Newest Phillie Luis Castillo made his much anticipated Grapefruit League debut Wednesday going 0-4 in the Phillies 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays.
It was an inauspicious start for the second baseman, who's been the subject of mild controversy after not showing up to Clearwater on Tuesday morning after an apparent miscommunication between himself and the front office.
Batting second and playing second, Castillo grounded out twice and popped out once, but did smack a hard line drive out following a solid at-bat in the third inning.
Although Castillo boasts a significant amount a of Major League experience and hit .300 two seasons ago, he is far from a shoe-in to win the job vacated by the injured Chsae Utley. Aside from Castillo, the Phillies are looking at a handful of replacements, including utility man Wilson Valdez, who impressed many with his versatility in 2010, Josh Barfield, who is hitting over .300 in the spring, and Rule 5 Draft pick Michael Martinez, who is garnering a fair amount of attention..
Writes Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com:
Another candidate, Michael Martinez, continued to impress. He started at third base, made a nice play on a line drive and added two hits. Martinez is 28 but has never played in the majors. As a Rule 5 pick, he must make the Opening Day roster or be offered back to Washington.
With six games remaining until they head north, Castillo has to do a whole lot in very little time if he hopes to break camp with the Phils.
