Although the Minnesota Twins had limited success in the second half of the season, the club still finished the year with a winning record (82-80). That doesn’t mean we should start planning a parade, especially considering the freefall in the season’s final six weeks. But the team was doing something right through mid-August, and Swiss army knife Willi Castro deserves a lot of that credit.
The 27-year-old earned an All-Star selection thanks to his brilliant first half, during which he played every game. The Twins often shuffled him to the latest hole that needed plugging in the field. Sometimes, it was a few weeks covering for superstars such as Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton when they went on the shelf. Other times, he held down other roles when manager Rocco Baldelli needed him.
Because he was such a dynamic and productive player for that first half, the local chapter of the BBWAA voted Castro as the team’s Most Valuable Player for their annual Diamond Awards. While there is plenty of logic behind that decision, there is plenty to disagree with. From other candidates whose production was more valuable to the club to a brutal second half from the super utility player, there are many considerations when deciding whether the writers got this one right.
Let’s start with what made Castro special to the Twins this season. If you hadn’t gathered from the Swiss army knife designation, this guy played nearly everywhere for much of the season. He started at least 20 games at five different positions, mainly playing solid defense anywhere he was tested. Look, it’s valuable just to fill in at so many positions. It’s another level to be competent or better in multiple roles.
While Outs Above Average (OAA) doesn’t paint a complete picture when describing a player’s defensive prowess, it’s a good baseline when determining where they probably land compared to league average at a given position. Looking at Castro’s 2024 season, he was average or above when it came to playing second base (zero OAA), third base (1 OAA), shortstop (3 OAA), and left field (zero OAA), while slightly struggling in right field (negative-1 OAA, albeit in just 20 innings played at that position) and center field (negative-3 OAA).
That defensive prowess is commendable, and any league manager would love to have a player who can do all that while making just over $3 million on the year. Technically, his compensation vs. output should be a consideration when dealing with the value side of a “Most Valuable Player” conversation.
As should his great first half with the bat, where Castro put up a rock-solid .265/.352/.422 triple slash line, good for 24% better than league average output in that time. The 10 weeks from April 17th through June 30th were particularly stellar for Willi. He had a fantastic .879 OPS, with 31 extra-base hits and 10 stolen bases while playing every game. That meat of his season propelled him from fringe starter/bench weapon to first-time All-Star.
But the rest of his season and a player who may have been more deserving of the award are the reasons for this quandary.
Castro collapsed almost as badly as any other hitter during the team’s catastrophic final six weeks that sunk their season. From August 14 through the end of the season, he could barely keep his head above water with a .209/.300/.310 clip, and he only had seven hits go for extra bases.
Still, he hit above the Mendoza line, and plenty of players had worse six-week stretches. However, few had as much playing time as the expectations set by his All-Star selection. And with Correa and Buxton sidelined due to injury, Castro was supposed to be one of the key members that the club was banking on filling that void until they returned.
Speaking of Correa, even his absence might shed some light on the fact that he probably should have been the winner of the MVP Diamond Award. His first half was worthy of an All-Star selection, and his absence in the second half was also a significant factor in the team’s offensive freefall. Dan Hayes nailed it in his latest article for The Athletic (subscription required and highly recommended).
“An All-Star for the third time, the shortstop’s value became even more apparent during a 53-game second-half absence for plantar fasciitis in his right foot,” Hayes wrote. “Not only were the Twins missing a player who produced a .310/.388/.517 slash line, but they were without a critical voice in the clubhouse as the team began its 39-game fade.”
So, considering the stellar first halves for both players, maybe the question needs to be asked, even if the answer doesn’t really matter when talking about a club that came up so short in the end. Was it more valuable to the team to have Castro available to the club in those final six weeks, even with far less production? Or was Correa’s absence more indicative of what he truly meant to this year’s team?
