Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Say it ain't so, Gardy!
Why the hell is Ron Gardenhire so obsessed with Juan Castro? If the Twins' main problem last year had been defense up the middle, I can understand him wanting to go with the guy who he thinks has the best glove. But the problem wasn't defense, it was offense. Castro provides about as much offense for the Twins as I did for the Highland Catholic baseball team in 1987. (Of course, my .500 OBP and 2 stolen bases in 2 attempts probably puts me head and shoulders above Castro.)
If Jason Bartlett is healthy, I don't think Terry Ryan will let Gardy start Castro over him, but a dinged hammy gives the Twins' manager the excuse he's probably been dreaming about. Playing baseball "the Twins way" is a great idea when it comes to running out ground balls, but Gardenhire, like TK before him, seems enamored with guys who are as inept with the bat as he was (Gardy had a career .573 OPS; Castro's is .610). Of course, if it were completely up to Gardy, I think we'd see a roster completely filled with good-glove middle infielders who can't hit- a recent quote: "Like I've said all along, I'm really going to try to find a way to keep Luis Rodriguez on the ballclub."
If the Twins are serious about contending for the division, would they really be talking about starting Tony Bautista and Juan Castro? Ugh.
If Jason Bartlett is healthy, I don't think Terry Ryan will let Gardy start Castro over him, but a dinged hammy gives the Twins' manager the excuse he's probably been dreaming about. Playing baseball "the Twins way" is a great idea when it comes to running out ground balls, but Gardenhire, like TK before him, seems enamored with guys who are as inept with the bat as he was (Gardy had a career .573 OPS; Castro's is .610). Of course, if it were completely up to Gardy, I think we'd see a roster completely filled with good-glove middle infielders who can't hit- a recent quote: "Like I've said all along, I'm really going to try to find a way to keep Luis Rodriguez on the ballclub."
If the Twins are serious about contending for the division, would they really be talking about starting Tony Bautista and Juan Castro? Ugh.
