Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo celebrates hitting his first career walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Chase Field. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Adrian Del Castillo is a name Arizona Diamondbacks fans could get used to hearing in 2025. After making his MLB debut and playing 25 games last season, Del Castillo is in a prime position to play a larger role next season.
The rookie appeared in 24 of his 25 games at catcher, after Gold Glove winner Gabriel Moreno entered the injured list, and hit .313 with four home runs, five doubles and 19 RBI. Del Castillo’s .893 on-base plus slugging percentage was 46 percent better than the league average.
While Del Castillo didn’t appear in any games as the designated hitter last season, the position could be open in 2025 and he would appear to be a good fit.
Joc Pederson and Randal Grichuk platooned at designated hitter last season, but both declined their mutual option for 2025 to enter free agency. If the Diamondbacks don’t decide to re-sign either, Del Castillo’s powerful bat is a perfect match for the DH role, and he could potentially contribute as well as a backup catcher and pinch hitter.
“Offensively, I think he got off to a very fast start and had some big homers for us, and the league’s made a little bit of an adjustment to him,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said before Arizona’s 14-4 win against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 11. “He’s cycling through that right now and making adjustments to the league. (He has a) good swing plane, great hitability and awareness in the box, (he) understands how to hit in counts (and he) uses the entire field.”
Del Castillo received his first major league call-up Aug. 6, after Moreno went down with a left adductor strain. Del Castillo made his MLB debut against the Cleveland Guardians one day later and smacked an RBI double in his first big-league at-bat.
A week that every kid dreams about while playing little league, high school and travel baseball got even better only two days later, on Aug. 9, when Del Castillo proved he could play with the best in Major League Baseball. In his first game at Chase Field, Del Castillo picked up three hits against the Philadelphia Phillies, including a walk-off, solo home run.
He became the first Diamondbacks player to hit a walk-off for their first career home run.
Del Castillo played a crucial role in the Diamondbacks’ success in August. Arizona finished 12-5 in games he appeared in, including winning the first six games in a row. Altogether, the Diamondbacks completed August with an 18-9 record, 76-60 overall and first in the NL wild-card race.
During that impressive stretch, the rookie had the most impactful game of his young career. Del Castillo hit his first career grand slam and drove in six runners during his first game in Miami – his hometown.
Del Castillo’s family and friends took over a couple of rows at loanDepot Park.
“I mean, it was surreal,” Del Castillo said back in September. “You know, doing it in front of all of them, it’s pretty crazy. Yeah, just seeing them after the game (and) how happy they were, it was fun.”
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That game helped propel him near an MLB record. Del Castillo drove in 14 RBI in his first nine games as a big leaguer – the second-most since RBI became an official statistic in 1920. Del Castillo only trailed Oakland Athletics outfielder Mitchell Page’s 15 RBI in 1977.
His stretch in the big leagues impressed some veterans in Arizona’s clubhouse. First baseman Christian Walker has been a staple in the Diamondbacks’ clubhouse since he became an everyday starter in 2019, but he appeared in two of the Diamondbacks’ postseason games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 – the last time Arizona made the playoffs before 2023.
“He’s been great,” Walker said at the time. “He’s been swinging it. As far as I’m concerned, the stoicism to just be able to be the same guy every day. It’s intense when you play in the big leagues for the first time. You want to impress a lot of people, the games feel like every moment matters, and yeah, I’ve been impressed with his ability to stay calm and trust himself.”
Nine-year MLB veteran and former All-Star Josh Bell, who the Diamondbacks traded for on July 30, also provided positive sentiments about Del Castillo’s first month in the big leagues.
“From what I understand, he was leading the minor leagues in hits before he got called up, which is kind of crazy for a catcher to do,” Bell said after seeing Del Castillo’s hot start. “He obviously has the bat-to-ball, we’ve seen the power. I like his game calling back there. I know he’s got a lot of learning to do, but it seems like he’s all ears, just the type of personality he’s got.
“He doesn’t have the ‘I made it’ mentality for his first few weeks in the big leagues, especially with the success that he’s had. He’s still coming in early, he’s still trying to get better every day, so I’m definitely excited to see how his career unfolds.”
Once Moreno returned from the injured list, Del Castillo’s stint in the big leagues ended. He returned to the Triple-A Reno Aces for the rest of the season, while Moreno and third-year big leaguer Jose Herrera remained at catcher.
Del Castillo was a standout in Reno, securing the title of Pacific Coast League MVP. He finished the season with a .312 batting average, posting 36 double, 26 home runs, and 75 RBIs in 105 games.
Platooning depending on whether the Diamondbacks faced a left-handed or right-handed starting pitcher, veterans Pederson and Grichuk split time filling the DH position, with Pederson mashing 23 home runs and 17 doubles and Grichuk batting just under .300 with 12 home runs.
Del Castillo’s versatile bat provides stability from both sides of the plate. He hit .444 against left-handed pitchers, while hitting his four home runs against right-handed hurlers.
Despite Del Castillo’s impressive numbers at the plate as a rookie, his performance behind the plate leaves questions – especially against base stealers. Moreno, a Gold Glove winner in 2023, accumulated three extra caught stealings above average in 2024, according to BaseballSavant’s Statcast.
Del Castillo only threw out one of 17 baserunners attempting to steal second base this season – a 6% rate. Moreno, by contrast, cut down 25 percent of baserunners.
Part of Del Castillo’s struggles with throwing out baserunners is his pop time – the amount of time it takes between the ball hitting the catcher’s glove to the ball reaching the middle infielder’s glove at second base. Del Castillo’s 2.04-second pop time was tied for sixth-worst of 63 players.
Lovullo said that a stronger and more accurate throw from Del Castillo could increase his caught stealings by 15-18%. It figures to be something Del Castillo will continue to work on even if he lands a spot on the Opening Day roster as a DH and pinch hitter.
“The blocking and receiving has been very good,” Lovullo said of Del Castillo’s work behind the plate. “We knew exactly what he’s going to be giving us in those areas. The throwing is still a work in progress, and I know the numbers don’t show up as good as we want them to, but he’s working his butt off to make that happen.”