The first thing people learn about Willi Castro the baseball player is usually that he can play practically anywhere on the field. When asked back in April how many different gloves he has Castro said, “I have plenty with me. I think I probably have, like, 10 of them right now, and I’ve got way more back at home. But I’ll be prepared. I’ll be prepared for anything.”
As it turns out, he’s needed to use most of those gloves.
In his half season for the Rockies, Castro has played six(!) different positions. The only spots he hasn’t yet played in a game in 2026 are right field, catcher, and pitcher.
Between all of the positions he’s played, he’s accrued -2 Defensive Runs Saved and an identical -2 Outs Above Average this season. That’s not horrible, but on its face, that makes him a below-average defender.
It’s possible that if Castro were asked to dedicate his time all to one position, his trackable defensive performance would increase. Does that mean he’d be more valuable to the team sticking to his primary position of second base? Warren Schaeffer doesn’t seem to think so.
“It’s hard to put into words how helpful he’s been to this team,” Schaeffer said, “just the ability to in game make matchup moves to better our chances to win because you can put him somewhere else in the field defensively, and himself just being the switch hitter, and what he actually does defensively and offensively, it’s been incredible.”
Castro will move anywhere he’s asked to go, as a result he has been asked to move around a ton.
In total, Schaeffer has tasked Castro with changing positions mid-game 37 times so far this season. The value of that flexibility is hard to pin down. It’s likely not a significant difference in terms of wins, but at the same time, it’s probably not inconsequential.
Using the eye test, it’s easy to see what the defensive metrics are indicating about Castro’s glovework. No matter where he is on the field, Castro does not make fielding look particularly smooth.
First, let’s take a look at this play from June 7th against the Milwaukee Brewers where Castro was playing left field:
Castro takes a slightly odd route to the ball and then hesitates when he reaches the warning track while deciding how to play the wall. Even after taking that moment to plan, he proceeds to bobble the ball off the bounce… only to recover quickly with a grab and a nice throw.
Most dedicated left fielders would have gotten the same end result as Castro, he just took different steps to reach that result than they would have.
Most of the time, his athleticism and instincts make up for a lack of consistent repetitions at any given position. Nothing exemplifies this more than this play against the Texas Rangers from May 20th:
A dedicated second baseman perhaps would not have ventured as far into the outfield as Castro did because they’d have had a better sense of where their realistic range would extend to. Additionally, being distracted while figuring out where he was on the field in relation to the runners was enough to, again, cause him to bobble the pickup of the ball. Despite all of the mishaps to start the play, Castro was able to rely on a combination of audacity and tools to gun down Jake Burger attempting to advance to second.
That’s the sort of play that you just don’t see from most other players. With Castro on the field — anywhere on the field — you get to see slightly unorthodox “out of position” type plays most nights.
Of all the spots Castro has been asked to play this season, none are more unfamiliar to him than first base. According to Castro back in April, “It was in spring training when I started playing. (It was) my first time playing first base in the game.” With this inexperience, he doesn’t always present the typical statuesque target for other infielders to toss to. Sometimes he’ll misread an incoming throw and make a catch look much harder than someone like TJ Rumfield would have.
On the flipside, he throws himself at every batted ball in a way that most regular first baseman simply aren’t capable of.
That’s not the sort of quick reaction leaping grab that the typical power-hitting first baseman comes close to achieving. Some probably don’t even attempt it. Castro, on the other hand, flung his body with wild abandon at the ball, just like he would have anywhere else on the field.
For good measure let’s also look at a play that combines all the things that make Castro so memorable on defense:
That should have been a double. Castro had a quick reaction to get himself into a slightly awkward catching position, then managed to adjust and put himself in a weird crouched position before scuttling back onto his feet and getting the out with his 79th percentile arm strength.
That’s the ideal version of what he does literally anywhere Shaeffer puts him all wrapped up in one play.
What all of this comes down to is that while Castro is probably not anyone’s first choice to play any specific position — because he has a knack for making plays look more complicated than they needed to be — he is perhaps, the second choice to play everywhere.
That’s exactly why the Rockies signed him and he has delivered in stride. That stride may look a little wonky or cause his helmet to fly off, but he’s proven in his short time on this team that he will make it work. When asked last week whether he had a favorite position to play, Castro summed up everything he brings to this ballclub better than I ever could: “I just like to be in the field. I just like to play. Wherever they’re gonna put me, I will get the job done.”
It’s very possible Castro’s time in purple will come to an end by the trade deadline at the start of August. His two-year deal indicates that the front office should be shopping his services around the league. That being said, keeping him would make the looming roster puzzle of filling easier as he could fill in for almost anyone who is traded. The combination of that versatility and his below average surface stats could mean the Rockies see more value in him than other teams will.
However long Castro remains with the team it’s worth appreciating the spectacle he brings to each and every game.
On the Farm
Triple-A:Sugar Land Space Cowboys 5, Albuquerque Isotopes 2
This was what qualifies as a pitchers duel in the PCL. For the Isotopes Jake Brooks took the ball and threw six innings, allowed only six hits, and struck out six. That resulted in only three runs which was enough to earn him the loss even before Jeff Criswell relieved him in the seventh and allowed an additional two runs (one earned).
At the plate the Isotopes were stymied by good Space Cowboy pitching performances. Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) worked a couple walks but was the only player in the lineup to be on base more than once. Jordan Beck’s homer in the seventh drove in the only two runs of the game for Albuquerque.
Double-A:Hartford Yard Goats 13, Binghamton Rumble Ponies 4
Connor Staine pitched pretty well to start this game with five innings of one-run ball, and the lineup as a whole was very successful (they had twenty one hits), but it would be a disservice to focus on anything other than Jose Torres.
Torres got the start at third base batting ninth. He then proceeded to reach base all five times he came to the plate on two walks and three hits. That’s not all! A couple of those hits were home runs. All told Torres scored three runs and drove in four to lead the Yard Goats to a convincing victory.
High-A:Eugene Emeralds 10, Spokane Indians 2
Everett Catlett did not have a good night on the mound and Spokane never had a chance to catch up from that poor start. In the end, Catlett allowed eight runs, all earned, on ten hits and three walks over only four innings of work. In the remaining four innings, the bullpen only allowed another two runs but the damage was already done.
The lineup showed a bit more life with a combined eight hits and eight walks. Of particular note were Roynier Hernandez and Jacob Hinderleider who each reached base three times. Easily the best performance of the night for the Indians, however, was Tanner Thach who walked, doubled, and hit a solo home run.
Low-A:Stockton Ports 9, Fresno Grizzlies 8
In a strikingly similar line to Catlett for Spokane, Ethan Cole started the game for Fresno by allowing eight runs over four and two thirds innings. The Grizzlies, however, were able to fight back and go into the top of the ninth having tied the game up eight to eight thanks to three and a third scoreless innings from Manuel Olivares and Seth Clausen keeping the score where it was.
After finding themselves in that early deficit, the Grizzlies clawed back by scoring in four separate innings. Leading the way in the lineup were Jesus Freitez and Derek Bernard with two doubles apiece, Wilder Dalis (No. 24 PuRP) with four hits (including a double), and Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) with a pair of hits and stolen bases.
Ultimately, despite the heroics, it wasn’t enough as the Ports would walk it off on a sacrifice fly from Cesar Gonzalez in the bottom of the ninth.
DSL:DSL Nationals 13, DSL Colorado 9
The final score hides how well the DSL Colorado starting pitcher Juan Villamizar performed. In five innings, Villamizar allowed two runs on only five hits (including a home run) and no walks. The Colorado bullpen did not fair nearly as well, which led to a deluge of runs for the DSL Nationals, but five of those runs were unearned as a result of a throwing error by Jendry Guaraco.
Luckily, the offense was not one-sided as DSL Colorado managed nine runs on ten hits and three walks. Of particular note were leadoff hitter Larry Suero and cleanup leftfielder Luis Morejon who each were on base three times and each had a double.
Strike 2: Who can the Rockies actually afford to trade? | Mile High Sports
Mark Knudson offers his take on where the Rockies priorities should be heading into the trade deadline on August 3. Knudson posits that the Rockies should not be swayed into short-term thinking by a hot June and should remain focused on the long-term vision for the organization. For him that means identifying a winning core and swapping everyone else for higher upside young talent.
Rockies looking to find 1st-round success with No. 10 overall pick | MLB.com
With the first draft for the Rockies under the Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrne regime set to start this weekend, Thomas Harding takes a look at their priorities and methodology. The influx of new front office personnel hope to bring a more consistent success rate to their drafting track record. They aren’t, however, ready to fully reveal exactly what they are looking for in players just yet.
It Is, In Fact, Getting Hot In Here | Baseball Prospectus ($)
There has been hum of talk around the league for the past few weeks about the spike in offense that began around the start of June. There has been speculation that changes to the baseball are to blame. Bradley Woodrum of Baseball Prospectus does not refute the possibility of that being a factor, but he dives into how the overall picture is complicated by the record heatwave gripping much of the country.
Join the conversation!
Sign up for a user account and get:
- Fewer ads
- Create community posts
- Comment on articles, community posts
- Rec comments, community posts
- New, improved notifications system!
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
