Twins take pitching prospect Eiberson Castellano from Phillies in Rule 5 draft

For the first time since 2017, the Minnesota Twins made a pick in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft, selecting right-hander Eiberson Castellano from the Philadelphia Phillies farm system.

Despite protecting only two eligible prospects pitchers Marco Raya and Travis Adams and leaving several intriguing players exposed , no Twins were taken as part of Wednesdays draft at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.

Advertisement Castellano was named the Phillies minor league pitcher of the year a few months ago, so its somewhat surprising the 23-year-old starter wasnt protected from the Rule 5 draft with a 40-man roster spot.

Melissa Lockard of The Athletic highlighted Castellano as one of 15 players who could catch the eye of teams heading into the Rule 5 draft.

Eiberson Castellano ( @Phillies ) retires 7 straight batters via the K en route to a career-high 13 punchouts for the @BlueClaws pic.twitter.com/4Kb3YGpjcz Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 1, 2024 According to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, Castellano was the Twins top Rule 5 target once they saw he was left unprotected last month and they planned to pounce if he was available with the No.

12 pick.

General manager Jeremy Zoll revealed after the draft that the Twins had talked to the Phillies about possibly trading for Castellano before teams submitted protection lists in mid-November.

Nothing came together, Zoll told The Athletic .

But we talked about him before, and he remained on our radar.

We werent sure he was going to get to us in the Rule 5.

Castellano split last season between High A and Double A, recording a 3.99 ERA with 136 strikeouts and just 29 walks in 103 2/3 innings after an offseason spent improving his conditioning.

Of particular note, he cut his walk rate in half compared to the previous year.

Castellano has a mid-90s fastball, which leads a three-pitch mix that also includes a quality curveball and a promising changeup.

He profiles as a potential back-end starter, but Twins officials think his off-speed pitches have some room for additional upside.

Were hoping to help him continue to refine his pitch mix, Zoll said.

We see a couple of opportunities there.

We want our pitching group to be able to get their hands on him and go to work.

Castellano signed with the Phillies as a 17-year-old out of Venezuela in 2018, and the Twins got plenty of firsthand looks at him in 2022 and 2023, when he was a frequent opponent of their Low-A Fort Myers team in the Florida State League.

With the ninth pick of the Rule 5 Draft, the @Twins select Phillies RHP Eiberson Castellano.

Watch LIVE: https://t.co/fH2c1R6GEy pic.twitter.com/hPNnHwo0In MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) December 11, 2024 Rule 5 selections cost $100,000 and must remain on their new teams major-league roster for the entire season or be offered back to their original team for $50,000.

In general, many Rule 5 picks across MLB dont even make the Opening Day roster, let alone stick in the big leagues all season.

Though the Twins have a noteworthy Rule 5 history of landing two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana (1999), as well as Shane Mack (1989) and Ryan Pressly (2012), the last time they made a Rule 5 pick and kept him all season was reliever J.R.

Graham in 2016-17.

Advertisement In other words, expectations for Castellano should be held in check.

Hes far from certain to make the Opening Day roster, but the Twins seem optimistic he can be more than just another name to be forgotten in six months.

Hes pitched in a variety of roles, Zoll said.

And we think that versatility will serve him well as he tries to take a shot at the opportunity.

Its hard to get (Rule 5) guys through the season.

So anytime you have someone who can tackle a multi-inning role, that does make it a bit easier to navigate.

Castellanos most likely path to an Opening Day spot is in the bullpen, with a long-relief role making the most sense given his starting background and the developmental benefit of keeping him stretched out for the future.

Hell compete for a job in spring training, where the Twins can get a closer look.

(Photo: Mike Janes / Four Seam Images via Associated Press).

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