Old Piano Legs was a pitcher who never quite lived up to expectations but always had enough potential that managers would keep trotting him out in the rotation in hopes that he would 'figure it out.' But, with a record well under .500 and a career ERA ballooning up close to 5.00, Villegas was finally banished to the 'pen by the Genius last year. With such poor production in 2038, there wasn't much interest in Marcos and he signed a minor league deal that would turn into a BBA contract if he made the Opening Day roster. Villegas would make that Opening Day roster and he has had a phenomenal season with a 2.74 ERA and 84 FIP- over 62.1 IP. Castillo hasn't been quite as big of a success as Villegas, but the 35 year old has been solid with an above replacement level performance spread over 68.2 IP.
When asked why he seemed have such an affinity for older players, Simmons said, "I don't think I have a preference for older players so much as I just don't have a bias against them. When we are looking for role players and AAA depth, we don't have any issues with signing a player in his 30s to fill those fringe roles. We aren't expecting players to perform well season-upon-season, so getting a graybeard isn't really an issue."
No matter the reasoning, Jacksonville certainly does seem able to squeeze out every drop of value out of an older player.
