Name: Eiberson Castellano
Position: RHP
Born: May 9, 2001
Country: Venezuela
Bats/Throws: R/R
Height/Weight: 6’3″ 160lbs
How Acquired: International Free Agent (2018 Class)
Signed: July 2, 2018
Bonus:
Options Remaining: 3
Rule 5 Eligible: 2022
MiLB Free Agency: 2025
Stats
Prospect Rankings
The Phillies moved Castellano to the bullpen in 2023, and his stuff ticked up a mph, with his 4-seamer and sinker peaking at 96. He throws a full starter’s arsenal, but his slider is the only pitch that has really missed bats. He also struggled with strike throwing and is trending towards org reliever.
Role: #4/5 Starter/Multi-Inning Reliever
Risk: Extreme – Castellano is almost 22 and has barely pitched, and has never handled a starting pitcher’s full workload. He does not have the high end stuff to make it low risk that he will hold up against upper level hitters.
Summary: The Phillies signed Castellano in 2018, but he didn’t pitch in his first pro season, meaning that he didn’t throw his first pitch for the org until over three years after he signed. As a 20 year old reliever in the DSL, Castellano was dominant, albeit with too many walks. The Phillies sent him straight to the Threshers in 2022 after a brief stop in Extended Spring Training. He worked from long man into starting for most of the summer, until they eased him back into the bullpen. What he showed was three different low 90s fastballs, a changeup, a couple of sliders, and a solid spin curveball with plenty of depth. He put up good numbers for most of the summer, throwing strikes and generating a large amount of weak contact. Eiberson will be entering his age 22 season, but he has the frame to maybe add a bit more strength. Given his usage over the summer it is interesting to see if the Phillies think he is a starter, but they should give him some innings to open the year to see if he can build into a back end arm.
2023 Outlook: Given his age, the Phillies should push Castellano to Jersey Shore. They do have a number of arms headed that way so he might have to start in Clearwater and move up when space opens up, or pitch in longer relief to still get innings.
The Phillies moved Castellano to the bullpen in 2023, and his stuff ticked up a mph, with his 4-seamer and sinker peaking at 96. He throws a full starter’s arsenal, but his slider is the only pitch that has really missed bats. He also struggled with strike throwing and is trending towards org reliever.
Role: #4/5 Starter/Multi-Inning Reliever
Risk: Extreme – Castellano is almost 22 and has barely pitched, and has never handled a starting pitcher’s full workload. He does not have the high end stuff to make it low risk that he will hold up against upper level hitters.
Summary: The Phillies signed Castellano in 2018, but he didn’t pitch in his first pro season, meaning that he didn’t throw his first pitch for the org until over three years after he signed. As a 20 year old reliever in the DSL, Castellano was dominant, albeit with too many walks. The Phillies sent him straight to the Threshers in 2022 after a brief stop in Extended Spring Training. He worked from long man into starting for most of the summer, until they eased him back into the bullpen. What he showed was three different low 90s fastballs, a changeup, a couple of sliders, and a solid spin curveball with plenty of depth. He put up good numbers for most of the summer, throwing strikes and generating a large amount of weak contact. Eiberson will be entering his age 22 season, but he has the frame to maybe add a bit more strength. Given his usage over the summer it is interesting to see if the Phillies think he is a starter, but they should give him some innings to open the year to see if he can build into a back end arm.
2023 Outlook: Given his age, the Phillies should push Castellano to Jersey Shore. They do have a number of arms headed that way so he might have to start in Clearwater and move up when space opens up, or pitch in longer relief to still get innings.
Season Reports/Highlights
Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 22 8/20-8/26)
1 GS 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 11 K
A problem I have had over the last few weeks is not whether Eiberson Castellano is a good pitching prospect, it is how good a pitching prospect is he. I work in an area of sharp divide in information available to me. For Lehigh Valley and Clearwater, I have more information than I know how to appropriately use. For Jersey Shore, I usually have a TV radar gun and a decent and consistent camera angle. For Reading pitchers, I have nothing, no velocity (except in Hartford) and some really bad camera angles at times. I am reliant on some occasional series and drips of information (like Geoff Pontes on Moises Chace), but am otherwise trying to piece together a profile with an arm behind my back. I have Castellano as 93-96 earlier in the season, the Phillies tweeted him sitting 97, which I think is really just touching 97 as the last two tv broadcasts have mentioned a 97, but also 94s and 95s, so let’s call it as sitting “mid 90s”. He throws a sinker and a 4-seamer, and he can elevate the 4-seamer for swings and misses thanks to good command more than outlier movement as it doesn’t have that explosive jump to me. He throws at least two breaking balls, using a bigger curveball both for chases down and called strikes (which allowed him to tunnel the fastball up). I have seen what I thought was a sweeper before, but might have been the curveball, and I have heard cutter. There is definitely a vertical shape and a horizontal shape, and he shows good feel for commanding them. This week I saw what looked like and was called a changeup deployed with some success. He seemed to sell it well and it had solid arm side movement. Castellano has shown improved command throughout the season, and he really highlighted this week his ability to pitch backwards by landing the offspeed stuff for strikes early and then using the fastball for chases out or called strikes in the zone where a batter was looking for the curve intended to a elicit a chase. Earlier in the year I thought Castellano was trending towards reliever, but now he is much more looking like the Phillies type of mix and match a bunch of stuff starter. However, until I get some data or in person reports there is always going to be a doubt that I am either too low or too high on him based on piecing together some video.
Now that he has survived the trade deadline and his first few starts in AA it is time to talk about Eiberson. His first game of the month was actually rough, only going 2.2 innings in a relief outing after coming back from the IL, but afterward his next 4 starts – 22 IP 17 H 2.45 ERA 5 BB 27 K. On the season he now has only 24 walks to his 103 strikeouts on the season. He is still getting hit better by lefties than righties, but the gap is starting to close. He is firmly in the mid 90s and his slider is a good pitch now. He will be Rule 5 eligible after this season, and he has enough bullpen upside the Phillies likely will need to protect him. This year has likely bought him more time in the rotation though.
Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 10 5/28-6/3)
5.2 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 13 K
Castellano’s night is even more impressive when you take into account that through 5.1 innings he was at 3 hits, no runs, and no walks to go with 12 strikeouts. Things unraveled from there, but there is some grace I give to A-ball pitchers battling over 90 pitches. The 13 strikeouts was a career high and over his last 3 starts he now has 27 strikeouts in 17.2 innings with 5 walks. His stuff is up too, his fastball sitting 94-96 most of the night, fading to 93-95 late. His slurvy breaking ball that was 79-83 was his best pitch of the night, working it in and out of the zone. He only threw 2 pitches that looked to be changeups, and looking his overall splits on the year, it is a pitch he is going to need to develop to be a starting pitcher. On the year he has 5 walks and 39 strikeouts vs RHPs to go with a .480 OPS against. Lefties on the other hand have 9 walks to 12 strikeouts and a .828 OPS. Even if he is only a reliever when this is all said and done, he has put himself back on the map again after a rough 2023 season.
Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 22 8/20-8/26)
1 GS 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 11 K
A problem I have had over the last few weeks is not whether Eiberson Castellano is a good pitching prospect, it is how good a pitching prospect is he. I work in an area of sharp divide in information available to me. For Lehigh Valley and Clearwater, I have more information than I know how to appropriately use. For Jersey Shore, I usually have a TV radar gun and a decent and consistent camera angle. For Reading pitchers, I have nothing, no velocity (except in Hartford) and some really bad camera angles at times. I am reliant on some occasional series and drips of information (like Geoff Pontes on Moises Chace), but am otherwise trying to piece together a profile with an arm behind my back. I have Castellano as 93-96 earlier in the season, the Phillies tweeted him sitting 97, which I think is really just touching 97 as the last two tv broadcasts have mentioned a 97, but also 94s and 95s, so let’s call it as sitting “mid 90s”. He throws a sinker and a 4-seamer, and he can elevate the 4-seamer for swings and misses thanks to good command more than outlier movement as it doesn’t have that explosive jump to me. He throws at least two breaking balls, using a bigger curveball both for chases down and called strikes (which allowed him to tunnel the fastball up). I have seen what I thought was a sweeper before, but might have been the curveball, and I have heard cutter. There is definitely a vertical shape and a horizontal shape, and he shows good feel for commanding them. This week I saw what looked like and was called a changeup deployed with some success. He seemed to sell it well and it had solid arm side movement. Castellano has shown improved command throughout the season, and he really highlighted this week his ability to pitch backwards by landing the offspeed stuff for strikes early and then using the fastball for chases out or called strikes in the zone where a batter was looking for the curve intended to a elicit a chase. Earlier in the year I thought Castellano was trending towards reliever, but now he is much more looking like the Phillies type of mix and match a bunch of stuff starter. However, until I get some data or in person reports there is always going to be a doubt that I am either too low or too high on him based on piecing together some video.
Now that he has survived the trade deadline and his first few starts in AA it is time to talk about Eiberson. His first game of the month was actually rough, only going 2.2 innings in a relief outing after coming back from the IL, but afterward his next 4 starts – 22 IP 17 H 2.45 ERA 5 BB 27 K. On the season he now has only 24 walks to his 103 strikeouts on the season. He is still getting hit better by lefties than righties, but the gap is starting to close. He is firmly in the mid 90s and his slider is a good pitch now. He will be Rule 5 eligible after this season, and he has enough bullpen upside the Phillies likely will need to protect him. This year has likely bought him more time in the rotation though.
Phillies Minor League Recap (Week 10 5/28-6/3)
5.2 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 13 K
Castellano’s night is even more impressive when you take into account that through 5.1 innings he was at 3 hits, no runs, and no walks to go with 12 strikeouts. Things unraveled from there, but there is some grace I give to A-ball pitchers battling over 90 pitches. The 13 strikeouts was a career high and over his last 3 starts he now has 27 strikeouts in 17.2 innings with 5 walks. His stuff is up too, his fastball sitting 94-96 most of the night, fading to 93-95 late. His slurvy breaking ball that was 79-83 was his best pitch of the night, working it in and out of the zone. He only threw 2 pitches that looked to be changeups, and looking his overall splits on the year, it is a pitch he is going to need to develop to be a starting pitcher. On the year he has 5 walks and 39 strikeouts vs RHPs to go with a .480 OPS against. Lefties on the other hand have 9 walks to 12 strikeouts and a .828 OPS. Even if he is only a reliever when this is all said and done, he has put himself back on the map again after a rough 2023 season.