This week, we’ve been handing out awards to the Twins short-season teams, the Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League. In the past, we had lumped these two teams together for “short season” awards. However, the FCL Twins schedule started a couple of weeks sooner, and they finished a few weeks before the DSL Twins did. These are different leagues.
FCL Twins Hitter of the Year
FCL Twins Pitcher of the Year
DSL Twins Hitter of the Year
Let’s get to our fourth minor-league award, the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Year. Let’s start with a couple of honorable mentions before getting to the top guys.
Honorable Mention
Eliezer Lucena (17): 3-0, 3.35 ERA, 11 G, 1 GS, 37 2/3 IP, 38 H, 19 BB, 31 K
Yordi Jose (18): 0-1, 2.08 ERA, 7 G, 0 GS, 8 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 11 K (video)
Honorably Honorable Mention
Geremy Villoria (17): 0-1, 3.68 ERA, 8 G, 8 GS, 22 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 24 K
The Twins acquired the then-16-year-old Villoria from the Phillies in the Harrison Bader trade. He is one of the youngest players in the league, the Phillies signed him for $425,000. In fact, he didn’t turn 17 until after the season was complete. Already 6-3 and 180 pounds, Villoria has room to grow, but he’s already hitting the mid-90s with his fastball. He also has the makings of a solid changeup and breaking ball. He had made five starts and thrown 14 innings. In his time with the Twins, he made three starts and threw just eight innings. But combined, he posted a 3.68 ERA, and in his 22 innings, he gave up 20 hits, walked just seven and had 24 strikeouts.
#3: Jensi Infante (18): 2-0, 1 save, 3.47 ERA, 16 G, 2 GS, 23 1/3 IP, 17 H, 17 BB, 17 K.
Infante was already 18 when he signed with the Twins in January. The Astros have had some success signing older pitchers in the international market (yes, “older” meaning 18…). They typically sign for less, and scouts know a little more about what that pitcher can be. Infante was solid, but unspectacular. Too many walks. Not enough strikeouts. But he did alright at limiting runs against him. He’s 6-3 and still quite thin. Can he gain size and strength? If so, he can take strides.
#2: Rey Pacheco (18): 5-2, 1 save, 3.00 ERA, 16 G, 3 GS, 33 IP, 32 H, 7 BB, 31 K.
Pacheco had just turned 18 when he signed with the Twins in January out of Mexico. He was the DSL team’s reliable pitcher throughout their season. He came in in a variety of situations. Early in the season, he was brought into the games late just to finish a long game. Later in the season, he started coming into the middle innings in key situations. He ended the season with three starts. He threw three or more innings in his final five outings. Nothing overly spectacular, but he generally threw strikes which, if you follow the Dominican Summer League, isn’t always a given.
#1 RHP Santiago Castellanos (17): 1-2, 2.79 ERA, 9 G, 8 GS, 29 IP, 23 H, 9 BB, 36 K
Like Villoria, Castellanos was one of the youngest players in the Dominican Summer League, and hence, in professional baseball. He didn’t turn 17 until halfway through July. In January, Castellanos was one of the top pitchers in Venezuela in the 2025 class. The Twins signed him for $247,500. Castellanos is 5-11, and tiny, maybe 160 pounds, but he is young and has room to grow. However, even before signing he was hitting 97 mph on the radar gun with his fastball. Again, he was just 16. He also has a curveball that spins well and produces a sharp break. He’s also been working on a changeup. Now, with his youth, he’s got a long way to go, and plenty to improve upon. And that will happen. He also just needs to be more consistent (that is true of many big-league pitchers too).
For me, what impressed me most, as much as his ability to throw so hard at such a young age, is his control. Of 24 players who pitched for the DSL Twins in 2025, 10 of them had more walks than strikeouts. Two others had the same number of walks as strikeouts. Meanwhile, in his 29 innings, Castellanos had just nine walks to go with 36 strikeouts.
There are several Twins pitching and development coaches in the Dominican Summer League. One of those coaches said of the young hurler, “Santiago has a natural ability to throw strikes with all of his pitches and pairs that with a really clean delivery that allows him to produce good velocity for his age.” He continued, “We’re really excited to see him continue to work on the consistency of his shapes and command of all his pitches, as well as add more velocity as he gets older.”
Congratulations to Castellanos and these other pitchers on a strong debut pro season, and best of luck and health to each of them!
Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!