Adrian Del Castillo’s draft slide ends on Day 2 as Diamondbacks pick Miami’s star catcher
Adrian Del Castillo’s slide finally ended on the second day of the 2021 MLB Draft with the Miami Hurricanes catcher headed to the Arizona Diamondbacks with the fourth pick in Competitive Balance Round B on Monday.
The Diamondbacks selected Del Castillo with No. 67 overall pick, giving Miami a draft pick for the 47th consecutive year. Del Castillo is the fifth catcher to be picked in the 2021 draft.
It ends a frustrating tumble for Del Castillo after an underwhelming 2021 season caused him to drop from the top of the draft all the way into the second day. Del Castillo began the year as the No. 4 prospect in the draft, according to MLB.com’s rankings, and wound up at No. 42 on draft day. His track record from his first two years with the Hurricanes, though, still made him a second-day prospect, even as he posted career worsts in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage this year.
Miami pitcher Jake Smith also found a home on the second day of the draft as the Los Angeles Angels selected him with the No. 171 overall pick in the sixth round. The right-handed pitcher had a 3.45 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 47 innings this year, splitting his time between the starting rotation and bullpen.
Del Castillo, who starred for three years at Miami Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest before joining the Hurricanes, posted a triple slash line of .275/.380/.395 with three home runs in 2021 college baseball season to earn second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors for the second time.
Del Castillo’s shortened sophomore season in 2020 was his best. In 16 games before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season, the left-handed hitter batted .358 with a 1.025 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, but, in retrospect, coach Gino DiMare noticed the start of “a mechanical flaw” that plagued Del Castillo throughout 2021.
It’s “something that can be corrected,” the coach said, “but it’s something that got away from us a little bit and we weren’t able to correct it in enough time to get him back to where he was.”
It was, those around Del Castillo insist, an aberration. Del Castillo was a star all throughout his high school career and earned first-team All-County honors from the Miami Herald twice while he was playing for Miami Gulliver Prep. As a freshman for the Hurricanes in 2019, Del Castillo primarily played the outfield and batted .331 with a .995 OPS to earn consensus freshman All-America honors.
If his bat gets back to where it was in his first two years in Coral Gables, Del Castillo could wind up as one of the steals of the draft — especially if he sticks at catcher. Major league teams also view Del Castillo as a candidate to move to the outfield or first base to better emphasize his hitting ability without requiring him to juggle catching responsibilities, and the natural wear and tear of the position.
“He’ll play any position as long as gets to hit, but he’d rather be in every play and that’s the kind of player he is. He really wants to be a part of everything because that’s what he enjoys about baseball,” said Manny Crespo Jr., who coached Del Castillo for three years at Gulliver Prep. “It’s his choice that he wants to play catcher, but he can play anything. I don’t think he’s going to be a shortstop or center fielder, but anything short of that, I think he can do it.”
Del Castillo and Smith are two of at least four Hurricanes in good position to be drafted this week. First baseman Alex Toral projects as a potential mid-round selection and pitcher Daniel Federman could be a late-round selection. JP Gates could also be a late-round pick, although DiMare expects him to return to Miami after the relief pitcher had Tommy John surgery in March.
None, however, rank among the top-250 players in the draft and could slip to the third day Tuesday. Rounds 2-10 are conducted Monday.
This story was originally published July 12, 2021 at 2:08 PM.
