The Pirates signed second baseman Jose Castillo to a one year, $1.9 million deal and avoided arbitration with the infielder. Castillo did hit 14 homeruns in 2006, but he only had a .299 OBP and a .382 SLG so some plate discipline would probably do Castillo some good. On top of that, fielding was an issue for Castillo and he finished the season with a -1 fielding runs above replacement (-22 fielding runs above average). So his fielding cost the Pirates around two wins through out the year.
PECOTA looks for a small uptick in Castillo’s performance. His weighted mean average has him at .264/.314/.407 with eleven homeruns and they have him doing a bit better on the field but still below average. There is some hope though. Castillo’s most comparable player is none other then Rangers All Star Michael Young. I could live with that.
