MINNEAPOLIS -- This all started, funny enough, when Twins manager Rocco Baldelli fielded a phone call from assistant general manager Jeremy Zoll as the skipper drove to one of his favorite offseason haunts at Tree House Brewery in Charlton, Mass., about an hour and a half from his house in Rhode Island.

Zoll asked Baldelli if he could give a call to Willi Castro, who was on the Twins¡¯ radar for a Minor League deal. Baldelli asked for some background information, downed some double IPAs with his friends, picked up the phone, briefly thought better of it, then called Castro anyway.

In that 45-second chat, Baldelli chatted with an excited Castro, who was just thrilled to have an opportunity. Baldelli laid out the Twins¡¯ vision -- which has only evolved since then, because over the course of two seasons, Castro has pleasantly surprised the Twins at every turn as he first made the team, then became arguably the club¡¯s most valuable piece.

And now, he¡¯s an All-Star.

¡°Any time you're bringing in a player from a new organization, someone who hasn't established himself at the Major League level, you don't really have expectations for that player except for, does the player have good ability like you thought he did?¡± Baldelli said earlier this year. ¡°Have you heard he's a good teammate and that he has good work ethic, which would give him an opportunity to improve?

¡°Those are really the only things that you're going to know, and that's all you're hoping for. You're hoping to have that. And then, in the 99th percentile outcome, something like this happens. And that's what's happened here.¡±

Castro was named as a replacement to the American League All-Star squad on Thursday, when he took the roster spot of Jose Altuve, who is on the mend from a hit-by-pitch sustained in a game against the Twins on July 5. It¡¯ll be Castro¡¯s first career All-Star honor, for which he overcame his status as a super-utility player -- often underappreciated on the national level.

¡°When I got to Detroit, that's when they tabbed me to be a utility guy -- play the outfield, play the infield,¡± Castro said. ¡°I became really good at it, and obviously, I became the Willi Castro that I am today, the utility player that I am today, because of my dedication and the work that I put in every position.¡±

He got this opportunity because the numbers paint a convincing case. Now that he¡¯s got consistent playing time, his once-problematic strikeout rates are down, and his walk rates are up. He¡¯s hitting .268/.354/.430 for a 125 wRC+, approximately equivalent to that of Corey Seager. His 2.8 fWAR ranks him 14th in the AL, between Adley Rutschman and Altuve -- two elected All-Star starters.

¡°I just thought coming into last year I was fighting for a spot,¡± Castro said in May. ¡°That's really good for me to be a part of, for me, one of the best organizations there is. It is awesome being part of all these great players. I still can't believe it. Every time I go out there, it's like my first day playing in the big leagues.¡±

That¡¯s because he was fighting for that spot last year -- and was likely the last man on the roster.

But then, the Twins found he was a much better runner than expected -- and let him run wild for a team-high 33 stolen bases last year. Then, they found he was a better center fielder than they thought -- so he¡¯s been needed Byron Buxton insurance. Then, they found he was actually a better shortstop than they thought, too -- so he¡¯s filled in for fellow All-Star Carlos Correa.

Castro is already the first player in AL/NL history to play at least 20 games in a season at each of second base, shortstop, third base, left field and center field. He¡¯s the only Twin to have played in all 93 games this season.

His versatility makes all of Baldelli¡¯s lineup decisions and in-game strategy possible, because whatever pinch-hitting or matchup-oriented move he schemes up, Castro can move somewhere on the diamond to make it work.

¡°Willi is just a great player,¡± Correa said last month. ¡°If you think about it, he¡¯s the real MVP of this team.¡±

Castro is the sort of player with whom a manager quickly falls in love -- and he¡¯s now getting national recognition for it.

¡°Every person in our clubhouse, no matter who they are -- pitcher, catcher, position player, coach, trainer -- no matter who you are, you look at and admire Willi Castro in a big way,¡± Baldelli said. ¡°He plays the game with tremendous energy and passion. He's running all over the place all the time and making positive things happen for our team.¡±

When Castro first made it into professional baseball, he promised his dad, Lilliano -- a former Minor Leaguer who had to medically retire -- that he¡¯d make it to the big leagues for him.

His dad is in Arlington alongside his mom, wife, two daughters and nanny, having seen his son fulfill that promise and go far beyond, into All Star-dom.

¡°I promised him that I was going to make it for him,¡± Castro said. ¡°Obviously, I made it to the big leagues, and now, I'm playing even harder.¡±