Adrian Del Castillo Talks Clutch Hitting in Front of Hometown Crowd

The young catcher has stormed into MLB with some monster numbers, including a grand slam in front of friends and family against the Miami Marlins. He discussed this further with 98.7's Burns and Gambo.

Aug 19, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian Del Castillo (25) watches after hitting a grand slam against the Miami Marlins during the third inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

From the loss of Arizona Diamondbacks young stud catcher Gabriel Moreno, was born an opportunity for prospect Adrian Del Castillo.

Of course, Moreno's left abductor strain certainly leaves a big hole to fill - he's been crucial to this team since the 2023 season, and there is still hope for a return in the coming weeks.

But the D-backs, despite having faith in Del Castillo as a prospect, couldn't have predicted how strong a start the young catcher would have gotten off to.

In his first nine games of major league action, he's gone 11-for-33, an impressive .333 average that, when examined with his two doubles and three home runs, translates to a 1.072 OPS.

But perhaps even more impressive is his 14 RBI. That number is tied for second most through a player's first nine games since RBI became an official stat in 1920.

Six of those RBI came in Monday's 9-6 win in Miami. Playing in his hometown stadium, in front of a massive crowd of friends and family, Del Castillo smashed a ball that had the distance, but leaked foul.

Reminiscent of Moreno's home run in game three of the NLDS, Del Castillo responded by taking a decently-placed pitch deep to dead center, marking his first career grand slam and spotting the D-backs a four run lead.

Del Castillo's heroics have spanned across a walk-off home run, a game-tying three-run shot in the ninth, and now a two-out grand slam. It seems as if the young prospect is simply hitting at the right time, every time.

Del Castillo pushed back on the idea that he has the "clutch gene," and said he just looks for his pitch and lets the rest happen.

“I can’t say that I have it, I just look for a good pitch to hit, he gave me it over the plate, 3-1 was the count and I got a good swing on it for sure,” he said to D-backs TV's Jody Jackson on Monday's postgame show.

Del Castillo is a Miami kid, and even played his college ball at the university of Miami. In a somewhat desolate Monday night stadium, his cheering section was among the loudest groups in attendance.

Speaking on Arizona Sports 98.7's Burns and Gambo show, Del Castillo gave an incredible estimate for the size of his supporting group, including family, friends and others.

“I would say anywhere from 150-200 people, between friends, family, even high school teachers went there to watch me, so it was awesome," said Del Castillo, “it means the world to me, for sure. Having my family, friends, all people that care about me out there watching… it was amazing.”

Manager Torey Lovullo echoed the sentiment on D-backs radio's pregame show with Steve Zinsmeister.

"We couldn’t be happier for him, playing in front of his home crowd, his family, that was a great moment. We could hear the loud cheers, and the way he went out there inspired all of us, and it was probably the main reason we won the game from what he did yesterday,” Lovullo said.

“I turned to acknowledge the crowd, and I kind of put my hands up to thank them, it was a great moment," the skipper continued, "the foul ball was just as loud as the home run, it was a collective cheer as the ball was leaving the ballpark… it was a special moment, and I think we all shared it with him as he was rounding the bases."

Of course, Moreno's status as the starter remains the elephant in the room, even with how well Del Castillo has hit the ball. But rather than worry about status or winning a job, the young prospect noted his respect for Moreno, and how they've been able to work together to improve the club.

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

But perhaps the answer to Del Castillo's clutchness comes not from a specific approach, but rather his ability to remain even-keel. The 24-year-old prospect explained his mature approach, and it's working.

“Honestly it still hasn’t felt real. I’m just playing a kids’ game still, but if anybody would know me, they know that I’m never too high, I’m never too low, I’m always in the middle and just having fun. I’m enjoying it out here with my teammates, and winning games, that’s what we’ve got to do,” Del Castillo said.

“He’s still growing and learning, and not afraid of any moment. Nothing is too big for him. It’s a great player development story, we didn’t know much about him, other than a couple spring training games… But he really put himself on the development map and he’s really transitioned well to the big leagues and he’s shown us that he was ready," Lovullo said.

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