Luis Miguel Castillo (born December 12, 1992) 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 (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, who attempts to e ...

for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

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 (AL) ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2017 with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. Castillo is a two-time All-Star.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Castillo signed with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

as an international free agent in December 2011. He made his professional debut in 2012 with the DSL Giants and spent the whole season there, going 1–3 with a 3.31 ERA in 54.1 relief innings pitched. In 2013, he returned there, going 0–1 with a 0.64 ERA in 27 relief appearances, and in 2014, he played for the

Augusta GreenJackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina, which opened in April 2018. They previo ...

where he pitched to a 2–2 record and 3.07 ERA in 48 relief appearances.

Miami Marlins

On December 20, 2014, Castillo along with

Kendry Flores Kendry Flores (born November 24, 1991) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins. Career San Francisco Giants Flores was originally signed by the San Francisco ...

were traded to 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 (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fra ...

for Casey McGehee. He spent 2015 with 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 ...

and was promoted to 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 ...

in July. In 35 games (16 starts) between the two teams, he was 6–6 with a 3.20 ERA. Castillo began 2016 with Jupiter and was promoted to the

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

during the season. On July 29, 2016, the Marlins traded Castillo along with

Jarred Cosart Jarred Lynn Cosart (born May 25, 1990) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres. Career Cosart attended Clear Creek High School in L ...

Josh Naylor Joshua-Douglas James Naylor (born June 22, 1997) is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the San Diego Padres. Naylor was the 12th overa ...

and

Carter Capps Carter Lewis Capps (born August 7, 1990) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, and current pitching coach for the Seattle Redhawks. Capps played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Miami M ...

to the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

for Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea and

Tayron Guerrero Tayron Luis Guerrero (born January 9, 1991) is a Colombian professional baseball pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and the Miami Marlins. Career San Diego Padres Th ...

. He was returned to Marlins after Rea suffered an injury in his first start and was returned to the Padres. The Marlins added him to their 40-man roster after the season. In 26 games (24 starts) between Jupiter and Jacksonville, he was 8–6 with a 2.26 ERA.

Cincinnati Reds

On January 19, 2017, the Marlins traded Castillo,

Austin Brice Austin Robert Brice (born June 19, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has previously played in MLB for the Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He is ...

, and Isaiah White to the Cincinnati Reds for Dan Straily. He began 2017 with the

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team re ...

. On June 23, 2017, the Reds promoted Castillo, who made his MLB debut, against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadi ...

. In 14 starts for Pensacola prior to his call-up he compiled a 4–4 record and 2.58 ERA. Castillo spent the remainder of the season with the Reds after his promotion, going 3–7 with a 3.12 ERA in 15 starts. He began 2018 in Cincinnati's starting rotation. In 31 starts for the Reds, he posted a record of 10–12 with an ERA of 4.30 in innings. On March 19, 2019, Castillo was named the Reds' starter for Opening Day on March 28 against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. Founded as part o ...

. During the season, he posted a 15–8 record with a 3.40 ERA and 226 strikeouts and was named to his first

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

. In 2020, Castillo pitched to a 4–6 record and a 3.21 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 70.0 innings of work. In 2021, Castillo recorded a 3.98 ERA with 192 strikeouts in innings over 33 starts. He tied for the MLB lead in losses (16) and led the NL with 75 walks. He had the highest ground ball percentage of all major league pitchers, at 56.6%. On March 22, 2022, Castillo signed a $7.35 million contract with the Reds, avoiding salary arbitration.

Seattle Mariners

On July 29, 2022, the Reds traded Castillo to the

in exchange for minor league prospects Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Andrew Moore and Levi Stoudt. On September 24, 2022, the Mariners signed Castillo to a five-year, $108 million contract with a sixth-year option. Castillo pitched to a 3.19 ERA in 11 starts through the rest of 2022. He helped the Mariners end their 21 year playoff drought. In Game 1 of the

2022 American League Wild Card Series The 2022 American League Wild Card Series were two best-of-three playoff series in Major League Baseball (MLB) that determined the participating teams of the 2022 American League Division Series (ALDS). Both Wild Card Series began on October 7, w ...

, he threw 7.1 scoreless innings, striking out 5, allowing zero walks, and 6 hits on the way to a 4-0 Mariners win. It was the first 7+ inning scoreless start in Mariners postseason history.

Pitching style

Like his idol,

Pedro Martínez Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25, 1971) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to , for five teams—most notably the Boston Red Sox from to . At the time o ...

, Castillo is a low 3/4 pitcher, but features one of the top

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

s in the Major Leagues, to go along with an upper 90s mph fastball and a slider. According to Statcast, he uses four-seam fastballs and sliders against left-handers, while using 2-seamers and changeups against right-handers, as strikeout pitches.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Luis 1992 births Living people Augusta GreenJackets players Cincinnati Reds players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Giants players Greensboro Grasshoppers players Jacksonville Suns players Jupiter Hammerheads players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic National League All-Stars Pensacola Blue Wahoos players People from Baní Seattle Mariners players