Jose Caballero, from the moment he burst onto the scene in 2023 with the Mariners, seemed to be the latest in a long line of powerful utility infielders. He was plugged between second and short, hit for contact and stole bases, and didn't need to be an everyday starter. He gave that Mariners team flexibility, which, between Crawford, Moore and then-Wong, they appreciated. Then they traded him for Luke Raley for some reason, and ever since the Rays have been benefitting from his flexibility, since the Rays are inherently a very flexible team. So far this year, Caballero has a league-leading 25 steals, and is much more integral of an offense piece than someone like Taylor Walls, who continues to infuriate me given his inability to hit.
Caballero's success, despite not being used as an everyday starter and using his own versatility as a selling point, indicates the return of the professional super-ute. There was previously maybe one or two in a spell, like Brock Holt being the everyman for the Red Sox or Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez wearing various hats for the Dodgers, but now there seems to be an avid interest in many teams pinning down this spot. Last year may have been the tipping point, with Willi Castro and David Fry becoming super-utility standouts and becoming the most crucial angle on the lineup.
So this year, we're seeing both the limits and the scope of this strategy. And it really just boils down to this: some people are born to be a superutilityman. Some people are just second basemen that haven't earned the position yet. It's like the difference between a closer and an RP1 that works the ninth, you have to actually earn the role in order to keep it. So we're seeing some previously promising super-utility guys, like Jared Triolo and Gabriel Arias, struggling as the teams change. Triolo is barely hitting this year, and is being outdone by contemporaries like Nick Gonzales and Adam Frazier. Oswaldo Peraza is similar, you get the sense that on another team he wouldn't need to be a superutility infielder, and as it stands he's just kind of a piece for the Yanks.
But conversely you hear about some of the things that Willi Castro's doing and it all makes sense. Castro has played 6 different positions this year [not counting his inning on the mound], he's got 6 homers and 42 hits, and occasionally he'll have a 2-homer day, like he did against the A's. Unlike most other super-ute guys [though Cabby's fast approaching], he's insanely likable, very fun to watch and the fans have rallied around him.
Caballero, however, might have Castro beat for a surprise ASG spot. I'm not sure how many other Rays are especially close to making the team this year, maybe Rasmussen or Lowe make it, but Cabby is the most crucial member of the Rays so far. This is a team based around contact, moneyball and subtlety, and the best players have been young, speedy, efficient guys who aren't too showy and don't cost too much. Caballero is the patron saint of that. And I'm glad he's getting his due, even if it's for the Rays, who'll likely never pay him what he's worth.
Coming Tonight- After last season I worried he was cooked. Definitely not the case.
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