Smoothing over the rough patches

Is it possible that Willi Castro could be qualified as a Twins prospect? I think, by and large, the Twins view Trevor Larnach as a prospect in the Twins organization. He has been mercurial, and is presently beset by pneumonia, but I think, particularly because of his pedigree, many people still see Larnach's star as blossoming.

After his two home run performance on Saturday, maybe it is worth exploring whether Castro could land in the group of players the team might consider as part of their future. He is young enough, at 2 months younger than Larnach, and frankly, he does have a bit of a history. He's played in the Majors for the past three seasons, even getting a 4th place finish in the race for Rookie of the Year in 2020.

Castro has the positional versatility that the Twins seem to love, and seems to be growing in importance in the league, and is sorting things out with the bat after a couple of quieter seasons. While he is a switch hitter, he is also, more importantly, capable from the right side of the plate, which is less a redundancy for the Twins. 

His emergence are the culmination of two stories that we've covered at length here or everywhere. First is the substantial depth the Twins accrued this offseason. Second is the rapidly filling Injured List, which has necessitated that depth. Willi Castro is probably not ever going to be Trevor Larnach, but it seems that he has likely supplanted Gilberto Celestino in the Twins' plans, and perhaps even Nick Gordon, depending on what the Twins ultimately try to do going forward.

While this season's offensive output has been paltry, it still provides the air of a team that intends to be successful. They are finding areas they can improve at the edges, things that will make the team a little bit better when the post season arrives, and ways to expand their success next season. They are finding away to make the bumps in the road a little bit flatter. 

Another way the Twins are proving that there is commitment is with the latest headlines around Carlos Correa. He was recently diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, an ailment that, from personal experience, is excruciating, and takes a while to heal. The best way to get better is through rest and stretching, but on the cusp of shaking his early season doldrums and getting the team though a bit of a rougher patch, he has continued to play.

He's already signed his big contract, and he is playing through pain, because this is a team that feels can do big things, and they are putting forth the extra effort to get through the tough patches. With the emergence of players like Willi Castro, the next rough patch won't feel so rough. And with this afternoon's announce ment that Royce Lewis and Max Kepler will be returning, the hope is that this rough patch is at its end.