The Rule 5 Draft, the final big event of the MLB Winter Meetings, took place on Wednesday afternoon in Dallas, Texas. The Philadelphia Phillies made some picks in this year's draft, both in the MLB portion and the minor league phase. The big news, however, is that they also had one of their pitching prospects taken from them.
If you're unfamiliar with the rules, the MLB phase of the Rule 5 Draft allows teams to select any eligible players not on a 40-man roster and place them on their 26-man roster. The catch is that the player must remain on the active roster all season or be offered back to their original organization.
Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Year Eiberson Castellano snagged in Rule 5 Draft
The Phillies left three notable pitching prospects unprotected, opting not to add Griff McGarry, Christian McGowan and Eiberson Castellano to the 40-man roster before the deadline in November. Castellano was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Twins, while the other two remain with the Phillies.
The Twins selected #Phillies prospect Eiberson Castellano in the Rule 5 Draft. Organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) December 11, 2024
Seeing Castellano plucked from the organization will be a tough pill to swallow if he makes the Twins' Opening Day roster and is good enough to stick with them all season.
The 23-year-old right-hander won the Phillies' Paul Owens Award this season as the organization's top minor league pitcher after posting a 6-5 record, 3.99 ERA and 1.14 WHIP between High- and Double-A.
Castellano features strikeout stuff and a good command of his arsenal. With an impressive 31.3 percent strikeout rate, he led all Phillies minor league pitchers with 136 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. He also walked just 29 batters all year, a 6.7 percent walk rate.
Unfortunately, the Phillies could only protect so many players this year. They chose to add right-handers Mick Abel (Phillies No. 6 prospect), Jean Cabrera (No. 13) and Moisés Chace (No. 26) to the 40-man roster and will now have to hope that Castellano comes back to them next season.
In other Rule 5 news, the Phillies picked the New York Mets No. 18 prospect Mike Vasil, a right-handed pitcher, in the first round of the major league phase. They then turned around and traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations.
In the minor league phase of the draft, the Phillies selected outfielder Eduardo Lopez (Boston Red Sox), right-hander Enmanuel Mejia (Rays), right-hander Agusto Calderon (St. Louis Cardinals), outfielder Elio Prado (Baltimore Orioles), right-hander Gabriel Barbosa (New York Yankees) and infielder Isaias Dipre (Pittsburgh Pirates).