Ramón Castro

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This article is for New York Mets' catcher Ramón Castro. For other people with the same name, see Ramón Castro (disambiguation)

**Ramón Castro**

New York Mets — No. 11
Catcher
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
Major League Baseball debut
August 27, 1999 for the Florida Marlins
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
Avg	.225
RBI	105
HR	29
Teams
Florida Marlins (1999-2004) New York Mets (2005-present)

Ramón Abraham Castro (born March 1, 1976 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) is a catcher in Major League Baseball playing for the New York Mets.

In 1994, Castro became the first player out of Puerto Rico to ever be drafted in the first round of the MLB draft. He was selected by the Houston Astros as the 17th overall selection. He was traded to the Florida Marlins in 1998 for relief pitcher Jay Powell and made his major league debut against the Astros on April 27, 1999.

Castro is known as a good defensive catcher, but, despite showing occasional home run power, has never displayed sufficient hitting skills to win a job as a starter. He spent 1999 and 2000 competing with Mike Redmond for playing time and, when Charles Johnson arrived in Florida, Castro spent 2001 in the minor leagues. In 2002, he was back in the majors but as a 3rd option and, in 2003, he played behind likely Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez as the Marlins won the 2003 World Series (Castro did not appear in the series). In 2004, Rodríguez was gone giving Castro his first opportunity as a starter but a .135 batting average and an early-June season-ending injury finished his time in Florida. Paul Lo Duca finished out the Marlins' catching duties for 2004.

After Castro's disastrous 2004 season, his year got worse. The Marlins let him go for free agency in October and, in November, he was charged for a rape that allegedly occurred in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania hotel room on August 28, 2003. On November 29, he pleaded no-contest to reduced misdemeanor indecent assault charges and was sentenced to a year of probation. [1]

In December 2004, Castro signed with the New York Mets. In 2005, he was backup to Mike Piazza, with 41 RBI's in 209 ABs, a career-best .244 bating average, and playing solid defense.

When Piazza became a free agent after the season, it looked like Castro might again get a chance to be a starter, but the Mets, soon after, traded for Paul Lo Duca who had replaced Castro in Florida. Injuries further reduced his role in 2006, limiting him to 126 ABs.

Castro is married with three children and resides in Vega Baja.