CASTILLA TARGETS DECEMBER 7 FOR RETURN TO PLAYING FIELD

Former major league All-Star third baseman Vinny Castilla says he hopes to be back in uniform playing for the Hermosillo Naranjeros by December 7.

In an interview with Puro Beisbol’s Fernando Ballasteros, the 43-year-old Castilla, who retired from MLB after the 2006 season and presently is an assistant GM with the Colorado Rockies, says “Physically, I’m fine, but I haven’t seen pitches from a mound in a year. I’m going to be in Hermosillo to get ready and I think with some simulated games and batting, I’ll debut on December 7.” Castilla played 30 games for the Naranjeros last winter, hitting .292 with 7 homers and 27 RBIs for the Mex Pac champions.

Regarding the firing of former manager Homar Rojas last week, Castilla said, “He’s a man of baseball, a man I respect very much, and yes it was a surprise to hear about that,” adding that he’s known new skipper Ever Magallenes “a long time. We played against each other many times. He’s a man who’s very respected in baseball.”

One of Castilla’s Naranjeros teammates will be reigning Mex Pac MVP Luis Alfonso Garcia, who was leading the league with 16 homers and 42 RBIs after 38 games. Castilla, who belted 320 homers in his own big league career (a record for Mexican-born players), says all Garcia needs to reach the majors is “an opportunity. I think someone has to give it because right now, he is above the level of Mexican baseball.”

AXE FALLS ON MANAGERS IN HERMOSILLO, MEXICALI

Whoever first said that baseball managers are “hired to be fired” had a couple of object lessons provided on their behalf recently in the Mexican Pacific League, where two managers were given their pink slips despite both finishing one game out of first place in the first half final standings.

Exhibit A is Homar Rojas, who was let go by the Hermosillo Naranjeros after finishing the opening half with an 18-17 record, ten months after guiding the Orangemen to the Mex Pac pennant and a berth in the Caribbean Series. Rojas also won an LMP flag with Obregon in 2007-08. He will be replaced at the Hermosillo helm by Ever Magallenes, who was a coach with the Naranjeros under Vinny Castilla in 2008-09 and was recently hired as a minor league fielding coordinator for the Chicago White Sox.

Exhibit B is Dave Machemer, who was fired by the Mexicali Aguilas after also guiding his charges to an 18-17 mark. Machemer, who has been a minor league skipper with the World Series champion San Francisco Giants organization for several years, led Mexicali to a pennant in 1988-89. It was hoped Machemer would bring some of his old managerial magic back to a team that hasn’t won a Mex Pac pennant since 1998-99, but it’ll now be up to new skipper Marco Antonio Guzman to bring a title to Mexicali.