Reusse: Twins’ Willi Castro evokes César Tovar’s image, draws Tom Kelly’s admiration

The utility player has been a coveted part of major league baseball forever. Generally, this has been the infielder who you see show up in the lineup at second base, shortstop or third base, when the regular at that position has a day off or is serving time on the injured list.

Rarer is the utility player who adds playing the outfield to those infield options. And rarer still is when your utility man is in the lineup most every day, and it’s just a question as to where he will be located in the field.

César Tovar did that for the Twins from 1966 through 1972. He was around briefly with the World Series team in 1965, then wound up playing 1,090 games with 1,008 starts as a Twins Hall of Famer (finally, in 2022).

In 1967, when the Twins had two ties, Tovar played in 164 games. Max Nichols of the Minneapolis Star went so far as to cast his vote for Tovar as the American League’s MVP.

This created quite a stir, since Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski had won the batting Triple Crown and received the other 19 votes from league baseball writers. Got Max a lot of publicity, though.

Tovar was voted as the Twins’ team MVP in 1968, in the middle of a five-season stretch when the award went to Harmon Killebrew four times.

The thought arrived during the Twins’ home opener Thursday that Tovar would be the only comparable to what Willi Castro has been bringing to the home club since his arrival as a released player from Detroit in 2023.

That being the rare super utility guy: in the lineup most every day and infield or outfield, it makes no difference.

To confirm this, there was a call placed to Tom Kelly, the longest-serving Twins manager and part of the organization since 1971. He was asked if there was another infielder-outfielder combination as a player to put in the Castro category.

“Denny Hocking could do it,” Kelly said. “He was an infielder. Putting Denny in the outfield wasn’t our preference, but you could put him out there, say right field, and he wouldn’t screw it up.

“Tovar’s before my time. I was in the low minors when he was finishing up with the Twins, so I can’t talk about Cesar. But I haven’t seen an equal to Castro.

“I couldn’t be more impressed with him. I don’t know him at all personally, but he seems like a player who shows up, grabs the right glove and just goes.”

Kelly paused for a moment and then said: “You know another guy like him – not with Castro’s ability but could play anywhere – was Toby Gardenhire. When I was down there at spring training ‘consulting,’ they were cutting down in minor league camp and they were going to let Toby go.

“I said, ‘You don’t really want to do that. You can put him anywhere. Players like that are valuable, especially in the minor leagues, where a manager always is finding himself short of players.’

“They kept Toby, and he played a lot.”

Obviously, the front office gained an appreciation for Gardenhire that went beyond father Ron’s long tenure as Kelly’s successor as Twins manager (2002-14). They brought do-everything Toby back to the organization as a Class A coach in 2016, he worked his way up and now is in his fifth season as manager of the Class AAA Saints in St. Paul.

Castro was released by Detroit in November 2022 because the Tigers didn’t want to pay him $1.7 million. The Twins signed him to a minor league deal, and he figured to be playing for Gardenhire in St. Paul to start the 2023 season.

Then, Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff were injured coming out of spring training. Castro was basically a two-for-one addition to the Twins roster — capable of filling in for Polanco at second base, Kirilloff in left field, and playing four other positions.

“I thought he was the Twins’ most valuable player last season,” Kelly said. “I actually thought he was close to that his first year here. Unbelievable, the way [manager] Rocco Baldelli can move him around and not have to worry if Castro can handle it.”

A plurality of voters from the Twin Cities chapter of baseball writers agreed with Kelly, voting Castro as the MVP for the 2024 Twins. Castro had gone into a slide with the rest of the club over the final weeks of the schedule, when they went into their infamous 12-27 fade.

Castro started 150 games: 54 in the outfield, 51 at shortstop, 31 at second base and 14 at third base.

The heavy shortstop duty came after Carlos Correa was injured. In seven games this season, he’s started one game in left field, four at second base and two at third base.

It was suggested to Baldelli on Thursday that it seems like he fills in eight places on a lineup card and then inserts Castro in the order and at the position that’s still vacant.

“Right now, infield defense is an issue, so he’s playing more there,” Baldelli said. “And I do know this: Even if he opposes it, I have to find Willi more days off this season. I wore him down last year.”

The struggle at the finish didn’t change Kelly’s opinion about what he has seen from Castro.

“I was very happy when a player like him was recognized and made the All-Star Game,” Kelly said. “Plays anywhere, switch hitter … he’s like having an extra player on the team. And Detroit let him go? I’ll never figure that out.

“Willi Castro is aces as far as I’m concerned.”