Del Castillo Selected in 2nd Round by Arizona
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami’s Adrian Del Castillo was the first Hurricane to hear his name called in the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft, as the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him with the 67th overall pick.
Del Castillo, who was picked in Competitive Balance Round B, was one of the most dangerous hitters in college baseball in his three seasons at Miami. The 5-foot-11 catcher started all 131 games in his three-year career drove in 124 runs in orange and green. With his selection, a Miami Hurricane has been picked in 48 consecutive drafts dating back to 1974.
One of the premier hitters in college baseball, Del Castillo 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.
Del Castillo was a machine at the plate in his three years at The U, hitting .311 with 37 doubles, 17 home runs and 124 RBI over 131 games played.
The third-year catcher was twice named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list and a two-time Buster Posey Award watch list pick, including a Buster Posey Award finalist in 2021. In his final season at The U, Del Castillo earned second-team All-ACC honors after hitting .275 with a team-high 13 doubles, a triple, three homers and 37 RBI. He posted 16 multi-hit games and eight multi-RBI performances, both ranking third on the 2021 Hurricanes.
In a 16-game shortened season in 2020, 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.
The 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft will take place on July 11–13, in Denver, Colorado, in conjunction with the 2021 MLB All-Star Game on July 13.
