The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired 24-year-old right-handed pitcher Scott Randall from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo. The Pirates designated Castillo for assignment on Tuesday when they signed catcher Austin Hedges.
Castillo debuted in the majors in 2022, and spent most of the season at the big league level. The 25-year-old hit .206/.251/.382 in 96 games, with 13 doubles, 11 homers, a 26.5% strikeouts rate and a 4.9% walk rate. He had a .342 average and a 1.001 OPS in 22 games this winter in Venezuela.
Randall was a seventh round draft pick in 2021 out of college by the Diamondbacks. He debuted in Low-A ball after signing, where he allowed one earned run in 19 innings, finishing with 23 strikeouts and an 0.63 WHIP.
He spent the entire 2022 season in the High-A Northwest League. Randall made 21 starts, putting up a 3.82 ERA in 108.1 innings, with a 104:25 SO/BB rate, and a 1.16 WHIP. His WHIP ranked tenth in the league, and he was ninth in strikeouts.
Randall came out of college as a control/command pitcher, with a low-90s fastball that touched 96 MPH. He added velocity in 2021, while continuing to pound the strike zone. His changeup is an above average pitch, and he has a slider that Baseball America called fringe average. He relies heavily on his fastball according to their report.
