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July 29, 2009 Manuel Being Manuel Joe Janish

Castillo In the Two Hole

manuel-ghandi-smBespoketh Jerry Manuel during last night’s postgame, in regard to Luis Castillo:

“The thing about Luis, we have found a way to fit his game in to what we’re doing and we’ve kind of worked around him as well. He’s been very good, a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, he’s playing tremendous baseball… When he’s batting eighth, he’s not the same as when he’s batting second. When he’s batting second, he’s in his game-mode of taking pitches, seeing pitches, moving runners, running the bases well.”

I’ll tell ya, that Manuel sure knows how to get the most of his talent. I don’t know how many other managers would’ve figured out that the second spot in the order is an ideal spot for Luis Castillo — and to come to such a conclusion in less than 100 games.

By the way, what exactly is Manuel referring to when he says, “we have found a way to fit his game in to what we’re doing” ? That statement insinuates that the Mets have a plan of some sort — a method. Who knew?

The Mets should consider another contract extension … no make that, extensions … for both Manuel and Castillo. Lock these guys up until 2020, before someone else snaps them up.

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Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. isuzudude July 29, 2009 at 11:08 am
    And watch Jerry go back on his word – and common sense – when Delgado comes back. Guarenteed, Dan Murphy is going to be plugged (or should I say forced) back into the #2 hole then, with Castillo hitting 7th or 8th.
  2. Wendy July 29, 2009 at 11:38 am
    well dude, when Reyes and/or Delgado come back, things are bound to change for the whole lineup, but Castillo and Wright belong in the 2 and 3 slots until proven otherwise.
  3. isuzudude July 29, 2009 at 2:37 pm
    Yes, Wendy, I agree. When Reyes and Delgado come back the lineup certainly will need some alterations, but I concur that Castillo and Wright should be cemented into the 2 and 3 holes no matter who comes off the DL. My comments were more to poke fun at Jerry’s incompetence than to suggest that Murphy replace Castillo hitting second. Kosher?
  4. Wendy July 29, 2009 at 2:56 pm
    dude, agreed 100%, Jerry and his lineup switching is ridiculous, for now it looks like he has the winning formula, if it aint broke don’t mess with it.
  5. sincekindergarten July 29, 2009 at 6:38 pm
    Okay, so when Reyes comes back, where does Pagan go in the lineup? Personally, it would seem that having three burners at the top of the lineup would pretty much insure that the cleanup and #5 hitters see a lot of fastballs.