Minnesota Twins Select RHP Eiberson Castellano in 2024 Rule 5 Draft

[Tom Froemming]

For the first time since 2017, the Minnesota Twins opted to make a pick in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft. They selected right-handed pitcher Eiberson Castellano, a Philadelphia Phillies prospect.

Image courtesy of Reading Fightin Phils

Eiberson Castellano spent most of last season with Philadelphia's High-A affiliate, Jersey Shore. He pitched to a 4.12 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings over 63 1/3 frames there (14 games, 12 starts). That earned the 6-foot-3 righthander a promotion to Double-A Reading, where he pitched even better. Castellano had a 3.79 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 in eight Double-A starts (40 1/3 innings). Altogether, he logged 103 2/3 frames in 2024.

Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper, a Rule 5 Draft enthusiast, called Castellano “one of the most talked-about names pre-draft. One of the better combos of stuff and readiness.”

Thomas Nestico of TJ Stats ranked Castellano among his 10 intriguing pitchers that may be selected, complimenting him on a solid three-pitch mix and all-around average profile.

Castellano’s fastball sits in the mid-90s, topping out at 97 mph. He compliments that with a mid-80s changeup and low-80s slider. A product of Venezuela, Castellano had primarily been in the bullpen and did not have an encouraging 2023. He posted a 5.04 ERA in 50 innings over 22 appearances for Philadelphia's Florida State League affiliate. 

As you would expect, that poor performance put Castellano completely off the prospect map. To see him not only reach Double-A but excel once promoted would have been very difficult to predict at this time a year ago. Castellano ranked 10th in K-BB% among the 373 pitchers to log at least 40 innings in Double-A last season. He had a 25.3 K% and 5.6 BB%. That impressive turnaround earned Castellano the award for Phillies top minor league pitcher in 2024.

 

It’s no secret that the Twins are handcuffed by their own payroll limitations this offseason. Luckily, there are some avenues to add talent that don’t require major financial commitments. The Rule 5 Draft is an opportunity to get creative and add talent without impacting payroll. Here’s a quick overview of how things work:

The intent: The Rule 5 Draft is in place to prevent teams from being able to hoard prospects. Any player signed at 18 or younger becomes eligible after their fifth season and those signed at 19 or older become eligible after their fourth season.

The appeal: It’s as close to a free player as you’re gonna get in Major League Baseball. It costs $100,000 to draft a player. That money goes to the player's former club. 

The issue: Rule 5 picks during the MLB phase have to remain on your active 26-man roster or else they’re returned to their original org. A draftee can be placed on the IL, but only if they are legitimately hurt. 

The last time the Twins made a pick: Tyler Kinley in 2017, who was eventually returned to the Marlins.

The Twins not only added an intriguing arm, they also retained all of their in-house players who were eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. That group included Kala’i Rosario, Ricardo Olivar and Jovani Moran, among others. Whether they'll be able to get Castellano up to speed and ready for big-league pressure by the end of spring training is an open question, but he seems to have been one of the higher-upside selections available, and they're showing a renewed willingness at least to fish in those waters.

 

Minor League Phase
In the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the cost to acquire a player drops to $24,000 and there is no roster restriction requiring these players to be rostered at a certain level. Anyone not on a 40-man or Triple-A roster is eligible. The Twins selected four players in the minor league phase last year (Rafael Marcano, Rafael Escalante, Angel Del Rosario and Sheldon Reed).

Here are the Twins selections in this phase:
Round 1: Trent Baker, RHP, Cardinals
Round 2: Miguel Briceno, OF, Brewers
Round 3: Jefferson Valladares, C, Dodgers

Drafted in the ninth round of the 2021 Draft, Baker pitched to a 4.89 ERA in 81 innings with the Cardinals’ Double-A team last season while averaging 9.0 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. Baker logged seven more innings in the Arizona Fall League. He turns 26 later this month. Back in 2019, Baker pitched with the Mankato Moondogs of the Northwoods League, a college summer league based in the Midwest.

Briceno is a 21-year-old utility man from Venezuela. He hit .277/.321/.365 (.685) in 94 games with the Brewers Low-A affiliate. In addition to appearing at six positions in the field, Briceno also pitched six times. Third base was his primary position. Reminds me of the “anything for the team” mentality of former Twin Eduardo Escobar.

Valladares, 22, has been a productive hitter in the minors but lacks much of a track record. Over the past four seasons, he’s hit .303/.431/.453 (.866 OPS), but it’s come over just 406 combined plate appearances. The Venezuela product has seen most of his time in the field at first base, but does also have some catching experience. 

And here are the players the Twins lost in this phase:
Taylor Floyd, RHP, taken in Round 2 by the Mariners

Floyd, who recently turned 27, was acquired by the Twins as the player to be named later in a 2023 trade that sent Trevor Megill to Milwaukee. Floyd had a 4.04 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 8.2 K/9 in 64 2/3 innings for Wichita last season.

 

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[Cory Engelhardt]

Lots of k's, along with low walk numbers, appear worthy of a shot. He was their minor league pitcher of the year, so it's interesting they left him available. Have to see if we have something here I suppose.

[rdehring]

Curious what people were saying about Johann when he joined the Twins following the Rule 5 draft however many years ago.  Guess time will tell, but maybe the Twins are do a bit of luck?

[DJL44]

I assume they'll move him to the bullpen in 2025. The velocity and stuff could get even better. They'll have to keep him and Ronny Henriquz on the roster all year.

 

[DJL44]

Minor league portion

Twins select Trent Baker RHP from the Cardinals, Miguel Briceno SS from the Brewers, Jefferson Valladares C from the Dodgers.

Twins lose Taylor Floyd to the Mariners, 

 

[Heiny]

Don't quite understand the minor league portion of this draft.  Why would'n't someone take Olivar or Rosario from the Twins during this portion of the draft since there are no restrictions as far as what level they would have to play at.

[nicksaviking]

I wasn't interested in diving into the Rule V pool.

But this guy looks pretty intriguing. I am kind of interested after all.

[bean5302]

10 minutes ago, Heiny said:

Don't quite understand the minor league portion of this draft.  Why would'n't someone take Olivar or Rosario from the Twins during this portion of the draft since there are no restrictions as far as what level they would have to play at.

Because the claiming team needs to put the prospect on the 26 man MLB roster for the entire year. The Rule 5 pick cannot be optioned.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

44 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I assume they'll move him to the bullpen in 2025. The velocity and stuff could get even better. They'll have to keep him and Ronny Henriquz on the roster all year.

 

Not necessarily.  If the Twins like what they see in Spring Training, they can make a trade to keep him and not be subject to the Rule 5 rules.

[bean5302]

It is peculiar to see Castellano left exposed. The K and walk rates were both excellent, the hits allowed was solid, BABIP was totally reasonable. His ERA and FIP were both solid at the AA level, and he's only 23. 

I would not be surprised if he opened the year in the rotation since SWR, Festa and Matthews all have options. I'm sure the Twins are looking to move Paddack's contract as well.

[Tom Froemming]

10 minutes ago, Heiny said:

Don't quite understand the minor league portion of this draft.  Why would'n't someone take Olivar or Rosario from the Twins during this portion of the draft since there are no restrictions as far as what level they would have to play at.

I’m sure those guys weren’t eligible. It’s kinda weird. In addition to the 40-man roster, there’s also a Triple-A “roster” where you’re able to protect guys from that minor league phase. The weird thing is those rosters aren’t made public. So if you go and look at the Saints roster on their site, it’s not going to reflect who was on that protection list.

Had Olivar or Rosario not been on that roster, they definitely would’ve been picked.

[Heiny]

9 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Because the claiming team needs to put the prospect on the 26 man MLB roster for the entire year. The Rule 5 pick cannot be optioned.

That's only for the major league portion of the draft.  My question was for the minor league portion.

 

[Heiny]

5 minutes ago, Tom Froemming said:

I’m sure those guys weren’t eligible. It’s kinda weird. In addition to the 40-man roster, there’s also a Triple-A “roster” where you’re able to protect guys from that minor league phase. The weird thing is those rosters aren’t made public. So if you go and look at the Saints roster on their site, it’s not going to reflect who was on that protection list.

Had Olivar or Rosario not been on that roster, they definitely would’ve been picked.

Thanks, that makes sense.  So the Twins lost just one player in the entire rule 5(major and minor league portion).  Looks like they did ok at this stage even though it's still a crap shoot.

[sweetmusicviola16]

This is a worth a look pick. 

[DocBauer]

A little strange to me he wasn't protected by the Phillies. A bad 2023 but a strong enough bounceback in 2024 to be their MILB pitcher of the year, and good velocity and K numbers. I'm guessing a future in the pen and being 23yo is the reason he was available. Still, you need good pen arms as well.

As I stated in a different thread, I would have expected a LH arm if they were looking for help in 2025. The pen looks pretty good with decent depth from the right side. I'm thinking Castellano is more of a draft and then trade for if he shows something in ST rather than be a 40 man stash. 

 

[Twinsoholic]

Froemming is correct about the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Rosario and Oliver were listed on the Twins AAA roster, so they could only be selected during the initial round of the Rule 5 draft. For the minor league rounds of this draft only certain players on each tram were eligible to be selected: no one from the 40 man roster, and no one from the AAA roster,  Recent players in the Twins minors (typically players drafted or signed within the last 3-4 years) are protected from the draft. 

[DJL44]

42 minutes ago, Heiny said:

Don't quite understand the minor league portion of this draft.  Why would'n't someone take Olivar or Rosario from the Twins during this portion of the draft since there are no restrictions as far as what level they would have to play at.

Not all minor leaguers are available during the minor league portion of the draft.

Quote

In the MiLB phase, any player who meets the same eligibility requirements of the MLB Rule 5 Draft who is not added to the organization's 38-man Triple-A roster can be selected by another team. Players taken in the MiLB phase do not need to be added to the 40-Man or active roster and can be assigned to any level of their new team's Minor League system.

 

[DJL44]

Padres pick Juan Nunez was one of the pitchers the Twins traded for Jorge Lopez

MLB Rule 5 draft results: Analyzing all 15 picks from major-league portion as Mets lose two pitchers - CBSSports.com

[old nurse]

Hajjar was selected by the Pirates from Cleveland 

[mikelink45]

At least it is something to talk about.  Nothing so far this off season is exciting.  But it is better to at least see some movement at any level. 

[nicksaviking]

48 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Not necessarily.  If the Twins like what they see in Spring Training, they can make a trade to keep him and not be subject to the Rule 5 rules.

And not that it's going to happen, but Festa and Matthews have options (and Varland should be in the pen). It's unlikely but possible this guy could get some early season starts to cover for an injury or while the internal young guys build themselves up.

The one thing I do like about Rule V players is that it makes the Twins go against their conservative base instinct. Play him now or cut bait, they have to be decisive; fence straddling isn't an option here.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

Curious what people were saying about Johann when he joined the Twins following the Rule 5 draft however many years ago.  Guess time will tell, but maybe the Twins are do a bit of luck?

It's a totally different draft now. Zero comparison 

[Blyleven2011]

Who knows what will happen with the pick in the rule 5 , he most definitely will break with the club out of spring training  unless he is a total flop ...

If he shows any flashes he can get MLB hitters out they will start the season with him , bullpen makes the most sense at least for to first season and then if he succeeds  he becomes a starter  ...

I can't believe the twins found 173 thousand dollars to spend ...

[Rosterman]

Well, can they stash him at the back of the pen at the expense of... Hednriquez? WHo else? Of course, injuries will play a big key.

Interesting that the Twins lsot NO ONE of worth!

[ashbury]

31 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

A little strange to me he wasn't protected by the Phillies.

I count 24 pitchers on the Phils' 40-man, and only 16 position players.  I guess that means they have 24 arms they like better for 2025 - IOW the draft is working the way intended, so that teams with lots of good players can't hoard them all and keep deserving players stuck in the minors.

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, ashbury said:

I count 24 pitchers on the Phils' 40-man, and only 16 position players.  I guess that means they have 24 arms they like better for 2025 - IOW the draft is working the way intended, so that teams with lots of good players can't hoard them all and keep deserving players stuck in the minors.

It would work better if they couldn't protect anyone without a MLB deal....

[stringer bell]

With three extra spots on the 40-man, I thought there was a good chance the Twins would make a selection. I think all teams, including the Twins, have it figured out who would be claim candidates and handle their major league roster accordingly.

I am not sure of the rules about Injured List time for Rule V claims. I wouldn’t be surprised that Castellano will spend some time in the IL in 2025 if he shows promise. 

[High heat]

He might be a nice bullpen piece, Twins must see something like they can add a couple MPH moving to the bullpen and restructure the pitch mix.  

 

Reminds me a lot of Alcala.  
 

I thought they would go 1B but maybe they like Miranda and Julien at 1B more then I think.

[twinstalker]

My only research on him was another's.  Fangraphs didn't include him in Phillies top 43 for 2024.  In fact, after they laid out their top 26 prospects, among Other Prospects of Note they had a sublist of what they called "Young Dev Project Pitchers" and didn't include him among the six names.  Of course, maybe he wasn't young enough.  But his name wasn't mentioned anywhere.

Prior to 2023 Fangraphs did include him in that bottom sublist area called "Many More Relief Prospect" and just had this note: "Castellano sits at 92-93 but has been up to 96 on backfields.  He throws strikes and his curveball has a chance to be a plus.  His delivery is reliever-y but otherwise he's a pretty stable prospect."

Then he had a bad 2023 and they didn't mention him prior to this past season.

In 2024 his xFIP as mostly a starter was about 3.05, while his ERA was 3.99.  I'm not sure why he wasn't considered more of a prospect, but it may have to do with velocity (wild guess) or, more likely, he'd be considered more of one after 2024.  Fangraphs does like to look at results.

I have no real opinion on this other than it probably tells us the Twins don't expect to be bring in much relief-wise.  They'll have a long guy out of the pen in Eiberson Castellano, as long as they want him in the org this season.

 

[twinstalker]

Quote

In the minor league phase...Anyone not on a 40-man or Triple-A roster is eligible.

So Olivar and Rosario are on the Triple-A roster?  Is that available to look at some place?  I assume it's full of guys eligible for the MLB phase.  How many names are allowed on this one?