- Rating: 5.30
- 2025 Stats: .242/.290/.392, 87 OPS+, -0.1 bWAR
- Date of Birth: 9/27/199
- 2025 Earnings: $760,000
- 2026 Status: Pre-arb, and probably getting time at DH
Adrian Del Castillo was coming into the 2025 season with the glow of a successful 2024 behind him. Clayton accurately identified his defense as an issue in that review, but he and all other parties agreed
that the bat could play at the major league level. The question would be come, could it overcome the defensive issues.
2025 Review
Coming out of spring training, the team optioned him to the minors. Instead they decided to go with familiarity over youth at the back up catcher role, choosing to go with Jose Herrera, who was out of options and could not be sent back to the minors. In addition to that, Torey Lovullo also saw areas for him to improve, both defensively and offensively:
“Offensively, he’s got to continue to work on controlling the zone, all-field approach, those little things we always harp on here because we feel he has a chance to be a really complete hitter. Defensively, he’s making strides with his ability to throw the ball and get it down to second base and continue to lower that pop time overall.”
Then the injuries struck. Shortly after the start of the season he suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of action for about two months. Then upon his return, he injured his back, resulting in another IL stint. That meant by the time the Diamondbacks called him up, he had only played in 14 games in Reno up to that point in the season.
When he came up, though, there still wasn’t room for him behind the plate, and he hadn’t really had the opportunity to work on his defense, so the Diamondbacks used him nearly exclusively as a designated hitter and pinch hitter, coinciding with Pavin Smith’s transition back to first base. Much like in 2024, he made an immediate impact. In his first two games, he went 5-for-8, with two RBI and no strike outs, looking like another strong addition to the the offense.
However, it petered off after that. He had a double in his second game, but did not record another extra base hit until August 9th and did not hit his first home run until the following day. The lack of power and average was cause for concern from a player whose only job was to hit the baseball. He had been brought on to be the left handed half of the DH platoon and fill in for Smith, who by then was also struggling, but ultimately was not able to put up any improvement in production. Additionally, unlike Smith, he lacked a strong start to inflate his statistics for the season.
From there, he floated right around a .240 batting average, give or take ten points, which was also where he ended the season. The final results were disappointing, to say the least. An OPS+ of 87 and -0.1 bWAR is not what anyone is looking for out of a DH, platoon or otherwise. The other concern was that he had just a mere 10 extra base hits in 120 ABs. Coming from 2024 where he hit 26 home runs in a partial season at Reno, then to only manage eight in two stints in the majors is a big downgrade
2026 Outlook
Despite any concerns that may linger, he still should be filling a key role with the Diamondbacks early in the season, if not immediately from the jump. With Jose Herrera electing Free Agency, the Diamondbacks no longer have anyone blocking him from the backup catcher role, and Pavin Smith’s assumed return to first base will mean that the at bats as a left handed DH will also still be there waiting for him. This of course assumes that the Diamondbacks don’t find anyone on the open market, but given the other issues facing the team, it seems unlikely to me that those will be areas they focus on. Not when the bullpen, starting pitching depth, and the outfield are still problems. Look for Del Castillo to be on the field a lot more in 2026.
