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It is clear to me that certain people – including possibly the Twins manager – have become overly enamored with Willi Castro. He's gone from folk hero to focal point of the offense, drawing a start in the leadoff spot in Friday night's series opener against the Phillies.
Look, I'm not here to knock Castro. He's a valuable piece in the right capacity. But a guy with a career .299 OBP and 89 OPS+ is not exactly the prototype for an effective leadoff hitter. (He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.)
Then again, I get why Rocco Baldelli and much of the fan base would be drawn to Castro. He's an exciting athlete and he brings qualities to the field that are otherwise lacking on this roster. The 26-year-old hits from both sides, can field capably at a variety of positions, and he's a weapon on the basepaths with 29 steals on 33 attempts.
The problem is that all these qualities are packaged up in a player who is, overall, not very good. Castro deserves credit for playing to the maximum of his ability, but even at that he's not a starting-caliber player – or he wouldn't be, outside of the circumstances that have put him on a 450-PA pace for the Twins this year.
Castro was cut loose during the offseason by the lowly Tigers, and he's not a wholly different player for Minnesota than he was for Detroit.
Imagine if the Twins could access a player who brings many of the desirable qualities boasted by Castro, but with greater talent and far more viable upside? As luck would have it, that player might be just a phone call away at Triple-A.
Austin Martin was the No. 5 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and No. 1 prospect in the Twins system heading into last year, based on traits similar to those that endeared fans to Castro: he's scrappy, he's aggressive, he's versatile.
"He's electric," I wrote of Martin and his rep at the time. "He's confident. He's a gamer and a playmaker. You want to see him in big spots."
Seventeen months later, the 24-year-old has since traveled a rough and bumpy road – including a brutal 2022 campaign that he attributes to betraying the strengths that made him effective, and an injury-ruined first half here in 2023. But those traits are still within him, and finally it looks like Martin is feeling good again.
He missed several months after spraining his elbow in spring training, and then had his rehab disrupted by another injury, but Martin finally made it to Triple-A last month. He was slow to get going, batting just .154 in his first 10 games, but since then he has looked very much like the electric on-base machine that made his name as a prospect.
In his past 16 games, Martin is slashing .347/.460/.469 with 11 walks and 10 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances. Here in August he's got eight hits, eight walks and five steals through seven games.
Like Castro, Martin can play a variety of positions including second and all three outfield spots. (Third and short could be in play, though his elbow issues may discourage the Twins from using him there this year.) Like Castro, Martin is a prolific and effective base-stealer, 11-for-13 this year and 35-for-41 last year.
The big difference lies in their specific offensive profiles, which are polar opposite. Whereas Castro is a free-swinger who whiffs a lot and occasionally gets a hold of one, Martin is a highly-patient contact machine. He led all of Double-A in OBP in 2021, his first pro season, and currently has a .374 OBP at St. Paul. Now THAT is the kind of profile you want in the leadoff spot.
Obviously, it is too soon to officially pronounce Martin fully "back" to his best form after a few good weeks. Even at his best, when the Twins acquired him as headliner in the José Berríos trade, Martin had limitations in his game that kept his projections in check – namely, a lack of power or a clear defensive home.
Those question marks remain, even as he gets back to excelling on his strengths. Martin has only seven extra-base hits (one homer) in 108 Triple-A plate appearances, and hasn't settled into any specific defensive position there, although he's played a good amount in left and that's somewhere the Twins could use a righty bat ... other than Willi Castro.
Obviously, eyes are on Royce Lewis as a short-term reinforcement from St. Paul, and rightfully so. But don't sleep on the impact Martin – who's actually a couple months older than Lewis – could yet make in this campaign if his game continues to lock in.
He still needs to be added to the 40-man roster, but even so, Martin seems like a good candidate to be called up in September when rosters expand. It'll be interesting to see if they try to get him up before then to make him available for the playoffs.
With his skill set and makeup, Martin is the kind of player you want on the postseason roster. When on his game, you want to see him in big spots.
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