Del Castillo and Giesting Diamondbacks MiLB Players of the Month

Del Castillo won Player of the Month while Giesting won Pitcher of the Month, find out who else was nominated.

Adrian Del Castillo during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Feb. 21, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Monday afternoon that Adrian Del Castillo and Spencer Giesting were named the organization's Minor League Player- and Pitcher-of-the-Month for May. The rest of the nominees came from each of the team's affiliates.

The team announced that there were 10 nominations, one hitter and one pitcher, from each of the team's affiliates. Notably, not a single nomination was of any of the team's top-15 prospects from MLB Pipeline. Earlier, Jack Sommers wrote about how the top-15 prospects have mostly been injured or not performed as well as they were projected to. Still, some of those top-15 have put on good seasons.

This has let a lot of talent that was relatively unknown to shine and make an impact. The impact that they have made will cause a lot of shakeup for the team's prospect rankings. It's also proven that the system might be deeper than any originally thought or were expecting.

The Reno Aces nominated catcher Adrian Del Castillo and left-hand starting pitcher Tommy Henry. In May, Henry pitched effectively considering the Reno conditions, with a 3.71 ERA over 26.2 innings and five starts. He struck out 30, walked 14, and gave up 11 earned runs with 20 hits.

However, the left-handed swinging Del Castillo obliterated Triple-A pitching in May. Del Castillo hit .359 with a 1.053 OPS with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 17 RBI, 8 walks, and 20 runs scored. He reached base safely in 22 of his 26 games. Adrian Del Castillo was a wrecking ball at the plate in May.

He led Triple-A in total bases and extra-base hits while being second in hits and doubles. He was named the Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for May. He had 13 multi-hit games while leading the Aces. Plus, he has made strides in his defense behind the plate to where he's a realistic option behind the plate in the future for the Diamondbacks.

Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles nominated RHSP Yilber Diaz and 2B Tim Tawa. Tawa had a strong month at Double-A, showcasing his power. Over 25 games, he hit .283 with an OPS of .845. He slugged .505. He had 28 hits, four doubles and six homers with 21 RBI, eight walks, and 20 strikeouts.

Much has been written about Diaz here at Inside the Diamondbacks. The rising starting pitcher had another standout month with the Amarillo Sod Poodles in May. Over his five starts and 29.1 innings, Diaz had a 1.84 ERA and limited hitters to just a .143 batting average despite being in hitter-friendly conditions. He struck out 39 while walking just seven and allowing six runs on 14 hits.

The Hillsboro Hops in High-A nominated RHSP Spencer Giesting and CF Andrew Pintar. Giesting had one of the best months in Minor League baseball. In five starts, he went 3-1 with a 1.41 ERA in 32.1 innings. He allowed just five earned runs and limited batters to just a .167 average. Giesting walked only seven batters and struck out 40.

He had four quality starts and showcased that the left-handed starter needs to start rising the prospect rankings. He struck out a career-high 13 batters on May 22nd. The 11th-round draft pick of 2022 has flashed quality pitches and command while being durable enough to pitch consistently deep into games. Don't be surprised to see him on the top-30 rankings come mid-season.

Andrew Pintar had a good month of May for the Hops. In 24 games, Pintar hit .287/.362/.543/.905 with 27 hits, five doubles, two triples, five homers, 13 RBI, 11 walks, and just 17 strikeouts in a less-than-friendly offensive environment. He stole three bases. Pintar had nine multi-hit games.

The Visalia Rawhide nominated OF Junior Franco and RHSP Jacob Steinmetz. Franco had a big month for the Rawhide. Over 18 games, Franco hit .324/.400/.493/.893 with 11 runs, 23 hits, two triples, two doubles, two homers, 11 RBI, eight walks, and just 14 strikeouts. He stole six bases.

As for Steinmetz, he flashed strikeout stuff while limiting runs to one or fewer in four of his five starts. Aside from a six-run outburst, Steinmetz pitched 5.1 innings or more three times. That includes a seven inning game in which he struck out a career-high nine batters.

In 33 innings, Steinmetz had a 2.45 ERA and allowed just 31 hits, nine runs, nine walks, and struck out 36 batters. The right-hander limited batters to just a .612 OPS.

The Arizona Complex League nominated INF Demetrio Crisantes and LHP Eric Dominguez. Crisantes played in 18 games and hit .319/.455/.493/.947 with 22 runs, 22 hits, three doubles, three triples, a homer, eight RBI, 16 walks, and only 14 strikeouts. The local Arizona product, went to Nogales High School in Arizona, also stole six bases.

Meanwhile, Dominguez pitched in four games and threw 17.2 innings. He had a 3.06 ERA and allowed just 17 hits, six earned runs, six walks, and struck out 25. He went 1-0 and held hitters to just a .689 OPS.