Diamondbacks’ Adrian Del Castillo enjoying the wave of MLB introduction

Monday was a special day for Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo. He had a cheering section of 150-200 people, from his closest family and friends to high school teachers, for his first MLB game in his hometown of Miami.

And the night went perfectly. He hit a grand slam, drove in six runs and Arizona earned the victory to snap a three-game skid.

Del Castillo has made a loud introduction to MLB while filling in for the injured Gabriel Moreno, and while he is enjoying the ride, staying even-keeled is of great importance.

“It still hasn’t felt real,” Del Castillo told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo. “I’m just playing a kids’ game still. But if anybody would know me, they know that I’m never too high and I’m never too low. I’m always in the middle and just having fun.

“I’m enjoying it out here with my teammates, winning games, that’s what we gotta do.”

The Diamondbacks are 7-2 in games Del Castillo has played as they continue to push toward the postseason despite a season filled with injury adversity. He has 14 RBIs already, which is the second-most in nine games to start a major league career since 1920. His three homers have all been memorable with a walk-off, game-tying three-run shot and grand slam.

The plan initially was to split Del Castillo and Jose Herrera close to 50/50 once Moreno went down, but Del Castillo has earned most of the reps at this point.

The hometown kid shows off! 🌴

Adrian Del Castillo, Miami native, had 6 RBI last night in front of his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/UuILQIl2ap

— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2024

Before the call-up, Del Castillo enjoyed a breakout year in the minors as a contender for Pacific Coast League MVP. His defense has improved to a level the club saw as suitable to come up and fill a void left by Moreno, whom he says he learned as much as he could from back in spring training.

“Gabi’s an amazing player, and he helps this team a lot, and I’ve learned a ton from him,” Del Castillo said. “In spring training, we got to work together, and I’ve asked him a bunch of questions. It’s nice that he’s the same age as me. We’re both getting each other better and ultimately, we want to get this pitching staff, this team better. Behind the plate, we’re basically the quarterbacks of baseball and it takes more than one to do that.”

They are both 24 and under team control for the long term. Moreno bats right-handed, Del Castillo bats left-handed, giving the D-backs exciting potential for a backstop tandem going forward if Del Castillo continues to earn his keep.

There is more growth to be had for the latter, as the Tampa Bay Rays tested him and Herrera on the bases with Moreno out of the picture last weekend. They stole 13 bags in 13 tries, which is not entirely on the catchers but a window into what aggressive clubs may try without Moreno as a deterrent.

“Working a lot back there before the game start, we practiced throwing to second base, throwing to third as well as in the weight room, a lot of med balls, making sure my bottom half is working,” Del Castillo said. “Ultimately just not rushing, because I get in trouble when I start rushing. I just have to make sure I make a good, solid throw, accurate throw to second base, and that’s literally all I can do. We’re definitely working on that.”

Del Castillo threw out his first career base stealer on Monday, which he said was exciting. Plus it was part of a “strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play.

The rookie was not in the lineup on Tuesday, so his encore may come Wednesday as the D-backs look to sweep Miami.

“We played our hearts out in Tampa, and sometimes the ball doesn’t go our way. We can’t pout or anything. We can’t be too low, can’t be too high. We did a good job of staying level.”

First pitch of Diamondbacks-Marlins on Wednesday is at 3:40 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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