Twins choose minor league pitcher in Rule 5 draft

Eiberson Castellano was the Phillies’ minor league pitcher of the year after fanning an organization-best 136 last season

By John Shipley, Pioneer Press – December 12, 2024

The Twins on Wednesday selected right-hander pitcher Eiberson Castellano from Philadelphia in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft in Dallas.

Castellano, 23, split the 2024 minor league season between High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading, going a combined 6-5 with a 3.99 earned-run average.

Per major league rules, the Twins paid Philadelphia $100,000 and immediately placed Castellano on their 26-man roster. He will have to pass through outright waivers in order to be removed. In that case, he must be offered back to Philadelphia (for $50,000) before he can be reassigned to the minor leagues.

Notable Twins Rule 5 picks include Shane Mack, Johan Santana, and Ryan Pressley.

A native of Venezuela, Casellano pitched in 22 games, 20 of them starts. He averaged 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings and was named Philadelphia’s minor league pitcher of the year after leading all Phillies farmhands with 136 strikeouts in 103⅓ innings.

Since signing with the Phillies in 2018, he has gone 12-11 with a 3.71 ERA, 91 walks, 291 strikeouts, a .224 opponent batting average and a 1.21 WHIP in 77 career minor league games (36 starts).

Still discussing Varland, Lewis moves

On Monday, President Derek Falvey talked about the possibility of Royce Lewis moving to second, Griffin Jax moving out of the bullpen, and Louie Varland moving into the bullpen.

Varland, a hard-throwing right-hander from Maplewood, has been primarily a starter in the minor leagues, but he has pitched well at times out of the Twins’ bullpen. In 22 major league starts, he’s 4-10 with a 1.426 WHIP. In 16 relief appearances, his WHIP is 1.227.

With rookies Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa and Zebby Matthews all making their major league debuts last season, and Joe Ryan expected back from a Grade 2 shoulder strain that cut his season short, the bullpen might offer more opportunity next season for a hard-thrower like Varland.

Falvey said management continues to discuss moves for Lewis and Varland with the players and their agents.

“Those are definitely continued conversations,” he said. “I think there’s an expressed open-mindedness to a lot of those things now as we prep through the offseason. I think we’re in a pretty good place on those conversations.”

Twins will pick 16th

The Twins had a miniscule chance to move into the top six picks in this June’s amateur draft and, as expected, failed to gain ground in Tuesday afternoon’s MLB Draft Lottery.

They will pick 16th overall in the June 4-12 draft.

Bench perspective

Moving first base coach Hank Conger to a new position as a bench coach was a natural for the Twins, and something they’ve had in mind for some time.

The Twins wanted the former major league catcher on their staff when he returned from coaching in South Korea — including a year as bench coach — and the job they had open was at first base.

“We knew that coming back, (that) it wasn’t the perfect fit,” Falvey said, “but it was the fit that we had at the time.”

After a staff shakeup this fall, it was announced last week that Conger will handle the catchers and work games as a bench coach beside manager Rocco Baldelli and bench coach Jayce Tingler.

“I think there’s a real opportunity here with Hank overseeing the catching group,” general manager Jeremy Zoll said. “It makes a lot of sense to have him in the dugout because when we’re on offense, the catcher that’s in the game is on the bench.

“And then he was at first base, so we think there’s actually that additional benefit to having him be on the bench, partner with the pitching coaches for those in-game adjustments, and make sure that we’re aligned on the game plan.”