Miguel Ángel Castro (born December 24, 1994) is a Dominican

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

and

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

. Castro signed with the Blue Jays as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in 2012, and made his MLB debut in 2015.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Castro signed with the

as an international

in 2012, and received a $43,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. He made his professional debut in 2012 with the

Dominican Summer League Blue Jays The Dominican Summer Blue Jays are a baseball team in the Dominican Summer League. The DSL is a rookie level circuit, and therefore the team is a rookie affiliate. The team plays in the San Pedro de Macorís division. Facilities The team plays ...

, and earned a 3–2 record, 4.73

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

, and 20 strikeouts in 20 innings. Castro began the 2013 season with the Dominican Summer League Blue Jays, and was later promoted to the

Gulf Coast League Blue Jays The Florida Complex League Blue Jays are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The team plays i ...

and

Bluefield Blue Jays The Bluefield Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia. The team played their home games at Bowen Field at Peters Park, a hist ...

. In total, he posted a 6–2 record, 1.54 ERA, and 88 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched. His performance in the DSL earned him the Webster Award, given to the best Blue Jays prospect at each minor league level. In 2014, Castro continued his progression through the minor league system, earning promotions to the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadiu ...

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field. The Midwest League came to Lans ...

, and

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

. He earned an 8–3 record, a 2.69 ERA, and 78 strikeouts in 80 innings spread across three minor league levels. Castro was invited to 2015

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

but was considered to be a long-shot to make the team, and General Manager

Alex Anthopoulos Alex Anthopoulos (born May 25, 1977) is a Canadian professional baseball executive, currently working as the general manager and president of baseball operations for the Atlanta Braves. He was the senior vice president of baseball operations and ...

stated before camp began that Castro would likely begin the 2015 season in Dunedin. However, after pitching 6 scoreless innings over 4 appearances, with 4 strikeouts and no walks, many believed that Castro had earned a spot on the roster. After Steve Delabar was optioned to minor league camp on March 26, it was reported that Castro would likely make the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster as a reliever. His role in the bullpen was confirmed on March 31. Castro made his MLB debut on April 6, 2015, against the

. He pitched 1 innings and closed out the game as the Blue Jays won 6–1. At 20 years, 103 days old, Castro became the youngest pitcher to appear for the Blue Jays, breaking a nearly 38-year-old record held by Víctor Cruz. His record was short-lived, however, as it was broken only two days later by teammate

Roberto Osuna Roberto Osuna Quintero Jr. (born February 7, 1995) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and ...

. After a poor season debut by

Brett Cecil Brett Aarion Cecil (born July 2, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals. Cecil was drafted as the 38th overall pick in the 2007 MLB dra ...

, Castro was temporarily moved to the closer role on April 9. He earned his first MLB save that night, closing out a 6–3 win over the Yankees. Castro was moved back into a regular relief role in the bullpen on April 28, after recording 4 saves in 6 opportunities. On May 3, Castro was optioned to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen F ...

Colorado Rockies

On July 28, 2015, Castro was traded to the

, along with José Reyes,

Jeff Hoffman Jeffrey Robert Hoffman (born January 8, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously played for the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds. Hoffman played college baseball at East Carolina University. Ea ...

, and

Jesús Tinoco Jesús Rafael Tinoco (born April 30, 1995) is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Miami Ma ...

, in exchange for

Troy Tulowitzki Troy Trevor Tulowitzki (born October 10, 1984), nicknamed "Tulo", is an American retired professional baseball shortstop, who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Colorado Rockies. He also played for the Toronto B ...

and

LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins (born December 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In his 21-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Ro ...

. The Rockies optioned him to the Triple-A

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an e ...

. He was called up by the Rockies on September 1 and made his Rockies debut that day. On April 2, 2017, Castro was designated for assignment.

Baltimore Orioles

On April 7, 2017, Castro was traded to the

for cash considerations or a player to be named later (Jon Keller). He debuted for the Orioles on May 17 against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, striking out one batter in one scoreless inning of relief. He pitched two scoreless innings the following day as well. In his first season with Baltimore, he posted an ERA of 3.53 in 39 games. The following season, he appeared in 63 appearances, posting an ERA of 3.96 in innings. He shared the major league lead in

balk In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball R ...

s, with three. In 2019 for the Orioles, Castro appeared in 65 games, allowing a career-high 10 home runs in innings of work, registering a 4.66 ERA.

New York Mets

On August 31, 2020, the Orioles traded Castro to the

for pitcher Kevin Smith and Victor Gonzalez. In 2020, Castro pitched in 26 games between the Orioles and Mets, recording a 4.01 ERA with 38 strikeouts in innings pitched. In 2021, Castro recorded a career-low 3.45 ERA along with 77 strikeouts and 43 walks in innings. On March 22, 2022, Castro signed a $2.62 million contract with the Mets, avoiding salary arbitration.

New York Yankees

On April 3, 2022, the Mets traded Castro to the

for

Joely Rodríguez Joely Rodríguez Sánchez (born November 14, 1991) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, New York Yanke ...

Arizona Diamondbacks

On December 2, 2022, Castro signed a one-year contract with an option for 2024 with the

.https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35167082/diamondbacks-sign-veteran-reliever-miguel-castro-1-year-deal

Personal life

Castro was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic. His father was a boxer. Castro spent his $43,000 signing bonus on a

prostate The prostate is both an accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found only in some mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemically, and phys ...

operation for his father, as well as a surgery to remove his mother's fibrous tumour.

References

External links

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Miguel 1994 births Living people People from La Romana, Dominican Republic Albuquerque Isotopes players Baltimore Orioles players Bluefield Blue Jays players Bowie Baysox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Colorado Rockies players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Blue Jays players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Lansing Lugnuts players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic New York Mets players New York Yankees players Toronto Blue Jays players Vancouver Canadians players