Starlin Castro To Sit
Cubs Manager Mike Quade has decided to sit his shortstop and rookie sensation Starlin Castro for at least the next two games. After committing a pair of mental errors in SUnday's 18-5 loss to the Mets (getting picked off at first thinking time was called on the field and not running out a ground ball thinking there were two outs instead of one), Quade has decided that Castro needs to watch the game from the bench for a spell.
"Every so often it's better for a player to observe than participate," Quade said. "I thought he really should watch a game or so and sit with some very smart people on my staff and kind of keep an eye on things and maybe reflect a little bit." Quade went on to put Castro's mistakes in perspective saying, "He's had so much thrown at him, but I think sometimes step back, take a look at things, give a guy a couple days [to think]."
Castro has been one of the few bright stars in this murky Cubs season. Batting .317, Castro ranks third in qualified players for the NL Batting title--20 points behind Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies. Given his numbers, Castro also figures to give the Rookie of the Year Award a run.
Quade's benching of Castro is, frankly, a gutsy move for a guy auditioning for the managerial position in 2011. In such a situation it might seem as though keeping your best players in the lineup so as to amass as many wins as possible would be Quade's best bet at making his position more permanent but Quade is opting to try and teach his young players--even his most talented.
Really, this move could go a long way for Quade. He's showing management (and ownership) that he's interested and invested in the Cubs' youth. Make no mistake, it will be the Cubs' young players that lead the way--for better or for worse--for next season. By working around potential headaches now, Quade will hopefully avoid similar mistakes next year for whomever sits in the dugout.
