Alex Castellanos > Mat Gamel

In Commentary And Analysis by myles13 Comments

A very interesting option just hit the waiver wire (or is about to). The Cubs would be crazy not to put a claim in on Alex Castellanos.

Alex (who is not related to actual prospect Nick) Castellanos is exactly the type of guy the Cubs should be trying to get to fill the bottom of the 40-man. Like Mat Gamel, he is a former prospect (well, sort of, in Alex's case) who just never put it together at the majors. However, Mat and Alex struggled for completely different reasons. Alex put up solid numbers in AAA (not mind-boggling, but a line of .257/.347/.468 last year, and a .328/.420/.590 line the year before that), but as a member of the Dodgers organization never really received more than a cup or two at the major league level. Gamel was considered an elite prospect, one who might stick at 3B but was essentially a bat-first 1B. Injuries and ineffectiveness quickly took the luster off, and Gamel now is just fighting to make a roster at this point. 

At first blush, Gamel is the more talented player of the two. He has the pedigree of a top prospect, as well as the perceived ability to play at third. However, the former isn't all that relevant, and the latter is wrong. Gamel has had a long, extensive injury history, with everything from a right ACL surgery to a right shoulder train to whatever a big toe sesamoid removal is. The ACL has sidelined him for 2 consecutive seasons. At this point, Gamel is a left-handed bat that can play at 1B and maybe RF, if you squint your eyes just the right way. Alex Castellanos was demonstrably great at AA and AAA in 2011 and 2012, and is a right-handed OF who can play the corners well and center passably. He can even play 2B and 3B in a pinch. Considering the handed-ness of our OF right now (Sweeney, Bogusevic and Schierholtz are both lefties, so are Choo and Ellsbury), Castellanos is exactly what the Cubs need right now. 

I'm not saying that Castellanos could ever start for the Cubs (though I'm not sure he's not better than Sweeney), but he makes so much sense as the RH side of the CF/RF platoon, someone who could even play 2B in a pinch. I'd be shocked and frankly disappointed if the Cubs didn't claim Castellanos, should they get the opportunity. Gamel has no future on this team even if he comes back 100% from his injuries (what do you do with a LH 1B when you have Rizzo?), but Castellanos certainly could (albeit short-term). 

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  1. Author
    Myles

    Also, concerning Abreu –

    I think a shorthand way to determine if a signing was good or not is to see what teams were “in the hunt.” Reportedly the White Sox beat the Astros and Red Sox, which are two very respectable organizations. This makes me think that the signing is probably a decent one. If you heard that the Mariners and Phillies were in the hunt, I’d think very differently.

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  2. 2883

    Myles wrote:

    Also, concerning Abreu –
    I think a shorthand way to determine if a signing was good or not is to see what teams were “in the hunt.” Reportedly the White Sox beat the Astros and Red Sox, which are two very respectable organizations. This makes me think that the signing is probably a decent one. If you heard that the Mariners and Phillies were in the hunt, I’d think very differently.

    The Mariners have actually done a find job scouting and bringing over talent from international signings. Most of their “good” players weren’t drafted

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  3. Author
    Myles

    2883 wrote:

    Myles wrote:
    Also, concerning Abreu –
    I think a shorthand way to determine if a signing was good or not is to see what teams were “in the hunt.” Reportedly the White Sox beat the Astros and Red Sox, which are two very respectable organizations. This makes me think that the signing is probably a decent one. If you heard that the Mariners and Phillies were in the hunt, I’d think very differently.

    The Mariners have actually done a find job scouting and bringing over talent from international signings. Most of their “good” players weren’t drafted

    That’s a fair point.

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  4. sitrick

    dmick89 wrote:

    sitrick wrote:
    @ dmick89:
    Was just being sarcastic, hah.
    Sorry about that. Too early I guess. Plus, I’m really dumb.

    THAT should be the OV slogan.

    “Obstructed View: We’re Really Dumb.”

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  5. Rice Cube

    sitrick wrote:

    dmick89 wrote:
    sitrick wrote:
    @ dmick89:
    Was just being sarcastic, hah.
    Sorry about that. Too early I guess. Plus, I’m really dumb.

    THAT should be the OV slogan.
    “Obstructed View: We’re Really Dumb.”

    …but not that dumb compared to some in the blogosphere #yeesh

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  6. Rice Cube

    dmick89 wrote:

    sitrick wrote:
    “Obstructed View: We’re Really Dumb.”

    That’s awesome. We need to make some money off of that.

    I’d suggest a T-shirt but some asshole is probably gonna steal that, too.

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  7. uncle dave

    whatever a big toe sesamoid removal is

    I had a sesamoid bone removed from my left foot, and I never made the bigs. If that’s not a red flag on Gamel, I don’t know what is.

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