Willi Castro's Value to the Twins Is Getting Harder to See

[Nick Nelson]

He was officially named the team's MVP last year, and there were viable reasons for it. But the planned usage for Willi Castro this season seem to downplay his most valuable qualities.

Image courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Personally I think it's a stretch to say Willi Castro was the Most Valuable Player on the Minnesota Twins in 2024, as selected by the local chapter of the BBWAA for the Diamond Awards. Our choice at Twins Daily was Carlos Correa. (Mine personally was Griffin Jax.)

But the case for Castro is solid enough. He was an All-Star, led the team in games played, and offered a historic level of defensive versatility by becoming the first player ever to make 20-plus starts at five different positions. Critically, the 27-year-old utility man was able to step in at shortstop and center field for extended stretches while Correa and Byron Buxton were down.

 

Correa and Buxton are pivotal to the Twins' outlook, in a way that few other duos around the league can match. Not only are they the best players on the team, capable of MVP-caliber production when healthy, but they play the two most hard-to-fill (non-catcher) positions on the field. Their injury concerns are magnified because when one or both of those guys is down, in order to prevent a massive drop-off, the Twins have to find capable defenders to replace them who can at least hold their own at the plate.

In theory that's a huge part of the appeal for Castro, and a justification for his $6 million salary as the front office faces budget constraints: He's a contingency for both of your two most indispensable position-player assets. Knowing that you have Castro available to step in at short or in center in the event Buxton or Correa get sidelined is peace of mind worth paying for.

But here's the thing: The Twins don't want to use Castro at shortstop or in center field. Their decision to invest $6 million in Harrison Bader made this clear, and the rumors about their interest in signing a veteran backup shortstop crystallize it further. 

"The Twins used utilityman Willi Castro as their backup shortstop and center fielder last season, and they believe that wore him down," wrote Bobby Nightengale in a recent article for the Star Tribune. "Castro, an All-Star last year, had a .276 batting average and .810 OPS through the first three months of the season, then hit .216 with a .613 OPS in the final three months."

It's possible the team actually believes this. Or maybe it's a nicer way of saying they just didn't think he was any good at short or center — a view that would be backed by defensive metrics. If you take both of those positions out of his defense toolkit, the versatility he offers is much less impactful because the Twins have multiple other players who can fill in at all of his other positions. 

Now we've got the Twins starting to openly talk about using Castro at first base. Which, what? I mean I guess I see the benefit of working him in as an emergency option there, but if it's something Rocco Baldelli is considering doing with any regularity that seems like a bad sign. First base is the only (non-catcher) position Castro has never played in the major leagues.

Although he's got the skills to hold his own and at 6-foot-1 he's got enough size for it, Castro's bat would not be much of an asset at such an offense-oriented position. He has experienced a career renaissance in Minnesota over the past two seasons by slashing .251/.334/.395 for a .729 OPS that is 3% better than the league average, and below the benchmark for MLB first basemen last year.

Right now Castro looks to be the Twins' regular leadoff hitter by default, another role for which he is seemingly miscast. He led the team in leadoff starts last year (48), and the only others who made more 30 are Edouard Julien, who's got to earn his way back, and Manuel Margot, who is gone. 

Castro's switch-hitting and his speed play at the top of the lineup, but generally he doesn't have the discipline, on-base skills or overall offensive ability you'd like to see in your table-setter. His .331 OBP last year was acceptable, but buoyed by a flukish 21 HBPs. His OBP in the second half was .298, and while the Twins might believe that was due to wear, we are also talking about a guy who came to Minnesota with a .292 career mark.

In fairness, Castro's imperfect fit atop the order isn't his fault — more so a reflection of the lack of suitable alternatives. If he does indeed open the season as Minnesota's primary leadoff man, they are probably just hoping he can keep the seat warm for a Julien rebound or Luke Keaschall emergence.

Still, if the Plan-A usage for Castro involves leading off and starting at first base with regularity ... that doesn't seem like an optimal situation at all. It seems more like a square peg in a round hole. And if the lack of faith in him at center or short forces the Twins to roster two additional players, his versatility becomes far less valuable at his price tag. 

Castro absolutely did offer more value than WAR could convey last year, when he featured as a "quintessential 10th man." But he's not as quintessential in their outlook going forward, based on how things are trending. Which makes me continue to wonder if the reigning team MVP will be on the roster come Opening Day.

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[Old Twins Cap]

They are going to trade him.  It's plain to see.

The outfield is covered.  The infield is full. 

They'll get some non-rostered prospects and put them in MiLB.

[Blyleven2011]

Good article ...

Willie is a versatile athletic player ,  Willie had a resurgence with the twins for a year and a half but that second half slump concerns me , was it overuse and lack of stamina or is he back to his detroit numbers after his good rookie season  ...

I cant resist  ....

The only square peg in a round hole is our FO and owners ...

[Heiny]

You think it was the games at SS and CF that wore him down.  How about maybe he played in 158 games total.  Second most games played was Santana, the oldest guy on the team, but at 1b, probably the least demanding postion.  Wanna guess who had the 3rd most games played?  Manny Maggot!  4th was one of our platoon catchers, Jeffers. Castro and Santana were the only two players with more than 412 AB's. Yes, this was mostly due to the many injuries the team suffered.  But is it any wonder that they fell apart at the end of the year?  So now we want to move Castro to 1b, again the least demanding defensive position?  So he can play what, 208 games?  Actually, I think Castro could most likely handle the position defensively after "sufficient practice",  but then you lose his most valuable trait which is his VERSATILITY!  And he is not the classice slugger type that you would normally want at 1b.  So, no is my vote.  Again, go get Mountcastle.

[Blyleven2011]

20 minutes ago, Old Twins Cap said:

They are going to trade him.  It's plain to see.

The outfield is covered.  The infield is full. 

They'll get some non-rostered prospects and put them in MiLB.

If they were to trade the VERSATILITY of castro , I sure hope the front office is smart enough to get a future catcher in return , they could have thrown in henrique too , whom someone is is going to get for nothing ...

How creative was that ...

40 man rosters are pretty much full for most teams so I'm not sure we would get a good package unloading castros contract even though he was voted twins MVP and an allstar for 2024 ...

[stringer bell]

I do buy into the overuse angle for Castro slumping in the second half. His full-year stats were not All-Star worthy by any stretch and for him to be named the Twins MVP is a nice nod to a career utility guy.

I think Castro is fine filling in at short for 20-30 games and he would have been okay doing the same in center. Yes, he is stretched at either position and a different guy or guys to cover both of those spots would allow Willi to play where he is best suited--second, third and left field. That's still a ton of versatility and his bat plays far better there than first base. 

Castro was a better, more patient hitter, especially in the first half. Whatever the Twins can do to replicate that performance at the plate should be the biggest priority for Willi. If he hits at an .800 OPS level, Rocco will find plenty of places for him to play.

[TheLeviathan]

A team that hunts match-up advantages through lineup substitutions really shouldn't be looking to dump a switch hitter who can play anywhere but catcher.  This is the kind of player this organization's philosophy absolutely demands.  Couple that with being one of the only guys in the lineup that isn't slow....I absolutely see the value.

This team should be getting Larnach a 1B glove and planting Castro in LF most days with his flexibility allowing them to move others to the DH spot for some rest.

More directly....why are people overreacting to the Twins looking for a backup middle infielder?  This roster has plenty of room for a backup SS and Willi Castro.  I mean...we have people talking about Mickey Gaspar making the team and we think signing a backup infielder relegates him irrelevant?  Yeah, I don't get that conclusion at all.

[thelanges5]

I’ll admit I’ve been consumed by all of the 1B chatter (hello Larnach), but isn’t 2B just as murky?

ST battle in the making - Lee, Julien, Martin, Gasper? Am I missing anyone?

Maybe this is where Castro helps most at least early on w/Eeles and Keaschall lurking at AAA. 

[DJL44]

I would stick Castro at 2B and mostly leave him there. He's top of the depth chart at that position. Putting him at 1B minimizes all of his abilities that make him valuable. I would rather they trade him for a 1B with power instead of playing him at 1B full-time.

[Danchat]

1 hour ago, Old Twins Cap said:

They are going to trade him.  It's plain to see.

The outfield is covered.  The infield is full. 

They'll get some non-rostered prospects and put them in MiLB.

How is the infield full? We don't know if Lee is going to be able to hold down a job full-time, and who is going to back up the infield? I don't see a guy on the 40 man roster who is going to back up SS or 3B unless they are adding Urias or DeJong.

[NYCTK]

Willi Castro was the 5th OF and still played 59 games. 

Everyone is just assuming Rodriguez and Keaschall will be major league ready come May 1st. In reality, there's a great chance neither show they're ready until August, if ever. We could easily be talking in two years ahout them like people do Julien. Especially Rodriguez, considering they seemingly have the same approach at the plate. 

[Mark G]

Someone correct me if I am misremembering, but I remember Castro was not an All Star; he was a replacement pick for CC when he went down.  I hope I am not disparaging him, but I never considered him an All Star, nor the team MVP.

Having said all of that, I want to keep him and use him in the utility role he seems suited for, not as a regular first baseman.  He has earned his contract and is still valuable, if not most valuable.  

[LambchoP]

I wouldn't mind seeing Castro as the starting 2b at least until Lee, Keaschal, Julien or Eeles forces their way into a job. Castro is also a solid 3b, and LF option as well. He can even cover SS and CF short term. I think our team is definitely better with him, but with the Bader signing and rumors that we're looking for a backup infielder, Castro may be gone. If they do trade him I just hope they get a good long term catcher, or even better, a starting caliber first baseman. I think MountCastle or Diaz would improve this lineup greatly.

[D.C Twins]

I had Mar-got that Margot had led off so many times during last season.

Not as bat s- crazy as continually running him out there to pinch hit.... but close...

[Heiny]

Willie Castros offensive category positions.

Games played - 1st

Plate Appearances - 1st

AB - 1st

Runs - 1st

Hits - 1st

Doubles - 1st

Triples - 1st

HR - 8th

RBI - 3rd

SB - 1st

BB - 2nd

BA - 8th

OBP - 5th

SLG - 9th

OPS - 9th

OPS+ - 9th

Versatility - 1st by a long shot.

His value is very high.  As a super utility.

 

[Exiled in Illinois]

Castro isnt the answer at 1st base, Lewis is.  Assuming he can learn to play adequate defense there by opening day, pencil him in there as our every day 1st baseman.  Doing so fills the vacancy at 1st without increasing payroll, hides his erratic arm in the field, and puts him in a less demanding position physically, helping him stay on the field.  

He's certainly athletic enough to become a quality defender there with time and could be our first baseman for years,  Hopefully he can be an all-star caliber player there.

That'll leave Castro, Miranda, Lee and Julian to platoon 2nd and 3rd, and we all know how Rocco loves to platoon!  If they don't perform, it'll be a long season, but it's who we got.  

[Fatbat]

There really isn't a reason to dump Castro and his Salary. In ‘24, the Twins collected roughly $20M in TV distribution fees while slashing player salary. Now with the team being sold in the next 90 days, it’s clear that the buyer is on board with spending more in ‘25.  The Pohlads have given the FO the go ahead on spending more.  The FO obviously wants to keep there employment status as is, so they will field a team that has the potential to win…. and win alot.  You all are bound by past constraints if you think its business as usual in the FO. 

[Brett]

Castro was more Rocco’s MVP than anyone else’s. He was the Swiss Army knife who looked so good for 3 months, that he kept appearing in the lineup even when his performance tailed off. Nick Gordon had one good season, too. Al Newman had a couple. But these guys will be his compares, not somebody like Ben Zobrist. 

Castro is a nice piece on a playoff team, but he shouldn’t be a centerpiece.

[PatPfund]

There are two reasons why Willi Castro set a record for playing so many games at so many positions. 1) he actually has a fairly rare ability to shift around. 2) His manager loves to shift players all over far beyond the norm. Way beyond the norm.

I've always thought Castro was the most likely to get traded, because he actually had a solid season (unlike the other two main salary dump candidates), so there might be outside interest. Maybe the Twins agree with me. (Shocking!) (Probably not wise of them!)

Castro at 1B is just ridiculous. I wish Rocco would spend less of his time trying to find new places to move everyone, and start putting a focus on how to build better team defense. (Spoiler alert: it probably means more ST drills, and a LOT less moving people  all over the field. Which is why other managers don't do it all the time, and why most teams play better defense than the Twins.)

[Doctor Gast]

It's unbelievable when the Twins are complaining about Castro's $6,25M salary, when he is so valuable to the team & then turn around to sign Bader (who's a bench upgrade on defense, especially as platooning cOF but leaves a lot to be desired offensively & IMO not necessary) to a $6.5-8.5M + '26 buyout. Swapping these 2 guys out shows very bad player evaluation & money mismanagement. Castro's time at CF & SS should be moderated. Hoping that Buxton & Correa play more often & that Keirsey & Lee are ready to play there also more often. But it's nice to have Castro around to fill in if need be at SS & CF along with valuable time at LF, 2B & 3B. With less time SS & CF would take off the burden & release more production. Besides putting Castro as a fire sale puts Twins in a bind & his market goes down. We'll never get what he's worth to us. He offers his services at 1B because he wants to stay here one way or another. Twins seem to always get hurt so he'll be busy & needed in other positions. His flexibility is always valuable to us by adding depth everywhere. It'll be a big mistake to trade away Castro. 

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, D.C Twins said:

I had Mar-got that Margot had led off so many times during last season.

Not as bat s- crazy as continually running him out there to pinch hit.... but close...

Yes, I wanted to comment on that, Twins lack very much a lead-off hitter. Having Margot, Julien, Larnach & Castro was very strange. Besides Margot's PHing record. Twins crazy weird analytics drive me crazy.

[ashbury]

Willi's a tweener.  Not a good enough glove for a full-time spot up the middle, not a good enough bat for a corner position.  His other skills such as baserunning are good quality but nothing extraordinary.  The Twins should be commended for getting the most out of a castoff from a rival team, but his only conceivable role on a competitive team is as utility player.  It's true that his salary has become a little rich for this role, but if the Twins would struggle to replace his contributions, probably needing two utility players on the 26-man, I'm not bothered by keeping him.  But if his second-half bat last season proves to be his first-half bat this year, parting ways could and should (and probably won't) be quick.

[Doctor Gast]

IMO we were much deeper in the OF (even before Bader) than the 2B, 3B & SS. With Julien's terrible offense & defense, he should be at AAA or traded. Correa, Lewis & Lee always hurt plus Miranda should be fixed at 1B leaves healthy Castro to sub all three positions & Martin to help out 2B. You take Castro out of the equation, that leaves a very thin & vulnerable INF. Yes, I don't consider Gasper as a viable MLB option.

[mnfireman]

Castro is valuable right now because the team can pencil him at 2B everyday in March and April. Come May 1, whichever of Lee, Keuschel, or Julien is having the better season at AAA should be called up and inserted at 2B.

If the team deems Castro a better SS/COF option than Martin (spring training will be the real tell, not TD opinions in February) than Martin can fill in at 2B with Castro relieving whoever needs the day off (he can play SS for one game with the fly-ball heavy Twins rotation).

While a game or two of Castro at 1B is ok, placing him there everyday is a waste of his versatility. However, he should not play more than 120-125 games, barring injury. 

[bean5302]

I will continue to advocate the position somebody's positional flexibility can be summed up based on how much performance loss the team sees when switching from the starter to Castro vs. the normal backup.
If Castro were a full season player (assuming he could handle the position health-wise), here's what I'd expect he'd produce.

Defensive Rating-ish DRS/UZR/OAA
C* - 1.0 WAR, Has not played, project Awful/Awful/Awful
1B - 1.5 WAR, Has not played, project Neutral/Neutral/Neutral
2B - 2.5 WAR, Awful/Poor/Neutral
3B - 3.0 WAR, Neutral/Plus/Plus
SS - 3.0 WAR, Poor/Poor/Neutral
LF - 2.5 WAR, Awful/Poor/Neutral
CF - 2.0 WAR, Awful/Awful/Awful
RF - 3.0 WAR, Excellent/Plus/Neutral
DH - 1.0 WAR, N/A
*Castro would be the most offensively valuable catcher on the team, hands down. He's got a strong enough arm, and umpires have gotten pretty good with the strike zone. Castro would have like... a lot of passed balls. Maybe -20 runs as a catcher defensively? He'd still be better than Christian Vazquez, but Castro would break down almost immediately because of the extreme load on the legs so it's a moot point.

Castro is not a typical utility player. His talent is being wasted by the Twins. Instead of giving Castro every day time at a position when he has the tools to become good or better defensively at every position on the field, Baldelli deploys him as a utility player. As to how much utility he really adds, compare value to the backup.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, Heiny said:

Willie Castros offensive category positions.

Games played - 1st

Plate Appearances - 1st

AB - 1st

Runs - 1st

Hits - 1st

Doubles - 1st

Triples - 1st

HR - 8th

RBI - 3rd

SB - 1st

BB - 2nd

BA - 8th

OBP - 5th

SLG - 9th

OPS - 9th

OPS+ - 9th

Versatility - 1st by a long shot.

His value is very high.  As a super utility.

 

Can the FO and TC media stop the BS calling Castro a "utility player".   When you lead your team in ABs, PAs, and games played you are a starter.   

When that player leads the team in R, H, DB, TR, and SB you have a big problem at multiple positions.  TC should be worried about that not trying to add 1B to the utility players portfolio.

[bean5302]

5 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Can the FO and TC media stop the BS calling Castro a "utility player".   When you lead your team in ABs, PAs, and games played you are a starter.   

When that player leads the team in R, H, DB, TR, and SB you have a big problem at multiple positions.  TC should be worried about that not trying to add 1B to the utility players portfolio.

Here is a list of the player who had the most plate appearances at every given position:
C - 339, Jeffers
1B - 577, Santana
2B - 279, Julien
3B - 292, Miranda
SS - 361, Correa
LF - 184, Larnach
CF - 366, Buxton
RF - 129, Wallner
DH - 118, Lewis*
*Larnach also led the team in PA at DH, Lewis was #2 at DH at 119 PA.

Do you see Castro on that list? No because he wasn't the starter at any position on the team.

 

Quote

 

From BR Bullpen

 

A utility player or utility man is a player who can appear at several different positions, specifically both infield and outfield positions. Such players are prized for their roles on the bench, especially in the modern era of large pitching staffs and reduced benches, as they provide teams with a lot of flexibility. There are also more specifically utility infielders, who back up usually at second base, shortstop and third base - players like Randy Velarde have filled this role for years. Occasionally, a utility player will be so effective, such as Tony Phillips, that they get a regular spot in the lineup for years to come without ever holding a position as a regular. The term is sometimes used to refer to any backup position player, but this is a far less common usage.

 

 

[Heiny]

5 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Here is a list of the player who had the most plate appearances at every given position:
C - 339, Jeffers
1B - 577, Santana
2B - 279, Julien
3B - 292, Miranda
SS - 361, Correa
LF - 184, Larnach
CF - 366, Buxton
RF - 129, Wallner
DH - 118, Lewis*
*Larnach also led the team in PA at DH, Lewis was #2 at DH at 119 PA.

Do you see Castro on that list? No because he wasn't the starter at any position on the team.

 

 

I totally disagree.  You don't see him on your list because he played so many different positions.  Which is exactly what makes him a utility player.  And a very good one at that.  And that is exactly why he should stay a utility player.  Yet I believe he may have been overused to some degree.

[sweetmusicviola16]

With the guys we have, Buxton should be shifted to LF. He's not getting younger. He's been fragile. You now have a CF in Bader, but he should not be a corner guy with that bat. Keirsey gets an oppurtunity to back up CF and can also pick up a rare game in the COF. Larnach gets shifted to sharing 1B with Miranda and also picks up some time in OF. Willi can continue to play around the diamond. He doesn't need to be used at 1B and should be used less than 2024. But imo moving Buxton to LF is crucial at this point and Bader should not be used as Margot 2.0. That has stupid written all over it.

[dxpavelka]

if 86 games between SS & CF wore him down then it's no wonder Correa & Buxton wear down playing those positions.