Jose Castillo

The Pirates finally gave up on Castillo, as his inability to command the strike zone -- he featured a 6:48 BB:K ratio in 2007 -- finally pushed him out of the organization. There was supposed to be some upside with him in the form of pop at the plate, but Castillo hasn't gone deep since August of 2006, when he belted 14 dingers for the year. He'll compete for the third base job after signing with the Marlins, but he may end up just a bench player or in Triple-A. He's still young enough to turn his once promising career around, but the clock is ticking.

In the eyes of some observers, Castillo went from budding prospect to benchwarmer material almost as fast as he gained 20 pounds. The enigmatic second baseman hit six of his 16 homers in a five-game surge in May, only to go homerless in his final 39 games (in addition to batting a combined .110 in Sept. and Oct.). Castillo was one of the few players rushed to the big leagues by the Pirates and his lack of plate discipline has prevented him from any sort of consistency. At just 26, he still has some upside, however, and will begin the season as Pittsburgh's starter at second base.

The free-swinging second baseman has the talent to become an All-Star at some point in his career. Castillo batted .268 with 11 homers and 53 RBI before a knee injury ended his season in August. The converted shortstop demonstrated excellent range but often lost focus on routine plays. At the plate, he hit some prodigious longballs but failed to make contact on a consistent basis. The Pirates expect continued improvement from the first-year starter as he learns the league and matures in his pitch selection.

Castillo, who saw plenty of action at second base last season after making the jump directly from Double-A to the big leagues, made positive adjustments throughout the 2004 campaign and would figure to have a leg up on the competition this spring, but he could be challenged by Freddy Sanchez and to a lesser extent, Bobby Hill. Chances are, Castillo, who has outstanding range and a shortstop’s arm, he will keep the job and if he does, look for him to produce enough to be useful to those in NL leagues.

Castillo, who started last season as the Pirates' top middle infield prospect, now has plenty of competition with the acquisitions of Freddy Sanchez and Bobby Hill. Castillo began 2003 very slowly, hitting just .234 in April, but was able to bring his average up to .287 by season's end, splitting time between shortstop and second for Double-A Altoona. He stole 19 bases, but got caught 10 times, and saw his homer output drop from 16 in 2002 to only five. The Bucs now have enough depth to be patient with Castillo, so look for him to spend most of 2004 at Triple-A Nashville, possibly at third base.

Castillo, the Pirates’ top position-player prospect, is a strong defensive shortstop and a good hitter who pounded 43 extra-base hits as a 21-year-old in high-A ball. He’s unlikely to show up in the majors before 2004, but when he does, he’ll be an immediate threat to Jack Wilson’s job and the best middle infielder the Pirates have had in decades.