Back in December of 2014, the New York Yankees signed a talented infielder out of Venezuela to a minor league contract. That prospect is turning into a pretty solid infielder within the Yankees organization. That prospect would be the 22-year-old shortstop, Diego Castillo. Castillo made his professional debut in the Yankees organization back in 2015. Since joining the Yankees, Castillo has bounced back and forth between shortstop and second, but I think he’s at home at short. Castillo has pretty good range and a decent arm for that position. When he’s at the plate, the right-handed Castillo sprays line drives to all sides of the field. He does not generate a lot of power, but he does make solid contact quite often when he’s at the dish.
Step-Back 2019
2019 was the second consecutive year that Castillo spent the entire season with the Tampa Tarpons. In 114 games for the Tarpons last season, Castillo hit .248 with an OBP of .310. Again, Castillo is never going to be the type of player who is a power threat only hitting four home runs and driving in 33 runs. Overall, his year at the plate was a step back from the year prior. In 2018, Castillo was able to drive in 18 more runs and had an average of .260. Castillo did show off some decent range last year, and to me proved himself to be a solid utility candidate in the Yankees organization. He’s not going to blow you away with much, but he’s the kind of player who is always going to give you his best effort.
Solid Utility Potential
In looking at Castillo as a prospect, I’m struggling to see a guy who will develop into a major league starter. I do believe that he can make a major league roster with time, but he’s going to need to improve offensively. He’s got very good range at the shortstop position, but there were times last year where I saw his throwing as a little inconsistent. If he can keep his throws consistent, I think he can develop into a plus defender. Again, he’s never going to be a power threat, but I do believe he has room to grow offensively. He needs to get better at pitch recognition. When he makes contact, he does a fantastic job of going with the pitch. He doesn’t try to pull the ball which is beneficial to a hitter with his abilities. If he can get his batting average up and be more consistent with his throwing ability, I think you should see him make the jump to AA next year. I think he can be a solid utility piece down the line for the New York Yankees.