LAKELAND, FLA. – For all the time Willi Castro, a son of a baseball coach, has spent on a baseball field, it’s rare someone finds a new way to hit ground balls to him with a fungo bat.
Monday presented Castro with a couple of new twists.
Castro stood at first base, a new position for him. Twins minor league field coordinator Kevin Morgan stood at shortstop with a fungo bat, and he hit one-hop balls to Castro to simulate scooping balls in the dirt.
It’s unlikely Castro will spend time at first base during the season after the Twins signed Ty France, manager Rocco Baldelli said Wednesday, but he could be an emergency option. First base and catcher are the only two positions Castro hasn’t played over the past two seasons.
“There are always going to be times where they’re going to need me at a different position, a new position,” said Castro, who bought his own first baseman’s mitt. “I’m going to be prepared and stretch my abilities.”
The practice reps at first base have been better than anticipated, Castro said. It’s a different angle for fielding ground balls, and he’s learning the footwork to receiving throws, but he thinks he could play the position if the Twins ever needed him there.
“I thought it was going to be a little harder,” Castro said. “Probably knowing where the base is, getting there and setting your feet up. That’s a little challenging. I feel really good. These last two days, I’ve been doing some work there and I feel good.”
The Twins, however, don’t plan on asking Castro to play any first base during the regular season.
