Benny Castillo (born July 15, 1966 in

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

) is a former professional baseball player and

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Early life

Raised in the Bronx, New York, Castillo attended Park West High School, where he was coached by the late Mr. Paul Gordon, who was a mentor & father figure to both Castillo & future MLB player Devon White. Castillo played

American Legion Baseball American Legion Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played by 13-to-19-year-olds in fifty states in the U.S. and Canada. More than 3,500 teams participate each year. The American Legion Department of South Dakota established the program in 1 ...

with the Youth Service League Program (1981–1990) out of the Parade Grounds in Brooklyn run by Mel Zitter.

Playing career

College

As a freshman undergraduate student, Castillo attended and played at

Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-y ...

in Ohio. As a sophomore, Castillo transferred to The Community College of Baltimore, where he was drafted in the 4th round of the 1986 MLB draft by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. Castillo opted to pass on an opportunity to play professional baseball and instead enrolled in college at

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

(OSU) where he was coached by the legendary Hall of Fame coach Gary Ward. While Castillo was a junior in 1987, OSU reached the championship game in the

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against

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, losing 9–5 to future MLB pitcher Jack McDowell.

Minor leagues

Castillo was drafted again in the 1988 Major League Baseball draft by 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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization, beginning his career there that season. A well-traveled player, he played for such teams as the

Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...

's Bristol Tigers (1988), the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

's Fayetteville Generals (1988–89), the Pioneer League's Salt Lake City Trappers (1991), the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

's Charlotte Rangers (1992), the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

(1993), The Saint Paul Saints of the Northern League (1994 & 1998) and the Eastern League's

Canton–Akron Indians The Canton–Akron Indians are a defunct Minor League Baseball team. They played in the Eastern League at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton, Ohio from 1989 to 1996. They were affiliated with the Cleveland Indians. History Prior to their ...

(1995).

Managerial career

Castillo began his managerial career with the

Duluth–Superior Dukes The Duluth–Superior Dukes were a professional baseball team based in Duluth, Minnesota. The Dukes were a charter member of the modern Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), Northern League, which started play in 1993. The Dukes played their ...

in the Northern League in 2000, where he took the team from the league's worst record in 1999 to the Central Division Championship. For that feat he was named Independent Baseball Manager of the Year by ''

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''. He would later manage the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are inaugural members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseba ...

(2001–02), the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...

short-season

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(2003–04), the

Golden Baseball League The Golden Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in San Ramon, California, with teams located in the Western United States, Western Canada and northwest Mexico. The GBL was not affiliated with Major League Baseball or the org ...

Yuma Scorpions Yuma can refer to: Places United States * Yuma County, Arizona ** Yuma, Arizona ** Marine Corps Air Station Yuma ** Yuma Proving Ground ** Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona (CDP) ** Yuma Territorial Prison * Fort Yuma, California * Yuma County, ...

(2005–06), the Arizona Winter League's Sonora Pilots and the

’ rookie team in the

Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the low ...

(2007). In his time as a manager with both the Marlins and Tigers, he also served as their respective Extended Spring Training Coordinator where he was in charge of working with both drafted players and international players. In 2003 as a member of the Player Development staff of the Florida Marlins, he was granted a championship ring after the Marlins defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Personal life

Castillo earned a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Augustana College and a Master's degree in Education from the

University of Sioux Falls The University of Sioux Falls (USF) is a private university in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. In fall 2014, the university enrolled a total of 1,142 undergraduate students and 311 graduate students. ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Benny Baseball outfielders Bristol Tigers players Fayetteville Generals players Salt Lake City Trappers players Charlotte Rangers players Tulsa Drillers players St. Paul Saints players Canton-Akron Indians players Sioux Falls Canaries players Duluth-Superior Dukes players Minor league baseball managers Dominican Republic baseball players Living people 1966 births