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Willi Castro has managed to become a legitimate super-utility player, playing in each of the team’s first 66 games at six different positions—something almost unheard of under manager Rocco Baldelli. And he’s doing a great job at it.
Castro’s emergence as a bench weapon in 2023 is pretty well-documented. He started the year as the 13th man on a bench already facing injury trouble, which necessitated his addition. He had initially signed a minor league contract after being non-tendered by the Tigers as a 24-year-old. He had some experience at second base, shortstop, third base, and left field at that point, and he was quick. He was a sensible emergency fill-in at multiple spots and could steal a bag when needed. That’s a fine 13th man.
Over the season, he took on a super-utility role, in a sense, and enabled all of Rocco Baldelli’s shenanigans. His utility was primarily his ability to balance out the roster on a game-to-game basis. Approximately a quarter of his appearances were off the bench as a pinch runner, pinch hitter, or defensive replacement. Even in games he started, he often switched positions--more than 40 times during the year. Because of his flexibility, Baldelli could make nearly any substitution he wanted.
This season, though, it’s been a different story. Through Sunday, Castro had started 61 of the team’s 65 games, and he played at some point in all of them. He’s still been flexible in-game, moving positions 17 times in those 65 games, but he’s been a consistent starter—and at several different positions. That’s new.
Following injuries to Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton, Castro has taken over as the primary option at third base (10 starts), shortstop (17 starts), and center field (16 starts), respectively. After Edouard Julien’s demotion, he will likely continue to be the everyday guy at second base (four starts thus far). He’s also started in left field 14 times, primarily in Baldelli Special™ platoon lineups.
Although he was a prominent utility player in 2023, he’s developed into the Platonic ideal of a super-utility guy this year—playing all but first base, catcher, and right field (even pitching in garbage time). He’s an everyday player with positional flexibility. It’s a treat for a manager to know that there’s someone competent who can be turned to in any situation.
Castro has mostly held up his end of the bargain. He hasn’t been as good on the basepaths as in 2023, but he’s been fine defensively in every spot (though he’s a bit stretched in center and at short), and he’s hit about 15 percent above league average. That’s a legitimate MLB starter, and he can be plugged in wherever needed. This degree of versatility is very, very rare.
If Castro plays even three more games in left field, he'll become just the fourth player ever to play at least 20 times at left, center, shortstop, and third base. The other three are a fun collection, including one very familiar name.
| Player | Season | Age | Team | G | PA | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Hernández | 1998 | 28 | CHC | 149 | 533 | 76 | 124 | 23 | 75 | 4 | 6 | 40 | 140 | .254 | .311 | .471 | .782 | 100 |
| César Tovar | 1968 | 27 | MIN | 157 | 673 | 89 | 167 | 6 | 47 | 35 | 13 | 34 | 41 | .272 | .326 | .372 | .698 | 107 |
| Tony Kubek | 1957 | 21 | NYY | 127 | 475 | 56 | 128 | 3 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 48 | .297 | .335 | .381 | .716 | 97 |
Generated 6/10/2024.
If Julien stays in the minors long enough for Castro to make 14 more appearances at second (he's made six, in total, so far), he'd be the first person ever, in any major league, to show up 20 times at those five positions in a single campaign.
This more prominent role probably hamstrings Baldelli a bit, as he is no longer able to, for instance, deploy Castro strategically as a pinch-runner, where he was 33-for-38 in stolen-base attempts last year. Baldelli would also likely prefer to have his everyday players healthy and playing every day at their natural positions, giving Castro a bit more rest (at least one day off a month might be nice), using him as a bench weapon more often, and allowing Castro to be used to give players a breather rather than filling a void.
Castro’s prevalence is also an indictment on the other reserves employed by the Twins. Manuel Margot and Kyle Farmer were recently everyday players at center field and shortstop, respectively. Many had assumed that Margot would be the top reserve outfielder, and Farmer would be the top reserve infielder. Instead, both have been reduced almost entirely to platoon bats against left-handed pitchers, and both have moved down the defensive spectrum, as Margot is primarily a corner outfielder and Farmer is primarily a second baseman.
If Margot and Farmer played better this year, there would not nearly be as much time for Castro. Instead, Castro has received the lion’s share of injury fill-in time, and he’s also received most of the bench plate appearances against right-handed starters (in addition to typically starting in left field versus lefties).
He’s made the most of his everyday time, with the team's fifth-highest OPS+ (114). Baldelli has asked him to do more and more this season, and he’s answered the bell. Hopefully, by the end of the year, the lineup will be a bit more solidified and healthy, and he’ll be able to be deployed strategically more often. But for right now, he’s become a real 10th man; an everyday starter with positional flexibility; an asset.
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- Dman and Dave The Dastardly
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