When mulling what position Willi Castro plays for the Colorado Rockies, perhaps there is a better question to ask.
Just what position does the 29-year-old switch hitter not play?
So far this season, Castro—in his first year of a two-year contract with the Rockies—has been penciled in the lineup and seen action at six different positions: second base, third base, shortstop, first base, left field and center field.
Castro is truly a Swiss Army knife for the Rockies with his versatility, just like the multi-purpose
knife with its plethora of tools.
“I feel like these days in baseball, every team is looking for a guy who can play all the positions,” said Castro, an eight-year MLB veteran, who started his MLB career in 2019 with Detroit.
“For me, it’s just something I really enjoy every day,” he added. “It doesn’t matter what position I am going to play, I am just going to go out there and trust myself. Now, at this point in my career, I feel like I am a natural in all of them and I feel really good. I enjoy every position.”
For the record, through games of August 31, Castro had manned second base in 73 games (51 starts), third base 47 games (36 starts), shortstop 25 games (15 starts), first base 11 games (8 starts), left field 7 games (2 starts) and center field 2 games.
But the native of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, wasn’t always a “jack of all trades,” multi-position player as he is today.
“In my minor league career and when I got to the big leagues, I was always the shortstop,” said Castro, who has reached base in 14 of his last 15 starts after a second-inning single August 31 against Baltimore.
“I think in 2022—when I started playing left field, then center field, right field, second base—that’s when I was starting to play everywhere. I think I got the hang of it real quickly and, ever since, I have become good in all of them.”
Despite the change in scenery defensively that he has endured while playing several positions this year, Castro has not let his offense suffer.
He leads Colorado in extra-base hits (36) and, through games of August 30, he was slashing .260/.332/.418 with a .269 RISP mark. He also had slugged a career-high 15 home runs to better his previous high of 12 set in 2024 when he was with Minnesota.
His home run total is second on the club behind only Hunter Goodman’s 36 round-trippers.
“I think that is the hardest thing to do is just be consistent during the season,” said Castro, who has tallied eight homers and 16 extra-base hits in 38 games since the All-Star break.
“Obviously, you get to face a lot of great pitching, especially here in this (NL West) division. I think this is the year that I’ve been the most consistent in my career. I just have to keep doing my routine, keep doing the little things right and just go out there and trust yourself.”
Castro has had a penchant for playing well offensively at home. Through games of August 31, he had hit safely in 10 straight home starts with five extra-base hits and six RBI.
A free agent acquisition by the Rockies after playing last year with the Chicago Cubs, Castro has seen himself grow as a player during the 2026 campaign.
“I just think it’s been maturity,” he said. “I think looking back at the seasons that you had in the past. I know some of the mistakes is the (lack of) consistency. I’m doing a really good job of being consistent this year.
“If I have a bad day,” he continued, “I know the next day I know what I did wrong. So I just have to go out there, trust my abilities, have fun and do the other things right. That’s all you can control.”
Castro has proven to be a valuable asset to the Rockies with his versatility. What former Rockies can you recall who were successful multi-position players?
Let us know in the comments.
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