Victor Castaneda

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #27 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Signed out of Mexico in 2017, Castaneda's pitchability and atypical repertoire have allowed him to steadily progress through the system. He spent most of 2022 in Double-A Biloxi before a September promotion to Triple-A Nashville.
  
  Scouting Report: Castaneda pitches from the first base side of the rubber and tends to fly open early. He delivers the ball with a long arm swing in the back that moves into a three-quarters slot, and he throws a fastball in the low 90s that touches 94 mph. He keeps hitters off balance by throwing his offspeed stuff more than his fastball. The pitch that draws the most praise is his low-80s splitter, which kills spin and has late tumble when it's on to miss bats, though it's the pitch he has most trouble commanding. Castaneda also throws an average changeup primarily against lefties. His slider improved in 2022 and he has feel to spin it, typically in the 2,600-2,700 rpm range, with enough movement to get empty swings against righties. Castaneda isn't wild, but especially for a pitcher with a hittable fastball, he will need to tighten his command after he walked 10% of batters last year.
  
  The Future: Castaneda has developed as a starter, though there's a chance he ends up in the bullpen, where he could find a role pitching backwards and giving hitters a different look in low-leverage situations. He'll return to Triple-A and could make his debut by the end of 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40. Slider: 50. Changeup: 50. Splitter: 55. Control: 45.
• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #25 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Mexican native was signed by the Brewers during the summer of 2017 as a precocious 18-year-old coming off nine appearances for Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. Castaneda skipped complex ball and was assigned directly to the Brewers Rookie-level affiliate Helena, where the righty made 14 appearances. He spent 2019 alternating between a starting role and the bullpen, working as Wisconsin’s closer for a stretch of the season. Fast forward to 2021, and Castaneda is now focused on developing as a starting pitcher. Between High-A and Triple-A, Castaneda made 22 starts to middling results, and ultimately was left off of the 40-man roster this winter.
  
  Scouting Report: Castaneda has a unique four-pitch mix, led by the unusual combination of both a changeup and a splitter. He throws each in any count to any handedness, selling them with good arm speed. His four-seam fastball sits 90-93 mph with moderate hop and arm-side run. It’s an effective pitch in right-on-right matchups, but it’s easily identified by lefthanders and subsequently hit. He works from a semi-windup, with a long arm stroke that dips back before delivering from a high three-quarters slot. This plays up the deception on his fastball versus righthanders, and allows him to sell his changeup and splitter off of his four-seam. He features a sweepy high-70s slider versus righthanders, but runs into too many barrels versus lefties for it to be an effective pitch in off-handed matchups. Castaneda’s changeup and splitter are major league pitches now, but the right-on-right split-heavy nature of his four-seam and slider pairing leaves him stuck between a true identity as a starter or reliever. He’s most likely destined for a multi-inning relief role with the ability to challenge lefthanded hitters with a variety of offspeed options.
  
  The Future: A shorter righthander with some history as a reliever early in his professional career, Castaneda has work to do to shake the future reliever label. He’ll likely head to Double-A to begin 2022, where he should continue to develop as a starter.
  

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Signed out of Mexico in 2017, Castaneda's pitchability and atypical repertoire have allowed him to steadily progress through the system. He spent most of 2022 in Double-A Biloxi before a September promotion to Triple-A Nashville.
  
  Scouting Report: Castaneda pitches from the first base side of the rubber and tends to fly open early. He delivers the ball with a long arm swing in the back that moves into a three-quarters slot, and he throws a fastball in the low 90s that touches 94 mph. He keeps hitters off balance by throwing his offspeed stuff more than his fastball. The pitch that draws the most praise is his low-80s splitter, which kills spin and has late tumble when it's on to miss bats, though it's the pitch he has most trouble commanding. Castaneda also throws an average changeup primarily against lefties. His slider improved in 2022 and he has feel to spin it, typically in the 2,600-2,700 rpm range, with enough movement to get empty swings against righties. Castaneda isn't wild, but especially for a pitcher with a hittable fastball, he will need to tighten his command after he walked 10% of batters last year.
  
  The Future: Castaneda has developed as a starter, though there's a chance he ends up in the bullpen, where he could find a role pitching backwards and giving hitters a different look in low-leverage situations. He'll return to Triple-A and could make his debut by the end of 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40. Slider: 50. Changeup: 50. Splitter: 55. Control: 45.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Signed out of Mexico in 2017, Castaneda's pitchability and atypical repertoire have allowed him to steadily progress through the system. He spent most of 2022 in Double-A Biloxi before a September promotion to Triple-A Nashville.
  
  Scouting Report: Castaneda pitches from the first base side of the rubber and tends to fly open early. He delivers the ball with a long arm swing in the back that moves into a three-quarters slot, and he throws a fastball in the low 90s that touches 94 mph. He keeps hitters off balance by throwing his offspeed stuff more than his fastball. The pitch that draws the most praise is his low-80s splitter, which kills spin and has late tumble when it's on to miss bats, though it's the pitch he has most trouble commanding. Castaneda also throws an average changeup primarily against lefties. His slider improved in 2022 and he has feel to spin it, typically in the 2,600-2,700 rpm range, with enough movement to get empty swings against righties. Castaneda isn't wild, but especially for a pitcher with a hittable fastball, he will need to tighten his command after he walked 10% of batters last year.
  
  The Future: Castaneda has developed as a starter, though there's a chance he ends up in the bullpen, where he could find a role pitching backwards and giving hitters a different look in low-leverage situations. He'll return to Triple-A and could make his debut by the end of 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40. Slider: 50. Changeup: 50. Splitter: 55. Control: 45.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: The Mexican native was signed by the Brewers during the summer of 2017 as a precocious 18-year-old coming off nine appearances for Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. Castaneda skipped complex ball and was assigned directly to the Brewers Rookie-level affiliate Helena, where the righty made 14 appearances. He spent 2019 alternating between a starting role and the bullpen, working as Wisconsin&#39s closer for a stretch of the season. Fast forward to 2021, and Castaneda is now focused on developing as a starting pitcher. Between High-A and Triple-A, Castaneda made 22 starts to middling results, and ultimately was left off of the 40-man roster this winter.
  
  Scouting Report: Castaneda has a unique four-pitch mix, led by the unusual combination of both a changeup and a splitter. He throws each in any count to any handedness, selling them with good arm speed. His four-seam fastball sits 90-93 mph with moderate hop and arm-side run. It&#39s an effective pitch in right-on-right matchups, but it&#39s easily identified by lefthanders and subsequently hit. He works from a semi-windup, with a long arm stroke that dips back before delivering from a high three-quarters slot. This plays up the deception on his fastball versus righthanders, and allows him to sell his changeup and splitter off of his four-seam. He features a sweepy high-70s slider versus righthanders, but runs into too many barrels versus lefties for it to be an effective pitch in off-handed matchups. Castaneda&#39s changeup and splitter are major league pitches now, but the right-on-right split-heavy nature of his four-seam and slider pairing leaves him stuck between a true identity as a starter or reliever. He&#39s most likely destined for a multi-inning relief role with the ability to challenge lefthanded hitters with a variety of offspeed options.
  
  The Future: A shorter righthander with some history as a reliever early in his professional career, Castaneda has work to do to shake the future reliever label. He&#39ll likely head to Double-A to begin 2022, where he should continue to develop as a starter.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Mexican native was signed by the Brewers during the summer of 2017 as a precocious 18-year-old coming off nine appearances for Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. Castaneda skipped complex ball and was assigned directly to the Brewers Rookie-level affiliate Helena, where the righty made 14 appearances. He spent 2019 alternating between a starting role and the bullpen, working as Wisconsin’s closer for a stretch of the season. Fast forward to 2021, and Castaneda is now focused on developing as a starting pitcher. Between High-A and Triple-A, Castaneda made 22 starts to middling results, and ultimately was left off of the 40-man roster this winter.
  
  Scouting Report: Castaneda has a unique four-pitch mix, led by the unusual combination of both a changeup and a splitter. He throws each in any count to any handedness, selling them with good arm speed. His four-seam fastball sits 90-93 mph with moderate hop and arm-side run. It’s an effective pitch in right-on-right matchups, but it’s easily identified by lefthanders and subsequently hit. He works from a semi-windup, with a long arm stroke that dips back before delivering from a high three-quarters slot. This plays up the deception on his fastball versus righthanders, and allows him to sell his changeup and splitter off of his four-seam. He features a sweepy high-70s slider versus righthanders, but runs into too many barrels versus lefties for it to be an effective pitch in off-handed matchups. Castaneda’s changeup and splitter are major league pitches now, but the right-on-right split-heavy nature of his four-seam and slider pairing leaves him stuck between a true identity as a starter or reliever. He’s most likely destined for a multi-inning relief role with the ability to challenge lefthanded hitters with a variety of offspeed options.
  
  The Future: A shorter righthander with some history as a reliever early in his professional career, Castaneda has work to do to shake the future reliever label. He’ll likely head to Double-A to begin 2022, where he should continue to develop as a starter.