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Castillo blames late arrival to Phillies camp on 'miscommunication'

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The sun rose early yesterday, incubating Bright House Field as a squad full of ballplayers worked beneath its steady orange glow. As infield practice began, a lone player stood in the dugout, drawing from a paper cup of water while fixing his gaze upon the proceedings. Chase Utley's uncertain spring brought more of the same yesterday, the All-Star second baseman fully dressed in his practice jersey and sliding pants, yet forced to watch as life progressed without him.

"I feel like I'm starting to play baseball again," Luis Castillo said yesterday. (Carlos Osorio/AP file photo)
"I feel like I'm starting to play baseball again," Luis Castillo said yesterday. (Carlos Osorio/AP file photo)Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The sun rose early yesterday, incubating Bright House Field as a squad full of ballplayers worked beneath its steady orange glow. As infield practice began, a lone player stood in the dugout, drawing from a paper cup of water while fixing his gaze upon the proceedings. Chase Utley's uncertain spring brought more of the same yesterday, the All-Star second baseman fully dressed in his practice jersey and sliding pants, yet forced to watch as life progressed without him.

A few hours later, long after the Phillies had departed for the 15-minute drive to Dunedin Stadium and a Grapefruit League date with the Blue Jays, another solitary figure slipped into the Phillies' spring training complex and began to make the rounds. By the time Luis Castillo spoke to reporters yesterday afternoon, the three-time Gold Glove winner and three-time All-Star was echoing the explanation that the Phillies had settled upon after a couple of hours of confusion that marked an otherwise anonymous morning.

The Phillies had expected Castillo to begin his candidacy to replace the injured Utley yesterday against the Blue Jays, but at some point during the previous 36 hours, communication between club and player broke down, forcing manager Charlie Manuel to rewrite a lineup that originally featured the new guy batting second.

"A miscommunication with my agent," Castillo said in a soft voice as he stood outside the stadium wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

Manuel certainly did not greet the news by doing cartwheels around the infield grass, essentially telling reporters he would defer comment to those who had spoken with Castillo. But it is important to note that the veteran manager's mood has never been particularly jovial when discussing the dilemma he faces in replacing one of the keystones of his lineup. For now, Castillo is only the latest option, a 35-year-old player coming off an injury-plagued season whom many scouts have categorized as being at the nadir of a solid career. After his physical late yesterday afternoon, Castillo was expected to be in the lineup today when the Phillies travel to Port Charlotte to face the Rays. It will be the first of seven games in which Manuel and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. will have an opportunity to evaluate Castillo in person.

"I feel like I'm starting to play baseball again, like I'm a rookie," said Castillo, who agreed to terms of a minor league contract Sunday night. "I know a lot of stuff is coming out. All of this is in the past. I want an opportunity to play, and I want an opportunity here."

The "stuff" to which Castillo refers involves his departure from the Mets, who released him on Friday despite owing him $6 million for the 2011 season. The Phillies, who have given little public indication about how long they expect to be without Utley, quickly scooped him up on a deal that essentially offers them a free look at a player who only 2 years ago hit .302 with a .387 on-base percentage and 20 stolen bases in 142 games. Because his contract is not guaranteed, they do not owe him any money unless they promote him to the active roster. If Castillo does suit up for them in the majors, they will pay him $414,000, with the Mets picking up the rest of the tab.

"We'll just have to evaluate him 1 less day," Amaro said shortly before Castillo made his belated arrival. "I just talked to him a couple minutes ago. He's excited to get here. I talked to the agent, and I talked to him. He's looking forward to getting here."

Castillo later echoed that sentiment. The rocky end of his Mets career occurred in part because frustrated fans had come to associate his 4-year, $25 million contract with the club's futility. In 2009, he dropped a routine popup with two outs in the ninth that cost New York a win against the crosstown Yankees. Last year, he played in only 86 games while battling foot injuries, hitting .235 with a .337 on-base percentage.

Although Castillo hit .286 with a .355 OBP in 11 Grapefruit League games this spring, Mets manager Terry Collins expressed dissatisfaction with the way the veteran carried himself during the competition for the club's starting job at second base. Yesterday, Castillo said he was equally dissatisfied with what he thought was the lack of an opportunity the Mets gave him.

"It's hard, man," Castillo said. "It's New York. You know how New York is . . . I want to be focused and play baseball. I don't want to think about the fans and media and all this stuff. I want to focus on baseball and show people I can still play."

Castillo has several links to the Phillies clubhouse. In 2009, he was teammates with utility man Wilson Valdez, who right now is the front-runner to start in place of Utley. He said he is friends with third baseman Placido Polanco, who, like Castillo, hails from the Dominican Republic, makes his offseason home in South Florida and is represented by Sam and Seth Levinson. Over the weekend, backup catcher Brian Schneider spoke in glowing terms about his experience as Castillo's teammate with the Mets in 2008 and 2009, saying that the veteran infielder would be a great fit for the clubhouse and that a fresh start might be what he needed.

The Phillies' primary concern is Castillo's performance on the field. While scouts who have watched him play contend that a loss of foot speed has affected his defensive range and his offense, they aren't the ones scrambling to compensate for the loss of a second baseman who hit .284 with an .890 on-base plus slugging percentage and 80 home runs while playing 430 games of dependable defense over the last 3 years. Yesterday, Amaro again said he has seen little progress in Utley, who is attempting to avoid surgery for what has been diagnosed as patellar tendinitis, chondromalacia and bone inflammation in his right knee.

Even at his peak, the light-hitting Castillo would not fill the void. But if he can give the Phillies anything close to his .290 career average and .368 career OBP, he will help.

"I have an opportunity to show I can still play," he said. "That's why I'm here, and that's what I want to do." *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at www.philly.com/HighCheese. Follow him on Twitter at

http://twitter.com/HighCheese.