One of the things that started pinging around in my head when the Astros called up catcher Jason Castro is a simple question. What will his nickname be?
We did this with Brad Mills back in spring training, so let's take suggestions here. What are your best names?
Phil Hodges from Kategorie H tweeted last weekend what could be my favorite out of the gate, Castro the Astro. It's catchy and I like the rhyming aspect, but it's not all that easy to use in a conversation. I'd like something that you can use in one or two syllables.
Could we tie in his Stanford connection? Maybe something about him being the first draft pick of the Bobby Heck/Ed Wade Era?
His name doesn't lend itself well to nicknames, since Milo won't be able to just add a "-y" to the end of it like he does with Cammy, Baggy and the rest.
The other question is am I being a bit premature? Is a nickname something he needs to earn with his play on the field? There is just a ton of stuff to think about and I don't have answers. What do you think? Four games into the Jason Castro Era, can we give him a handy moniker?
Let's say the best nickname gets a Phil Garner Astros baseball card, since his nickname (Scrap Iron) was one of the coolest ever. Bonus points will be awarded for originality. Joe, you can only enter once, so pick carefully (though feel free to throw out as many suggestions as you like...we'll only consider one).