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Diego Castillo 2021 Player Outlook: Poised to Provide Massive Draft Day Value Yet Again
4 years agoDiego Castillo finished the shortened-2020 campaign with three wins, four saves, 1.66 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts across 21.2 IP and finished as the RP19. Practically doing away with his four-seam fastball, the 26-year-old threw his slider at a surprising 64.7% clip, and despite the slight dip in K-rate from previous seasons, the results were very promising. He posted career bests in O-Swing%, Contact%, and SwStr% while boasting a 2.13 GB/FB and 24.1 Hard%. Castillo was one of only two relievers with a GB% above 60, Hard% below 25, and a K/9 above nine. (Fun Fact: Victor Gonzalez was the other). More importantly, Castillo proved he has ice in his veins when it mattered most. He only allowed two earned runs over 11 postseason innings and earned three saves, while Nick Anderson allowed runs in seven consecutive appearances. There is no such thing as predicting how Kevin Cash uses his bullpen, but it may prove unwise to project any less than 50% of the opportunities to Diego Castillo in 2021. His current ADP sits at a laughable 295, which represents a huge potential value. To ensure you don't miss out, the Baller move would be to target Castillo around the 200 mark instead of a question-mark reliever like Kirby Yates.
