Daniel Alexander Castano (born September 17, 1994) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Miami 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

NC Dinos The NC Dinos () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corporation. History On ...

Amateur career

Castano attended

Lake Travis High School Lake Travis High School is a public high school located in unincorporated Travis County, Texas, United States, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Austin, near Lake Travis. The preparatory is accredited by the Texas Education Agency and rate ...

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. During his senior year, he posted a 6–3 record with a 1.03 ERA over innings over 11 appearances. He was also named District MVP along with Team MVP. After graduating from Lake Travis, Castano enrolled at

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

where he played three years of college baseball for the

Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only three private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior t ...

. In 2015, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Chatham Anglers The Chatham Anglers, more commonly referred to as the Chatham A's and formerly the Chatham Athletics, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chatham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

. In 2016, his junior year, he pitched to a 4–5 record with a 4.64 ERA in 14 games started for Baylor.

Professional career

St. Louis Cardinals

After the season, the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

selected Castano in the 19th round of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

. He signed with St. Louis and was assigned to the

Johnson City Cardinals The Johnson City Cardinals were a Minor League Baseball team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The team was affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 1975 through 2020 and played in the Rookie League, Rookie-level Appalachian Leagu ...

. Castano spent all of 2016, his first professional season, with Johnson City, posting a 6.19 ERA along with a 2–5 record in 12 games (11 starts). In 2017, he played for the

State College Spikes The State College Spikes are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in State College, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at Medlar Field on the campus of Pennsylvania State University. The team was fo ...

, where he greatly improved, pitching to a 9–3 record and a 2.57 ERA over 14 starts, earning

New York-Penn League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

All-Star honors.

Miami Marlins

On December 13, 2017, the Cardinals traded Castano,

Sandy Alcántara Sandy Alcántara Montero (born September 7, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals. Alcántara signed with the Cardinal ...

Magneuris Sierra Magneuris Sierra (born April 7, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Miami Marlins and Lo ...

and Zac Gallen to the

in exchange for outfielder

Marcell Ozuna Marcell Ozuna Idelfonso (born November 12, 1990), nicknamed "the Big Bear", is a People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has pre ...

. He began the 2018 season with the

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

, and also spent time with the

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

and the

Greensboro Grasshoppers The Greensboro Grasshoppers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greensboro, North Carolina. They are members of the South Atlantic League and are the High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They play their home games at First National B ...

during the year. Over 24 games (23 starts) between the three teams, he went 9–12 with a 3.93 ERA. He returned to Jupiter to begin 2019 and was promoted to the

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in th ...

in May. Over thirty games (11 starts) between the two clubs, Castano pitched to a 7–4 record with a 3.48 ERA, striking out 104 batters over 119 innings. On August 8, 2020, Castano made his MLB debut against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

, giving up 4 earned runs over 4.1 innings. He finished his rookie season with a 1–2 record and 3.03 ERA in 7 appearances. On July 9, 2021, Castano was placed on the 60-day injured list with a left shoulder impingement. On the year, he only made 5 appearances (4 starts), posting an 0–2 record and 4.87 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched. In 2022, Castano appeared in 10 games for Miami (7 starts), and pitched to a 1–3 record and 4.04 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 35.1 innings of work. On January 19, 2023, Castano was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Marlins after the signing of

Johnny Cueto Johnny Cueto Ortiz (; born February 15, 1986) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago W ...

was made official. On January 26, Castano cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

. On April 4, Castano had his contract selected back to the 40-man and active rosters. After only one appearances for Miami, he was removed from the roster and sent outright to Triple-A

on June 23. On September 10, Castano was selected back to the major league roster. The following day, he allowed five runs in two innings pitched against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

. Castano was again designated for assignment on September 12. He again cleared waivers and was sent outright to Jacksonville on September 14. On October 10, Castano elected free agency.

NC Dinos

On December 13, 2023, Castano signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the

of the

. In 19 starts for the Dinos in 2024, he compiled an 8–6 record and 4.35 ERA with 89 strikeouts across innings pitched. Castano was released by the team on July 31, 2024. Castano announced his retirement from professional baseball on September 3, 2024.

Personal life

Castano is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Castano is married to Brooke Castano. They have two sons together.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castano, Daniel 1994 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baseball players from Orlando, Florida Baylor Bears baseball players Baylor University alumni Chatham Anglers players Florida Complex League Marlins players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Gulf Coast Marlins players Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players Johnson City Cardinals players Jupiter Hammerheads players KBO League pitchers Lake Travis High School alumni Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players NC Dinos players 21st-century American sportsmen State College Spikes players