Jason Castro (baseball)
Encyclopedia
Jason Michael Castro (born June 18, 1987) is a catcher
for the Houston Astros
.
.
He played college baseball for Stanford University
, named the club's most valuable player his junior year.
Castro was selected by the Astros in the first round (tenth overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft
.
He played in the Cape Cod League during the summer of and started in Single-A for the Tri-City ValleyCats in 2008. He was promoted to play for the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks
on June 7, after playing in Advanced-A for the Lancaster JetHawks
and played his first game for the team on June 10.
Castro was selected to play for the United States team in the 2009
All-Star Futures Game
in St. Louis. In the game, he threw out a runner
and hit a three-run home run
.
He was ranked 53rd on Baseball America's list of "Top 100 Prospects" in 2009.
On June 20, 2010, it was announced that Castro was being called up to the Houston Astros from Class AAA Round Rock Express
.
Castro made his Major League debut on June 22, 2010 at Minute Maid Park against the San Francisco Giants. He singled off Tim Lincecum
in his first career at-bat.
Castro hit his first major league home run on June 24, 2010 against Matt Cain
.
Castro has continued his studies at Stanford in the offseason, so he can get his degree in sociology.
On March 2, 2011, while playing in a Spring Training
game against the Detroit Tigers
, Castro suffered a knee injury while running to first base. Castro underwent surgery two days later on March 4 to repair his torn ACL
and a damaged meniscus
. As a result, he missed the entire 2011 season.
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
for the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
.
Career
Castro played high school baseball for Castro Valley High SchoolCastro Valley High School
Castro Valley High School is a comprehensive public high school for grades 9 to 12 and is located in the unincorporated suburban community of Castro Valley, California, U.S. Named a National Exemplary School in 1984-85 and 1988–89, it was a California Distinguished School in 1987-88 and 2000-01...
.
He played college baseball for Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, named the club's most valuable player his junior year.
Castro was selected by the Astros in the first round (tenth overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft
2008 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008.-First round selections:* Did not sign...
.
He played in the Cape Cod League during the summer of and started in Single-A for the Tri-City ValleyCats in 2008. He was promoted to play for the Class AA Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi Hooks
The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan...
on June 7, after playing in Advanced-A for the Lancaster JetHawks
Lancaster JetHawks
The Lancaster JetHawks are a minor league baseball team of the California League located in Lancaster, California. The team is named for the city's association with the aerospace industry and plays its home games at Clear Channel Stadium...
and played his first game for the team on June 10.
Castro was selected to play for the United States team in the 2009
2009 Major League Baseball season
The 2009 Major League Baseball season began on Sunday, April 5, 2009 with the Atlanta Braves defeating the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies 4–1. The regular season ended on October 6, extended two days for a one-game playoff between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins to...
All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
in St. Louis. In the game, he threw out a runner
Caught stealing
In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt...
and hit a three-run 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...
.
He was ranked 53rd on Baseball America's list of "Top 100 Prospects" in 2009.
On June 20, 2010, it was announced that Castro was being called up to the Houston Astros from Class AAA Round Rock Express
Round Rock Express
The Round Rock Express is a class Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team in Round Rock, Texas, owned by RSR Sports and founded by Reid Ryan, son of Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. The team is affiliated with the Texas Rangers, for whom Nolan Ryan serves as the president and...
.
Castro made his Major League debut on June 22, 2010 at Minute Maid Park against the San Francisco Giants. He singled off Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum
Timothy Leroy Lincecum is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He was nicknamed "The Freak" and "Big Time Timmy Jim" and "The Franchise." He throws right-handed and bats left-handed....
in his first career at-bat.
Castro hit his first major league home run on June 24, 2010 against Matt Cain
Matt Cain
Matthew Thomas Cain is an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants...
.
Castro has continued his studies at Stanford in the offseason, so he can get his degree in sociology.
On March 2, 2011, while playing in a Spring Training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
game against the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, Castro suffered a knee injury while running to first base. Castro underwent surgery two days later on March 4 to repair his torn ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and a damaged meniscus
Meniscus (anatomy)
In anatomy, a meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans it is present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other organisms they may be present in other...
. As a result, he missed the entire 2011 season.
External links
- Stanford University player profile