy is going to be healthy enough to help you out. But sure, we are looking at him."
On the block? The name that has been thrown around most in trade talks for the Twins has been pitcher Kyle Lohse.
Just because Lohse's name has been mentioned in rumors though doesn't mean that he won't be with the club this next season. Gardenhire acknowledged that Lohse has been receiving much of the interest, but Twins GM Terry Ryan wasn't ready to write Lohse out of the rotation just yet.
"I'm not looking to trade Kyle Lohse," Ryan said. "I would love to see him in the rotation next year."
Both Ryan and Gardenhire would like to see Lohse back on the mound for the Twins, but Gardenhire understands that the club will have to give up something good to get the third baseman that they need. If that particular player happens to be Lohse, then Gardenhire said he will have to accept that fact.
"You have to give something up," Gardenhire said. "We have to make some moves and get some hitters. We can't just stand pat, so if you call it compromising pitching [by giving up Lohse], we call it being happily overloaded with pitching."
The reason that the Twins skipper isn't too concerned is that Minnesota has two heavily-touted young prospects in Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano that could fill in if Lohse were to go. With Baker, 24, and Liriano, 22, already in the mix to battle for the fifth spot, Gardenhire believes that Minnesota would survive with two rookies in the rotation.
"We feel pretty confident that they can throw the ball, too," Gardenhire said of the two pitchers. "Baker has thrown the ball against some pretty good teams, pitched against Anaheim last year and he pitched pretty good. Liriano, I guarantee it, he'll compete. He doesn't command his pitches as well as the other kid yet, but he's got them and he'll compete."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
DALLAS -- Questions asked during the Winter Meetings are often focused on a club's needs rather than its strengths.
That's why it was no surprise that the majority of the questions directed at Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Tuesday dealt with what the team still has to accomplish this offseason. So when one question was finally asked about the team's most recent acquisition, second baseman Luis Castillo, a smile broke out across Gardenhire's face.
"We're excited," Gardenhire said about his new player. "He's a pretty special player. We feel very fortunate that we were able to do something like that."
Getting a player that has speed and will get on base was a big plus for Gardenhire. Adding him to a lineup that already features Shannon Stewart and Joe Mauer will only help an offense that has struggled. Exactly how Castillo will be used at the top of the order, though, remains to be seen. Gardenhire said that he has yet to speak to his newest second baseman, and where he will bat the veteran player will have something to do with Castillo's own interests.
"Those three guys will be at the top, but how they go at the top, I don't know," Gardenhire said. "Whether I would bat Castillo first or second, I want to talk to him first and I haven't contacted him yet. He's a pretty good player, so you have to talk to him a bit about it."
Castillo has batted in both the first and second spots for the majority of his career. The 30-year-old switch-hitter batted leadoff hitter for the Marlins until the 2003 season, when he moved to the second spot in the order. He was known early on in his career as a base stealer, but various leg and hip injuries the past few seasons have limited his productivity.
Despite Castillo being hampered by those injuries again in 2005, Gardenhire doesn't seem worried that health will be an issue again this season. The team looked into the problems before the trade and feels that Castillo will be ready to go in a Twins uniform at the start of Spring Training.
"He's been playing baseball a long time, and you know what, people get beat up when they run the bases and play as hard as he has," Gardenhire said. "He's got all winter to get healthy and we think he's going to be fine."
The Big Hurt in Minneapolis? Former White Sox slugger Frank Thomas was in Dallas talking with teams on Tuesday afternoon, and the Twins were one of his scheduled visits.
"We're looking at hitters and he's out there looking for a job," Gardenhire said of Thomas. "We're looking at a lot of different people, like any other ballclub. We know we need offense and Big Frank has done a lot of damage in this game." The Twins know what Thomas has accomplished during his White Sox tenure, with 448 career home runs and 1,465 career RBIs. But the main stumbling block for Minnesota, as with other clubs, remains Thomas' health. After undergoing two surgeries in the past year on his left foot, Thomas continues to be a question mark for many organizations due to his unknown health status.
"That's the issue," Gardenhire said. "You have to look at whether a guy is going to be healthy enough to help you out. But sure, we are looking at him."
On the block? The name that has been thrown around most in trade talks for the Twins has been pitcher Kyle Lohse.
Just because Lohse's name has been mentioned in rumors though doesn't mean that he won't be with the club this next season. Gardenhire acknowledged that Lohse has been receiving much of the interest, but Twins GM Terry Ryan wasn't ready to write Lohse out of the rotation just yet.
"I'm not looking to trade Kyle Lohse," Ryan said. "I would love to see him in the rotation next year."
Both Ryan and Gardenhire would like to see Lohse back on the mound for the Twins, but Gardenhire understands that the club will have to give up something good to get the third baseman that they need. If that particular player happens to be Lohse, then Gardenhire said he will have to accept that fact.
"You have to give something up," Gardenhire said. "We have to make some moves and get some hitters. We can't just stand pat, so if you call it compromising pitching [by giving up Lohse], we call it being happily overloaded with pitching."
The reason that the Twins skipper isn't too concerned is that Minnesota has two heavily-touted young prospects in Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano that could fill in if Lohse were to go. With Baker, 24, and Liriano, 22, already in the mix to battle for the fifth spot, Gardenhire believes that Minnesota would survive with two rookies in the rotation.
"We feel pretty confident that they can throw the ball, too," Gardenhire said of the two pitchers. "Baker has thrown the ball against some pretty good teams, pitched against Anaheim last year and he pitched pretty good. Liriano, I guarantee it, he'll compete. He doesn't command his pitches as well as the other kid yet, but he's got them and he'll compete."
Source: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/
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