Minnesota Twins Select RHP Eiberson Castellano in 2024 Rule 5 Draft

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.