Is Alexi a Girl's Name?

Since the beginning of the Kansas City series, Casilla has batted .393 (.919 OPS). Last season, most fans probably remember him for his poor attempts at swinging the bat and his shaky defense. But despite the small, hourglass-shaped black animal clinging to his lower lip, Casilla has looked great so far this year. It's hard to say if anyone could really have seen it coming.

Casilla played on three different minor league teams with the Anaheim Angels in 2004, batting .270 (.694 OPS). He then played at A, AA, and AAA with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005, averaging .311 (.761 OPS). The Twins then aquired him for pitcher J.C. Romero, and in 2006, he improved again, batting .318 (.783 OPS).

But, for whatever reason, he declined in 2007 to .269 (.689 OPS) and to .219 (.600 OPS) in 2008 with the Red Wings. Maybe it was the first time he saw that a spot might not be waiting for him in the majors, or maybe it was the first time he saw AAA pitching. Maybe it was his discipline, or the criticism he received for his fielding. When he came up last year, Casilla showed that there was no reason for him to stay, batting just .222 (.515 OPS). But, for whatever reason, his outlook changed again this year. After hitting a hot streak in early May, Casilla was called up again. This time he took advantage. He is batting .328 (.880 OPS), has 8 walks (already tieing him with Gomez), and has 14 RBIs in just 17 games. His defense has also improved dramatically. It's hard to know what sparked the change and its impossible to know if his success will continue, but he and Gomez have worked well together at the top of the lineup. If he continues to swing well and turn those double plays, I say he deserves and upgrade to "Alex".

. . .

Romero, by the way, never seemed to stand out for the Twins. His best ERA came in 2002 (1.89), but it was sandwiched between two averages over 5. He played just one year for the Angels in 2006 with a 6.70 ERA, and became a free agent at the end of the season. He was signed by the Red Sox in December, but was released in mid-June after a 3.15 ERA. Three days later, however, he signed with the Phillies, and put up a 1.24 ERA over 36 1/3 relief innings. This year he is off to another good start; 1.33 ERA in 20 1/3 innings. He's thrown to 22 different catchers in his career, but it looks like he's finally found a comfortable home in the National League. The Angels clearly drew the short straw in the Casilla deal, but the Phillies are obiously enjoying Romero's unexpected success. Just another example of why baseball is a crazy game.