Jason Castro, Catcher


Date of Birth: 6/18/1987
Birthplace: Castro Valley, California
College: Stanford University

Jason Castro, catcher, was drafted by the Houston Astros in 2008. After two and a half years in the minor leagues, he was called up to the Astros in 2010 to play in 67 games with them.

Castro missed the entire 2011 season after a knee injury and surgery. The next year, he played in just 87 games with the Astros. In 2013, he batted .276 with 120 hits, 35 doubles, 18 home runs, and 56 RBIs in 120 games. He finished the 2014 season with 103 hits, 21 doubles, 14 home runs, 56 RBIs, and a .222 batting average.

In 2015, Castro batted .211 with 71 hits, 19 doubles, and 31 RBIs in 104 games. As a catcher, he made 62 assists, 777 putouts, and 1 error in 103 games. He caught players trying to steal 36.4% of the time and he had a .999 fielding percentage. He had 16 at-bats in 6 postseason games and he batted .063 with 1 hit, 2 RBIs, and 8 strikeouts.

Castro batted .210 in 113 games with the Astros in 2016. Defensively, as the Astros' catcher in 111 games, he made 53 assists, 865 putouts, and 4 errors. He had a .996 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 23.7% of the time.

Castro signed a three-year, $24.5 million contract with the Minnesota Twins on November 30, 2016. He finished the 2017 season with a .234 batting average in 110 games. He had 86 hits, 22 doubles, 47 RBIs, and 108 strikeouts to 45 walks. Defensively, as the Twins' catcher in 108 games, he made 34 assists, 707 putouts, and 3 errors. He caught players trying to steal 26.3% of the time.

Castro missed most of the 2018 season with a knee injury that resulted in season ending surgery in May. Prior to his injury, he batted .143 in 19 games.

Castro batted .232 with 55 hits in 79 games in 2019. As the Twins' catcher in 78 games, he made 29 assists, 637 putouts, and 1 error. He had a .194 caught stealing percentage. He didn't play in the postseason.

Castro became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels on January 7, 2020. The Angels traded him to the San Diego Padres on August 31, 2020. He finished the 2020 season with 5 hits and a .179 batting average in 18 games with the Angels and 9 games with the Padres. In the postseason, he has no hits in one at-bat.

Castro elected free agency on October 28, 2020. He returned to his first team, the Astros, on January 22, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021. He finished the season with 35 hits and a .235 batting average in 66 games. In the postseason, he had 2 hits, 1 home run, and 2 RBIs in 6 games.

Castro became a free agent on November 6, 2022.

Career batting statistics for Castro through 2021 include:

  • 918 games played
  • 669 hits
  • 164 doubles
  • 96 home runs
  • 322 RBIs
  • 930 strikeouts to 339 walks
  • .230 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Castro as a catcher through 2021 include:

  • 855 games played
  • 395 assists
  • 6,123 putouts
  • 29 errors
  • 25% caught stealing percentage
  • .996 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jason Castro
ESPN - Jason Castro