FORT MYERS, Fla. — So much of the talk surrounding Willi Castro has centered on what position the hyper-versatile 27-year-old will play. Will he be at second, where the Twins haven’t named any kind of starter? Will he fill in for Royce Lewis at third? How much time in the outfield will he see?
At one point this spring, Castro was even taking reps at first, although that’s not expected to be a position where he’ll see playing time.
But when manager Rocco Baldelli first saw the utilityman this spring, he had something else he wanted to talk to Castro about: baserunning.
Castro was an aggressive runner in 2023 when he swiped a career-high 33 bags and was caught just five times. Last year, he ran less and was caught more, successful in just 14 of 23 attempts, often getting thrown out by a half step or so.
“If there is one thing that Willi can focus on this year, I think that would be a great thing to focus on,” Baldelli said.
And he has been.
Castro thinks he has pinpointed the issue he had last year, saying he felt like he was inconsistent in getting good leads.
“When you’re in the rhythm, like stealing every day, that’s when you know where you’re standing, when you are in the right spot,” Castro said. “I thought I was far, but I was close to the base. I think when you’re in the rhythm (of) stealing, that’s when you know where you’re at — when you know how far you can get (and still) can come back easily.”
The Twins aren’t a particularly fast team; by sprint speed, they were 29 of 30 teams last season. And they don’t steal a lot of bases; their 65 last year ranked dead last in the majors. But they know Castro has the potential to make an impact on the bases.
Though he ran much less last year, his 14 stolen bases were twice as many as anybody else on the team. Byron Buxton and Austin Martin were next, each with seven. Harrison Bader stole 17 last year for the New York Mets. While he adds that element on the bases for the Twins, the team hopes Castro can get back to the runner he was a year prior, too.
Castro played in 158 games last year, both a team high and a career-high for him. By the end of the season, he admits, he was certainly feeling it more physically, which could have contributed to a dip in his aggressiveness on the basepaths, as well.
“He’s very capable of being an above-average baserunner, being aggressive, stretching the limits, making the defense rush, stealing some bases,” Baldelli said. “He can do all of those things, and I think he’s mentally prepared to do all those things.”
He’s set his sights on shattering his career high. This spring, he’s taken off twice. Twice, he’s been successful.
“I’m going to do a better job this year because I know what I did wrong last year,” Castro said. “I’ve just got to trust myself.”
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