Detroit Tigers: Willi Castro’s role is going to change drastically in 2022
By Tyler Kotila
The Detroit Tigers are going to have plenty of things to work through as the 2022 season approaches. Figuring out new ways to organize the roster and how things will shake out positionally is going to be important.
However, when it comes to Willi Castro, the Detroit Tigers are going to have some decisions to make. First of all, including him, the future plans or not is one of the things that has to be given some thought.
Castro was figured to be a possibility for the team’s future shortstop role. However, it’s clear that he will not be able to live up to that. The organization signed shortstop Javier Báez to a six-year, $140 million contract to be the organization’s future shortstop.
Whether the Tigers signed Báez or not would not have had much of an effect on Castro since he has just really not lived up to his expectations. Castro was acquired in the trade of Leonys Martin to the Cleveland Guardians and has since been working to earn a consistent spot.
Detroit Tigers Willi Castro’s role is going to change in 2022 drastically.
He’s spent time in the big leagues in each of the last three seasons. In 2020, the shortened season benefitted him as he was able to crack the team’s lineup over half of the time. He would appear in 36 games for the Tigers, where he produced a .349/.381/.550 slash line, which was impressive.
He would come back in 2021 and not be able to produce similar numbers over a larger sample. This summer, he played in 125 games where he had a slash line of .220/.273/.351 with nine home runs and 38 RBI. It’s certainly not the best output after such a great season in 2020.
When it comes to 2022, Castro needs to find a new home. He is versatile and can play multiple positions. Truthfully, he spent 91 games at second base, with Jonathan Schoop being over at shortstop as well.
Castro did have 20 games logged at shortstop, but he also logged some time in left field. Looking ahead for the 2022 season, he may be translated into that depth role as a utility swiss army knife type of player.
It’s really not the worst option for Castro, who would excel in this type of role. Given the circumstances of the Tigers infield after adding in Báez, a utility role is a way for Castro to find his way into the lineup still.
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With the lockout underway, it’s going to take some time to figure things out, but Castro might be best served in a utility role.