At least one Philadelphia Phillies prospect expert identified right-hander Eiberson Castellano as a player the organization needed to protect for the Rule 5 Draft in December. Otherwise, another team would take him, and the Phillies would stand a good chance of regretting it.
Thanks to the Twins, the Phils did lose Castellano. Whether they end up regretting it is largely up to Castellano now.
It might have seemed apparent to casuals that the Phillies were making a mistake by not protecting Castellano, a 23-year-old from Venezuela. After all, the club already had named him its minor-league pitcher of the year after he posted a 3.99 ERA with 136 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A.
But teams hand out awards like that for lots of reasons not necessarily linked to a player's potential in the majors. But, of course, the award likely did draw Castellano extra curiosity for the Rule 5 Draft.
Perhaps the Phillies were gambling on others judging him by the analytically "ugly" shape of his fastballs, or his 40 1/3 total innings above Class A.
No matter the red flags, Castellano's season in 2024 was one of extraordinary improvement. He more than doubled his seasonal best with innings pitched. He led all of the Phillies minors in strikeouts. His average fastball sped up to 94-96 mph, including an elevated four-seamer that misses bats.
His command improved.
His feel improved.
His changeup went from a waste to a pitch with real potential.
His power curve already had worked as a weapon.
Here's what Matt Winkleman of Phillies Minor Thoughts had to say in August about Castellano vying for the Paul Owens Award (which he would win):
"It will also help his case that he has been on an absolute heater, over his last 6 games he has gone 33 innings with a 2.18 ERA and 8 walks to 42 strikeouts. He isn’t on national prospect lists, but he is climbing fast thanks to a fastball that will get to at least 97, and now a pair of breaking balls that he can throws for strikes and chases."Matt Winkleman
Here is Castellano on June 1 a season ago striking out 13:
The Phillies signed him at 17 years old as an international free agent in 2018, but Castellano didn't debut professionally until 2021, after the COVID shutdown ended.
The Phillies started off Castellano as a reliever because he didn't have a bigger repertoire. Losing three years to development was reflected in his early results, and it helps to explain why it took him a while to succeed. Getting more experience as a starter also helps to explain his breakthrough in '24.
Time just ran out for the Phillies, in their opinion, to wait any longer.
The Rule-5 rules say the Twins must keep Castellano on the active roster all season, or offer him back to the Phillies for $50,000. Trades have been worked out in the past, but part of the appeal in mining Rule-5 is how cheap it is to swipe other team's talent. It cost the Twins just $100,000 to buy his contract. A team just has to hit on the right lottery ticket at the right moment.
In his first Grapefruit League appearance, lasting an inning against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon, Castellano struck out three and walked one. His fastball reached 97.5 mph and he got three misses on six swing attempts. Sounds like whatever he and Pablo López talked about was effective.
Castellano's long-term future still could be in the bullpen, but relief is how the Twins hypothetically would use him in 2025. They have other options for the bullpen, which is probably the deepest part of their roster, but Castellano could find a niche entry in low-leverage, multiple-inning opportunities. It might be the perfect storm for him.