Willi Castro's Unique Skill Set Makes Him Irreplaceable on Current Roster

[Greggory Masterson]

Willi Castro has spent a year enabling all of Rocco Baldelli’s in-game shenanigans, and losing him—even temporarily—will send ripples down the roster.

Image courtesy of Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

“Willi’s is the key to all this.” – Rocco Baldelli, probably.

On Monday, the Twins announced that Royce Lewis would be making his return from an oblique injury that had him sidelined since July 1st. The bad news was that Willi Castro would hit the injured list with an oblique injury of his own—through a lesser strain than the one that sidelined Lewis for six weeks.

Castro was a mere afterthought at the season’s onset—a non-roster invitee on a minor-league contract. However, the Twins saw something in the then-25-year-old, as the contract was worth $1.8 million.

Castro wasn’t a standard minor league signing, as he still had three full years of team control after spending parts of four seasons in Detroit. If the toolsy, versatile player could carve out a role on the MLB team, he would be quite the asset.

He carved out a role he has, but it wasn’t apparent that he would.

Originally added to the active roster ahead of Opening Day as a placeholder for injured players Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff, Castro didn’t see any action until the end of the fourth game of the year, replacing Carlos Correa in an 11-1 blowout against the Marlins. Through 10 games, he had played in four—starting only three.

On some teams, that usage would be expected of the last guy on the bench, but it’s undoubtedly not Baldelli’s style. It probably indicated that the team saw him as a non-factor, break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option with his switch-hitting and ability to play anywhere.

He played more as the season went along, generally used as a late-game replacement. Through May 11th (37 games), he had appeared in 26 games, starting only 12, and entered the game in the seventh inning or later 12 times. He also struggled, posting a .186/.300/.302 (.602) slash line with one home run in 50 plate appearances.

His name was often thrown around by commentators as a candidate for demotion whenever another player returned from the injured list. Somehow—mainly as a result of other players on the active roster getting hurt before he headed to the chopping block—he kept his spot with the big league team.

He also got hot at the right time. From April 30th to June 1st, he was one of the few bright spots on a team struggling offensively, slashing .329/.358/.500 (.858), stealing 10 bases in 11 attempts and playing six positions. Through that stretch, he managed to carve out a niche and, since, has rarely had his role questioned.

Baldelli has also grown attached to utilizing his skillset. One might even say that Castro is the key to all of Baldelli’s chicanery this season. He has become infamous—or famous, depending on your stance—for tinkering in-game and playing matchups. Castro brings several skills that can help in these endeavors.

First, he can play everywhere. In 2023, he has appeared at third base, second base, shortstop, all three outfield positions, and even pitcher on two occasions, drawing starts at all those positions other than shortstop and pitcher. If there’s a hole in the lineup card, Castro can fill it.

He’s also a switch-hitter, which allows him to start games in the outfield against left-handed starters, giving one of the left-handed Twins corner outfielders a break. He’s posted a meager .670 OPS against left-handed starters, but he fills the role that Baldelli seeks.

Those bits are good, but he mainly enables Baldelli’s deepest, darkest impulses after the first pitch has been thrown. Castro is the Band-Aid to any move Baldelli wants to make.

If Baldelli wants to pinch-hit Donovan Solano for Max Kepler against a tough lefty reliever, he can move Castro from third base to right field. If he wants to hit Edouard Julien for Michael A. Taylor, Castro can move from second base to center field to make it happen. Are Kepler, Kirilloff, Joey Gallo, Trevor Larnach, and Matt Wallner suddenly all in the lineup together? No worries, just sub Castro in for one of them and put him wherever the open spot in the defense is.

Sure, Castro has had his share of pinch-hitting himself, as he’s pinch-hit 11 times, but he’s more likely to solve problems caused by other substitutions. He’s also pinch-run nine times, and his 29 stolen bases in 33 tries have also been a valuable asset.

He’s been put to use whether he starts or enters later in the game. In fact, between May 10th and July 16th, he played in 54 of 56 games, starting only 41 of them. There have only been 22 games, as of August 18th, that Castro hasn’t played at all. Five of those games have been since his injury. He’s played 101 of 123 games but only started 71 of them. He has entered the game late or switched positions in the field 59 times this season.

He’s also thrived in the role, relatively. The bar will always be lower for a role player like Castro. Still, he’s stolen bases at a remarkable clip and has a respectable (for a utility player) 94 wRC+ (six percent below an average hitter). He’s provided solid defense at each position he’s played (OAA and DRS both have him at a -2 in center field, his lowest ratings, but he only had 121 MLB innings before 2023 and hasn’t been bad there).

He’s certainly been worth the $1.8 million paycheck. Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs project him to finish with a WAR around 2, about a league-average starter, though his injury may offset that.

For comparison, consider a player like Marwin Gonzalez, tabbed as a high-end super-utility player in 2019 and 2020. Gonzalez played a crucial role in the 2019 season, putting up an OPS+ of 94, right on par with Castro this year. Castro beats Gonzalez out in defensive versatility and base running, though. The Twins gladly paid Gonzalez $12 million that year, seven times what Castro was paid for 2023.

Pound-for-pound Castro’s signing probably resulted in the best value that the team got this offseason. Competent Swiss Army knives are difficult to find (look no further than the extended look that Willians Astudillo got), and Castro has filled that role better than almost anyone would have expected. No one would say he’s a top-15 player on the team, but he’s done his job.

At no point during the offseason would anyone have expected Willi Castro’s presence to be so valuable, but Baldelli will be hamstrung in the coming weeks without his Get Out Of Lineup Jail Free card. If you believe his moving and shaking is more than it’s worth, maybe the injury will relieve you, but Baldelli will need to think a little harder for now.

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[rv78]

Is he really that valuable? I agree his $1.8M salary is not a problem but if his OPS against left-handers is only .670 wouldn't using a better bat against them..... be "better"? Rocco's insistance to not use his best players all of the time or as much as possible is the only reason why he gets used as much as he does. It isn't because he is the best option. Is he a good base runner? Yes, should Rocco use him as a late game base stealer? Yes. Or a late game defensive replacement? Yes. But putting him in the starting lineup over the regulars who are suppose to be better is a mistake. Hopefully with Lewis back it will mean less Castro. I think it is tale-telling how you describe Castro as the Band-Aid to Rocco's moves, Band-Aids are used to heal boo-boos or another way to look at it......  he is the fix for Rocco's mistakes. 

[High heat]

A very nice Swiss Army knife for the short bench.  Hoping he is back for the playoffs to pinch run and defensive sub.

 

likely a guy you bring back next yr, He makes Gordon and Farmer DFA this off-season.  Tho Castro likely gets replaced by Martin in 2024. 

[NotAboutWinning]

2 hours ago, Greggory Masterson said:

Willi Castro has spent a year enabling all of Rocco Baldelli’s in-game shenanigans, and losing him—even temporarily—will send ripples down the roster.

This!! He is a Baldelli enabler!

[Doctor Gast]

Since ST, I've been a fan of Castro. Yet he's not the typical player that the Twins go for. Even though his impressive ST, odds were he wouldn't make the active roster & rot down in AAA because of the Twins bias. Injuries forced the Twins hand & fortunately that outcome helped Castro to help the Twins stay a float during the 1st half. His #s don't tell the whole story, his flexibility, defense, base running & clutch hitting has been invaluable.

[Heiny]

Seems like a little hyperbole to me.  I agree that he is a good utility player and worth the 1.8 M  and better than Marwin, but making it sound like the Twins will fall apart without him is ridiculous to me.  Being Roccos' band-aid is over-exaggerating.  I like Willi but "C'mon Man".

[ashbury]

Willi Castro's "unique" skill set is that he's a competent shortstop who doesn't hit well enough to be a regular for a contending team. Sending him further and further down the defensive spectrum (CF, 3B, LF??!?) only highlights the below-average bat more sharply - there is no way a 91 OPS+ is an asset when used in left field on a frequent basis.  He's currently 6th on the team in plate appearances, which means that injuries have riddled the roster and, like MAT, he is playing more than his substitute role should have called for.

[JesusisLord7]

Castro has done well for us this year and give him credit. However, if we look over our shoulder to Saint Paul there is a guy really hitting the ball that would bring electric speed, athleticism that is badly missing on this current roster. I'm talking about Austin Martin. He is raking and could serve in a utility role or maybe just usurp Michael Taylor in CF. The home runs do not win playoff games. Elite pitchers rarely surrender the long ball. Martin draws walks and can steal basis. He has the feel of a Royce Lewis with pure athleticism. I think if he took CF and you get Kirilloff back at 1B now you have a really interesting lineup. Many guys in St. Paul we should be looking to as a resource. Stevenson is another interesting guy. 

[IndyTwinsFan]

56 minutes ago, High heat said:

A very nice Swiss Army knife for the short bench.  Hoping he is back for the playoffs to pinch run and defensive sub.

 

likely a guy you bring back next yr, He makes Gordon and Farmer DFA this off-season.  Tho Castro likely gets replaced by Martin in 2024. 

I think Gordon is quite likely gone, probably as a DFA, before next season starts.

As for Farmer, I feel less certain about, for 2 reasons.  First, he has a better history in this league than does Gordon.  Second, he can also fill in as an emergency catcher, even though he hasn't had to this season. 

I don't see a huge problem with having both Castro and Farmer on the roster, provided nothing radical or unexpected happens in the meantime. 

[High heat]

40 minutes ago, IndyTwinsFan said:

I think Gordon is quite likely gone, probably as a DFA, before next season starts.

As for Farmer, I feel less certain about, for 2 reasons.  First, he has a better history in this league than does Gordon.  Second, he can also fill in as an emergency catcher, even though he hasn't had to this season. 

I don't see a huge problem with having both Castro and Farmer on the roster, provided nothing radical or unexpected happens in the meantime. 

I don’t see a problem with having both Farmer and Castro on the roster either.  I just think Farmer will be DFA for financial reasons because Castro and fill his role and Farmer will be an expensive Utility player in the last year of arb and already making 6 milllion.

[mikelink45]

I have liked both Castro and Taylor despite the negative comments that they have received.  They bring something that is not measured in analytics and we would have been in bad shape without them. 

[Boswell]

Viva la Tortuga!  
 

Happy to have a reference to the heart, soul (and legs) of the Bomba Squad!

[Boswell]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

I have liked both Castro and Taylor despite the negative comments that they have received.  They bring something that is not measured in analytics and we would have been in bad shape without them. 

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/war?lg=&teamid=8
 

Willi is 3rd for position players after Jeffers and Julien.  MAT slots in at 5th.  
 

Where have you gone, Carlos Correa?

[stringer bell]

Can the Twins have a roster with utility guys Castro, Farmer and Martin as their bench? There really isn’t a lefty-mashing outfielder and there is no real backup at first base. 
 

IMHO, the most expendable is Farmer, but he’s a preferred alternate shortstop and he’s got the best résumé as hitting left handed pitching. 

[twins_89]

I don't know that I'd call Castro irreplaceable, I think Austin Martin could fill the same role while being much better at the plate. This offseason it will be interesting to see how the Twins handle Martin, Castro, and Gordon since I'm not sure more than one of them makes the 2024 opening day roster.

[jmlease1]

I'm baffled how Willi Castro's performance this season and injury absence has become a forum for bashing the manager.

Castro has been very useful to the Twins this season, especially with Miranda not being able to seize the 3B job and injuries to guys like Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis, and Jorge Polanco. But probably the biggest key has been unleashing Castro's ability as a baserunner, and he's made a quantum leap in that area. 

But let's not get too crazy here: he's still got a 90 OPS+ and can't hit enough to be a regular. His value is in his flexibility and that you can use him as a late-game pinch-runner with no additional defensive moves needed pretty much no matter who he slots in for. Instead of the last slot on the active roster being a "break glass in case of emergency" player, he's someone you can use often to take advantage of his skills. But he's not a starter and will get exposed if his bat is relied on too much.

[saviking]

On 8/19/2023 at 11:10 AM, rv78 said:

Is he really that valuable? I agree his $1.8M salary is not a problem but if his OPS against left-handers is only .670 wouldn't using a better bat against them..... be "better"? Rocco's insistance to not use his best players all of the time or as much as possible is the only reason why he gets used as much as he does. It isn't because he is the best option. Is he a good base runner? Yes, should Rocco use him as a late game base stealer? Yes. Or a late game defensive replacement? Yes. But putting him in the starting lineup over the regulars who are suppose to be better is a mistake. Hopefully with Lewis back it will mean less Castro. I think it is tale-telling how you describe Castro as the Band-Aid to Rocco's moves, Band-Aids are used to heal boo-boos or another way to look at it......  he is the fix for Rocco's mistakes. 

Those are very valid points. How much do you use a utility player over a starter? That said, we all know his value as a utility player, and I feel he has shown it will be a challenging situation when Gordon returns. I would argue Castro is more valuable than Gordon in that role.  

[John Belinski]

One writer said it will make Rocco think more and now I know we are in trouble. I have watched Rocco pitch hit Gallo three times during the past few games and we got three strikeouts. The less Rocco has to think the better.