The Minnesota Twins' Most Unlikely All-Star

Willi Castro had multiple minor-league contract offers entering the 2023 season, but the Twins made it known that they wanted him in their organization. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli personally called Castro to express the team’s interest in him, and to say what he could mean to the organization. Castro liked what he heard from the manager and was familiar with the Twins from his time in Detroit. He signed with Minnesota, and the rest is history.

On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that Castro would replace José Altuve on the AL All-Star roster. He will serve as the backup second baseman behind Marcus Semien. His defensive utility will likely come into play for the AL squad, as managers typically try to get every player in the game. Castro can be moved around the diamond as new players enter the game. He joins Carlos Correa as the 2024 Twins' All-Star representatives. 

Earlier this month, I named Castro as the team’s first-half MVP. He has stood out above the crowd, on a team with multiple former All-Stars and high-dollar players. Baseball Reference and FanGraphs rank him second on the team in WAR, behind Correa. His value has multiple layers, because of his defensive flexibility. He is the only player ever to amass 20 or more games in left field, center field, third base, second base and shortstop in the same season. His 121 OPS+ is 15 points higher than last season's, and he’s already compiled a career-high WAR. Castro has impacted the Twins in every facet of the game. 

“He’s the real MVP of this team,” Correa told reporters last month. “He plays everywhere. If somebody gets hurt, he replaces them with no problem. If you ask him to play second, he plays great defense at second base. If you ask him to play shortstop, left, center, it doesn’t matter. He plays everywhere. When you have a guy like that, he makes you so much better as a team. I think we should appreciate him way more than we do already. He’s a real great player.”

Castro began his professional career in the Guardians organization, before being traded to the Tigers while in the low minors. Detroit initially rushed him to the big leagues as a 22-year-old, causing him to struggle. In parts of four seasons, he hit .245/.292/.381, with an 87 OPS+. Based on this performance, the Tigers dropped him from their 40-man roster, making him a free agent. 

Last season, Castro wasn’t guaranteed to make the Opening Day roster, since the Twins had multiple players ahead of him on the organizational depth chart. However, injuries to other vital players opened a spot on the roster, and his spring performance was hard to ignore. Tom Froemming named him the 2023 Sire of Fort Myers, and the Twins quickly realized how valuable Castro was to the club.

His versatility has been crucial to everything the Twins do, on both sides of the ball. Since the start of last season, Correa is the only Twins player with more fWAR than Castro. His defensive utility has seen him be a replacement on the field for the team’s biggest names, including Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, and Correa. He also allows Baldelli to have more flexibility when creating his lineups, because he can worry less about defensive positions when Castro can play so many different spots. 

Castro is relatively unknown on the national stage, but now, he will have the opportunity to showcase his versatility while being recognized among the game’s best players. When the Twins signed him, it was hard to imagine Castro reaching this level of performance. Now, he can call himself an All-Star for the rest of his life. Congrats to Castro and his family!