Jason Castro (baseball)
American former professional baseball catcher and All-Star.
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Jason Michael Castro (born June 18, 1987) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, and San Diego Padres. He was selected by the Astros in the first round of the 2008 draft and made his MLB debut in 2010. Castro was named to the 2013 All-Star Game as a reserve catcher, becoming the first Astro All-Star elected to play for the American League.
Professional career
Jason Castro entered professional baseball when the Houston Astros made him the tenth overall pick in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. He began his minor league career that year with the Single-A Tri-City ValleyCats. After a stint with the Advanced-A Lancaster JetHawks, he moved up to the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks on June 7, 2009, making his debut for that team three days later. Castro also represented the United States at the 2009 Baseball World Cup in Nettuno, Italy.
That same season, he was chosen for the All-Star Futures Game in St. Louis, where he threw out a baserunner and launched a three-run homer. Baseball America placed him 53rd on its 2009 Top 100 Prospects list. Following the Futures Game, the Astros sent him home early from the Arizona Fall League to ensure he was rested for the 2010 campaign.
Houston Astros (2010, 2012–2016)
On June 20, 2010, the Astros called Castro up from the Triple-A Round Rock Express. He made his major league debut two days later at Minute Maid Park against the San Francisco Giants, collecting a single off Tim Lincecum in his first plate appearance.
Two days after that, on June 24, he hit his first big league home run, taking Matt Cain deep. During a spring training game on March 2, 2011, Castro injured his knee while sprinting to first base against the Detroit Tigers. He underwent surgery on March 4 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a damaged meniscus, sidelining him for the entire 2011 season.
On June 13, 2012, Castro pinch-hit for Xavier Cedeño and grounded out to Joaquin Arias, recording the final out of Matt Cain’s perfect game. He appeared in 87 games that season, batting .257 with six home runs and 29 RBIs. In 2013, Castro was named American League Player of the Week on May 20.
He earned his first All-Star selection as a reserve catcher but did not play in the game. He led the Astros with a .350 on-base percentage and set franchise catcher records with 63 runs, 18 home runs (16 as a catcher, tying John Bateman’s club mark, and two as a designated hitter), and a .485 slugging percentage. In September, he underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his knee and missed the remainder of the season, having played 120 games.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Gold Baseball World Cup — 2009 Nettuno Team
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Jason Castro (baseball) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
Did You Know?
- Castro played junior varsity basketball at Castro Valley High School for the legendary Coach Burns.
- Castro married Maris Perlman in late 2012; they met at Stanford, where Perlman played lacrosse.
More in United States National Baseball Team Players
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Jason Castro (baseball) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
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