How will the D-Backs handle Del Castillo for the playoffs – and beyond?
When Adrian Del Castillo (stylized ADC) was initially called up at the beginning of August when Gabriel Moreno went on the IL for his strained adductor, my expectations were muted. I was certainly aware of his prospect ranking within the organization and impressive numbers he was posting in Reno – including an eye-catching .319/.403/.608 slash line this year. But it’s difficult enough for any young player to make the leap from AAA to the minors, let alone a catcher who has substantially more responsibility to handle and more of a direct impact on the flow of the game. Additionally, the Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter-friendly, giving additional reason to expect a deflation in offensive production when he made his major league debut. Instead, since appearing in the evening end of a doubleheader at Cleveland the day after he was called up, he took the team and the fans by storm while posting remarkably similar offensive numbers (.313/.368/.525 slash line) at the big league level that he had been demonstrating with the Aces. He impressed me enough that I was both slightly disappointed and surprised to see him optioned back to Reno in the corresponding move that brought Moreno back to the active roster.
There are certainly numerous caveats that should be mentioned at the top – most notably the still miniscule, in baseball terms, sample size that we are dealing with for Del Castillo to this point. The 24 year old has less than 100 plate appearances under his belt and certainly has not fully quieted the questions evaluators have about his defensive abilities behind the dish. But given Jose Herrera’s continued struggles at the plate (his .559 OPS ranks seventh-worst among qualified catchers), I thought he might be the roster victim for Moreno’s return to the team rather than Del Castillo. I suspect that the team is looking to keep the University of Miami product’s rookie eligibility intact for the remainder of the season to allow for the possibility – however remote – of Del Castillo making a run at National League Rookie of the Year in 2025. We’ve already seen how that possibility can aid a franchise as Corbin Carroll’s win of the award last year netted the D-Backs Ryan Waldschmidt who immediately became their fourth-highest prospect and has already demonstrated some potential with Visalia. Given that Reno’s schedule will run out at the latest by September 28th, if they were to win the best-of-three series against first-half winner Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Astros), the timing could work well for Del Castillo to rejoin the team on a possibly playoff roster. That got me thinking: what are the possibilities for such a choice and how does Del Castillo compare to Herrera for that possible roster spot?
In an ideal world, teams wouldn’t need a backup catcher in the playoffs as the schedule – between off days and other built-in rest days – means that it’s less of a necessity than it is in the regular season. But between the possibility of injury (fingers crossed, wood knocked, salt tossed) and general fatigue at the end of a long season, a team’s backup catcher will likely appear at least once or twice. Indeed, that very reality might be Herrera’s biggest advantage: he’s already been through a prolonged postseason march as he was on the roster throughout. Unfortunately, he did little to distinguish himself during the run, collecting just one walk in two games and four plate appearances in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds. However, even with those results in mind and his lackluster offensive numbers to this point more generally, there is certainly value in knowing what to expect from a postseason atmosphere – including the media attention, heightened emotions, and high-leverage situations. But, as seems more likely, if Mike Hazen and the front office view Del Castillo as an important piece moving forward, it would behoove them to include him so he can gain exactly that kind of experience.
In a direct comparison of their respective 2024 seasons, there’s little question which backstop has had a better year as Del Castillo leads in every meaningful offensive category and grades out similarly on defense. Their respective Statcast pages tell a similar story as Herrera ranks poorly in nearly every batting category while Del Castillo has several above-average rankings. It should be noted however that Herrera has been worlds better than Del Castillo in controlling the running game to this point in their careers as the senior of the two has caught would-be base stealers 25% of the time across three seasons and 123 games – slightly above the league average of 21%. Conversely, the junior member caught just two thieves from 29 attempts in his brief cup of coffee in the majors and was only average down in Reno prior to his call-up. Thankfully, the team still has Moreno as the primary backstop who was the best catcher at nabbing would-be thieves last year with a whopping 39% caught steal rate. It’s not hard to see why he won a Gold Glove for his efforts. That aspect of the game will undoubtedly be a bigger focus for teams in the playoffs and Del Castillo’s struggles there can’t be fully discounted – even with excellent offensive contributions on the other side of the scale.
Regardless of what Hazen and Torey Lovullo decide to do with any potential playoff roster decisions between Del Castillo and Herrera, the former has done enough to prove that he should be Moreno’s full-time counterpart entering Spring Training 2025. He has nothing left to prove in Reno outside of some additional seasoning in the art of catching, but that development could much more usefully be accomplished at the major league level instead. At this point, Del Castillo has certainly surpassed Herrera and a tandem between a more offensive-minded Del Castillo and two-way talent like Moreno could be a potent combination in the 2025 campaign and beyond.