The Minnesota Twins added an arm to their pitching staff as they selected Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Eiberson Castellano in the MLB Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday afternoon.
Castellano is a 6-foot-3, 160-pound starter from Venezuela who has a three-pitch mix and was the Phillies’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year after posting a 3.99 ERA with 136 strikeouts and 29 walks in 103.2 innings between High-A and Double-A last season.
What is the MLB Rule 5 Draft and how often have the Minnesota Twins used it?
The Rule 5 draft is a process used to expedite a talented player’s way to the major leagues if they are blocked by their current organizations. Any players that are 18 and under at the time of their original signing and have played five professional seasons and any players who signed at 19 years of age or older at signing that now have four professional seasons who are not on a club’s 40-man roster are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft.
The draft runs through a reverse order of last year’s standings but clubs need to have an open 40-man roster spot to make a selection. Clubs are also not obligated to make a selection, but if they make a pick, they must pay $100k to the team they select the player from. The player must then stay on the active MLB roster or injured list for the entire 2025 season or be placed on waivers. If they clear, they will be offered back to their original team.
The Twins' first Rule 5 pick was made in 1973 when Sergio Ferrer was selected from the Los Angeles Dodgers but Minnesota has made more notable selections including Shane Mack (from San Diego in 1989) and Ryan Pressly (from Boston in 2012).
The Twins' best moment in a Rule 5 draft came in 1999, however, when they selected right-hander Jared Camp with the first overall pick. Camp never pitched an inning for the Twins, but sent him to the Miami Marlins in exchange for cash considerations and the second overall pick in the draft, Johan Santana, who went on to become a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner and an ace that fueled Minnesota’s run of success in the 2000s.
How does Eiberson Castellano fit with the Minnesota Twins?
It’s unfair to think that Castellano will have the same success as Santana but he could follow a similar path. Santana began his career as a reliever with the Twins over his first two seasons but became a part-time starter in the 2002 and 2003 seasons before becoming a full-time member of the rotation in 2004.
With Pablo López, Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan at the top of the rotation and David Festa, Zebby Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson fighting for two spots on the back end, The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman speculated that Castellano’s best path to contribute is in the bullpen where he could use his repertoire including a 97 mph fastball and a slider as a long reliever.
Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper also said that Castellano was one of the most talked-about names leading up to the draft with “one of the better combos of stuff and readiness.”
Castellanos may not solve all of the Twins pitching problems but he adds another layer of depth with upside to seize a rotation spot by the end of the year. He also is a cheaper solution to add depth as opposed to free agency.
No pick is guaranteed to contribute but for their first selection since 2017, Minnesota seems to have found a player they like in this year’s draft.