Under the Radar Yankees Prospects: Shortstop Diego Castillo

Yanks Go Yard is combing through the New York Yankees minor league system in search of hidden gems in this ongoing series. Today, 18-year-old shortstop Diego Castillo.

One of the most overlooked talents of the New York Yankees famous 2014 international signing spree, shortstop Diego Castillo, made his U.S. debut this season, quietly turning in one of the stronger all-around seasons in the lower levels of the team’s system.

Other shortstops from the class of 2014 like Wilkerman Garcia and Hoy Jun Park have made more noise in the last year or two because of their impressive tools, but Castillo has a good chance to surpass them because of his polished, well-rounded game.

Just before the July 2nd signing period in 2014, Ben Badler of Baseball America listed Castillo as the 24th best international prospect available. In his writeup, he called Castillo one of the “most intelligent players in Latin America,” while going on to note that “he slows the game down, playing calmly and under control during all phases of the game.”

The team landed 16-year-old Castillo for just a $750,000 bonus during a month when they ended up shelling out north of $30 million when the 100% tax for exceeding their bonus pool was applied.

Fundamentals, “feel”, and intangibles are often cited in scouting reports of Castillo. He’s a guy whose tools are said to play up in games. Those types of players are often overlooked on prospects lists, but can sometimes surprise people once they sneak far enough up the minor league ladder.

Castillo was recently listed by Baseball America as the 19th best prospect in the Gulf Coast League this year, the only Yankees player to make that list. Here’s an excerpt from their scouting report:

"Castillo is a fundamentally sound player who models his swing and setup after Derek Jeter, from his high hands to the same pre-pitch movement. He has great feel for the barrel with a short, simple stroke with good bat path. He is a high contact hitter with an inside-out approach, wearing out the opposite field. Castillo doesn’t have much power and probably won’t ever be more than a gap hitter. Once he learns to turn on pitches with more authority he should show more extra-base sock, with a chance for his tools to tick up once he gets stronger."

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After hitting .331/.373/.444 in 262 plate appearances during his first taste of professional ball in 2016, Castillo put up a more modest .267/.332/.327 slash line in 184 PA against more advanced competition this year while drawing praise for his above-average work in the field.