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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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