Luis Castillo: Castillo's constantly sore legs prevent him from being a force on the basepaths, 9 steals in 13 attempts. Without the steals and with a .299 BHIP%, there is plenty of downside with his powerless .306 batting average.
Josh Barfield: After a nice rookie season, 13/58/.280, Barfield is suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump, 2/46/.252. The only skill that he has maintained is speed, 12 steals in 15 attempts. Despite identical FB%'s of 42%, his power is dramatically down and he has regressed in other key categories, Ct% of 80% down from 85% last year and a BB/K of .17 down from .37 last year. With a .264 BHIP%, there will not be batting average upside unless his underlying skills return to last year's levels, his power returns, or he hits more ground balls, 40% GB%, to take advantage of his speed.
Danys Baez: With Chris Ray out for at least 5 weeks, Baez will be in the mix for save opportunities for the Orioles. Even when he had success closing games, 30 saves in 33 chances with the Devil Rays in 2004, his skills were only borderline closer-worthy, 6.9 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 42% GB%. Since then his skills have regressed, 5.6 K/9, 4.5 BB/9, and a 50% GB%. It is doubtful that he can succeed with his current skill set.
Dan Haren: Haren improved to 12-3 by tossing 7 innings of 2-run ball against the Mariners last night. His stingy 2.42 ERA is being helped by a high 80% strand rate and a depressed .194 BHIP%, but his skill set, 7.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, and a 45% GB%, puts him in the upper echelon of starting pitchers.
Manny Ramirez: Ramirez went deep twice last night, giving him 6 home runs in his last 14 games. After a first-half power outage, it appears that the power is returning. For the year his skill set remains stable compared to his career norms, 82% Ct%, .92 BB/K, and a 41% FB%. Expect a strong finish from Ramirez.
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