The Rockies have signed right-hander Diego Castillo to a minor league contract, based on Aram Leighton of Simply Baseball Media. The pact consists of an invite for Castillo (who turns 31 subsequent month) to attend Colorado’s large league spring camp.
Castillo is greatest recognized for his five-year run as a workhorse within the Rays’ and Mariners’ bullpens from 2018-22, because the righty posted a 3.12 ERA, 28.1% strikeout fee, 50.7% grounder fee, and eight.9% stroll fee over 259 2/3 innings and 250 appearances in that span. Sadly, he acquired off to a really tough begin in his first eight video games (and eight 2/3 innings) in 2023, main the Mariners to outright him off their 40-man roster in the beginning of Might. Castillo spent the rest of the season at Triple-A, then elected free company at season’s finish.
The Rangers signed Castillo to a minor league deal final winter and launched him close to the tip of Spring Coaching, with the Twins then rapidly including him on one other minors contract. Castillo’s season in Minnesota noticed him twice designated for task and outrighted off the 40-man roster, and he re-signed one other minor league take care of the Twins after opting free of charge company after that preliminary outright at midseason. All of this motion resulted in one other season of fairly minimal MLB taking part in time, as Castillo appeared in 10 video games with the Twins and posted a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings.
Management is the most important subject behind Castillo’s decline, as his stroll fee has shot as much as 14.92% over 84 1/3 innings of Triple-A ball during the last two seasons, and 17.9% in his transient MLB pattern measurement of 18 2/3 innings. A velocity drop could have additionally been partially accountable for Castillo’s struggles in 2023 particularly, although his fastball ticked upwards from 93.8mph in 2023 to 95.9 mph in 2024.
Castillo’s prime years are current sufficient that it is smart that groups would nonetheless wish to take a flier on the veteran righty. For the Rockies particularly, his skill to maintain the ball on the bottom could possibly be helpful within the skinny air of Coors Discipline, if Castillo can earn himself a shot on Colorado’s lively roster.
