Ramón A. Castro
Encyclopedia
Ramón Alfredo Castro Munoz (born October 23, 1979 in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela
) is a Major League Baseball
infielder
and plays for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
.
Castro was originally signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves
in 1996. After six years in their minor league system, he was granted free agency, and signed with the Oakland Athletics
in 2003. He was called up from the Triple-A
Sacramento River Cats
and made his MLB debut on June 22, 2004. He played in his final game for the Athletics a month later on July 26, 2004. He played in nine games for the Athletics.
With Sacramento, Castro batted
.233 (27-for-116) with one home run
, 15 RBI
, 15 runs
, eight doubles
, two triples
and one stolen base
. With the Athletics, he hit .133 (2-for-15) with three RBI, one run, and one double in nine games. In 2005, Castro played in the Washington Nationals
organization, but was suspended 105 games in July and fined an undisclosed amount for violating the steroids policy.
He previously played for the Newark Bears
since 2007 and was named the MVP of the 2008 Atlantic League All-Star Game after hitting two home runs. In 2008, he hit .352 with 23 home runs and 84 RBI. On June 26, 2009 Castro signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants
. He played in five games with the Guerreros de Oaxaca in 2010.
Castro set Revolution records in the 2010 season with a .339 batting average, a .437 on-base percentage and 37 doubles, ranking second in the league in all three categories. His performance earned him First Team Atlantic League All-Star honors for the third time in his career.
The Valencia, Venezuela also had a 68-game errorless streak from May 15, 2010 through July 29, 2010.
Castro went on to bat .375 in the postseason in 2010. His final highlight was driving in the championship-clinching run on a tenth inning sac fly during Game 3 of the Atlantic League Championship Series at Bridgeport Bluefish
.
The 31-year-old is a career .345 hitter in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) is a Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
and plays for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
.
Castro was originally signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in 1996. After six years in their minor league system, he was granted free agency, and signed with the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in 2003. He was called up from the Triple-A
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
Sacramento River Cats
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats is a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics....
and made his MLB debut on June 22, 2004. He played in his final game for the Athletics a month later on July 26, 2004. He played in nine games for the Athletics.
With Sacramento, Castro batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.233 (27-for-116) with one home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
, 15 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, 15 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
, eight doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, two triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and one stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
. With the Athletics, he hit .133 (2-for-15) with three RBI, one run, and one double in nine games. In 2005, Castro played in the Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
organization, but was suspended 105 games in July and fined an undisclosed amount for violating the steroids policy.
He previously played for the Newark Bears
Newark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
since 2007 and was named the MVP of the 2008 Atlantic League All-Star Game after hitting two home runs. In 2008, he hit .352 with 23 home runs and 84 RBI. On June 26, 2009 Castro signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. He played in five games with the Guerreros de Oaxaca in 2010.
Castro set Revolution records in the 2010 season with a .339 batting average, a .437 on-base percentage and 37 doubles, ranking second in the league in all three categories. His performance earned him First Team Atlantic League All-Star honors for the third time in his career.
The Valencia, Venezuela also had a 68-game errorless streak from May 15, 2010 through July 29, 2010.
Castro went on to bat .375 in the postseason in 2010. His final highlight was driving in the championship-clinching run on a tenth inning sac fly during Game 3 of the Atlantic League Championship Series at Bridgeport Bluefish
Bridgeport Bluefish
The Bridgeport Bluefish is an American professional baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
.
The 31-year-old is a career .345 hitter in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
.