Del Castillo Named to Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami catcher Adrian Del Castillo was named to the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list, as announced Wednesday by USA Baseball, continuing the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2021 season.
The midseason watch list features 45 of the nation’s top amateur players from the high school and college ranks and includes 34 athletes who have played their way onto the watch list since the preseason list was announced on February 18. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will continue to maintain a rolling list of athletes, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award before announcing the semifinalists on June 8.
“We are happy to recognize forty-five amateur athletes on the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list who put together stellar performances throughout the first half of the season,” said Paul Seiler, USA Baseball’s Executive Director and CEO. “Each of these athletes have proven themselves worthy of consideration for this prestigious award and we cannot wait to watch the rest of this exciting season unfold before announcing our semifinalists in June.”
Del Castillo is one of the premier hitters in college baseball and he entered the 2021 season as one of the most decorated bats in Division I. A consensus preseason All-American, Del Castillo received first-team accolades by Baseball America, D1 Baseball, Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game and second-team honors from the NCBWA.
The third-year catcher has had another strong season for the Hurricanes. Through 28 games, Del Castillo is batting .321 with seven doubles, a triple, three home runs and 23 RBI.
One of the best hitters in America, Del Castillo is considered among the top prospects in the 2021 MLB Draft class and is on the Golden Spikes Award watch list for the second consecutive year. The third-year catcher has been a machine at the plate in his two years at The U, hitting .336 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs and 87 RBI over 77 games played. In a 16-game shortened season a year ago, Del Castillo led the Hurricanes with a .358 batting average and was tied for the team lead in runs scored (13) and hits (19), while his 15 RBI tied for second on the club.
A 2020 Preseason All-American by four different publications, Del Castillo was an offensive juggernaut in his debut season with the Canes. The standout finished the 2019 campaign batting .331 with 78 hits, 22 doubles and 72 RBI, all team-bests. The Miami native also scored 58 runs and clubbed 12 homers, while striking out just 24 times in 236 at-bats. A versatile player who saw time in right field, catcher, designated hitter and third base, he tied for the team lead with 22 multi-hit games and was second on the team with 18 multi-RBI performances.
Del Castillo’s 72 RBI were the second-most by a UM freshman in program history, finishing just four shy of Ryan Braun’s record 76, set in 2003. The 72 runs batted in were also the most by a Miami freshman since Yonder Alonso drove in 69 as a freshman in 2006. His 18 multi-RBI games were the most by a Hurricane freshman since Zack Collins posted 15 in 2014. A Freshman All-America selection by four publications, Del Castillo earned a host of awards after his collegiate debut season, including Second Team All-ACC, ACC All-Freshman Team, ABCA All-Region and All-Starkville Regional Team honors.
Miami has had 13 different players named to the preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list since 2008. Chris Hernandez (2009-10), Zack Collins (2015-16) and Del Castillo (2020-21) each were two-time selections, while Yonder Alonso (2008), Jemile Weeks (2008), Ryan Jackson (2009), Yasmani Grandal (2010), Harold Martinez (2011), Peter O’Brien (2012), Andrew Suarez (2015) and Carl Chester (2017) preceded Del Castillo and Alex Toral as preseason honorees.
Fan voting will once again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2021. Amateur baseball fans will be able to vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, starting on June 8 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 24 and fan voting will open at GoldenSpikesAward.com concurrently, remaining open through July 2.
The winner of the 43rd Golden Spikes Award will be named in July. To stay up-to-date on the 2021 Golden Spikes Award visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter and Instagram.
The 2021 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
· June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, voting begins
· June 15: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
· June 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, voting begins
· July 2: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
· July: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
A complete list of the Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list is as follows:
Name, Position, School, Conference
Luke Albright; RHP; Kent State; MAC
Spencer Arrighetti; RHP; Louisiana; Sun Belt
Sam Bachman; RHP; Miami (OH); Mid-American
Dru Baker; UTL; Texas Tech; Big 12
Will Bednar; RHP; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Jacob Berry; INF; Arizona; Pac-12
Mason Black; RHP; Lehigh; Patriot
Branden Boissiere; OF; Arizona; Pac-12
Rodney Boone; RHP; UC Santa Barbara; Big West
Justin Campbell; RHP/1B; Oklahoma State; Big 12
Wes Clarke; 1B; South Carolina; Southeastern
Dylan Crews; OF; LSU; Southeastern
Henry Davis; C; Louisville; Atlantic Coast
Adrian Del Castillo; C; Miami; Atlantic Coast
Jaden Fein; OF; San Diego State; Mountain West
Sal Frelick; OF; Boston College; Atlantic Coast
Colton Gordon; LHP; UCF; American
Caden Grice; 1B; Clemson; Atlantic Coast
Geremy Guerrero; LHP; Indiana State; Missouri Valley
Steve Hajjar; LHP; Michigan; Big 10
Dominic Hamel; RHP; Dallas Baptist; Missouri Valley
Tyler Hardman; INF; Oklahoma; Big 12
Brady House; SS; Winder-Barrow
Jace Jung; INF; Texas Tech; Big 12
Niko Kavadas; INF; Notre Dame; Atlantic Coast
Dominic Keegan; UTL; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Austin Knight; INF; Charlotte; C-USA
Jordan Lawlar; SS; Dallas Jesuit
Brooks Lee; SS; Cal Poly; Big West
Jack Leiter; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Tommy Mace; RHP; Florida; Southeastern
Ty Madden; RHP; Texas; Big 12
Jordan Marks; RHP; USC Upstate; Big South
Parker Messick; LHP; Florida State; Atlantic Coast
Matt Mikulski; LHP; Fordham; Atlantic 10
Connor Norby; INF; ECU; American
Kevin Parada; C; Georgia Tech; Atlantic Coast
Zack Raabe; 2B; Minnesota; Big 10
Kumar Rocker; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern
Landon Sims; RHP; Mississippi State; Southeastern
Nick Sinacola; RHP; Maine; Colonial Athletic
Liam Spence; INF; Tennessee; Southeastern
Andrew Taylor; RHP; Central Michigan; MAC
Luis Vargas; OF; Wayland Baptist; Sooner Athletic
