Luis Castillo (pitcher, born 1992)

Castillo signed with the San Francisco Giants as an international free agent in December 2011. Castillo only pitched as a reliever in the Giants' farm system. He made his professional debut in 2012 with the DSL Giants, going 1–3 with a 3.31 ERA in {{Fraction|54|1|3}} innings pitched. In 2013, he returned there, going 0–1 with a 0.64 ERA in 27 appearances. In 2014, he came to the United States, pitching for the Augusta GreenJackets where he had a 2–2 record and 3.07 ERA in 48 appearances.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo Minor Leagues Statistics |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=castil013lui |access-date=November 15, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

On December 20, 2014, Castillo and Kendry Flores were traded to the Miami Marlins for Casey McGehee.{{cite web |date=December 19, 2014 |title=Giants fill Sandoval hole, trade for McGehee |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/12055059/san-francisco-giants-trade-casey-mcgehee-miami-marlins |access-date=November 19, 2016 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press}} Castillo started 2015 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers and was promoted to the Jupiter Hammerheads in July. In 35 games, 16 of them starts, with the two teams, he was 6–6 with a 3.20 ERA.

Castillo began 2016 with Jupiter and was promoted to the Jacksonville Suns in August. In 26 games, only two of them in relief, between Jupiter and Jacksonville, he was 8–6 with a 2.26 ERA. The Marlins added Castillo to their 40-man roster after the season.{{cite web |last=Frisaro |first=Joe |date=November 18, 2016 |title=Marlins add 4 to 40-man roster |url=http://m.marlins.mlb.com/news/article/209165972/marlins-add-4-to-40-man-roster |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119120301/http://m.marlins.mlb.com/news/article/209165972/marlins-add-4-to-40-man-roster/ |archive-date=November 19, 2016 |access-date=September 26, 2017 |work=MLB.com |publisher=Major League Baseball}}

Castillo was part of a scuttled trade that briefly made him a member of the San Diego Padres organization in the summer of 2016. On July 29, the Marlins traded Castillo along with Jarred Cosart, Josh Naylor, and Carter Capps to the Padres for pitchers Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea, and Tayron Guerrero.{{cite web |last=Lin |first=Dennis |date=July 29, 2016 |title=Padres trade Cashner, Rea to Marlins in 7-player deal |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sdut-padres-trade-cashner-rea-marlins-for-prospects-2016jul29-story.html%3f |access-date=November 19, 2016 |work=San Diego Union-Tribune}}{{cite web |date=July 29, 2016 |title=Marlins get Andrew Cashner, Colin Rea from Padres for prospects |url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/17170357/andrew-cashner-traded-miami-marlins-san-diego-padres |access-date=November 19, 2016 |work=ESPN}} However, Castillo returned to the Marlins two days later, after Rea exited his first start as a Marlin with an elbow injury and was sent back to the Padres.{{Cite web |date=August 1, 2016 |title=Marlins Trade Colin Rea Back To Padres Following Elbow Injury |url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/08/marlins-return-colin-rea-padres-elbow.html |access-date=November 16, 2024 |website=MLB Trade Rumors |language=en-US}} Castillo never pitched in the Padres organization.

On January 19, 2017, the Marlins traded Castillo, Austin Brice, and Isaiah White to the Cincinnati Reds for starter Dan Straily.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/marlins-get-right-hander-dan-straily-from-reds-c213879034|title=Marlins get right-hander Dan Straily from Reds|date=January 19, 2017|last=Frisaro|first=Joe|publisher=Major League Baseball|work=MLB.com|access-date=June 21, 2017}} Castillo began 2017 with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. In 14 starts in Double-A, he had a 4–4 record and 2.58 ERA.{{cite web |title=Luis Castillo Stats, Highlights, Bio |url=http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=622491#/career/R/pitching/2020/ALL |access-date=September 29, 2020 |work=MiLB.com |publisher=Minor League Baseball}}

On June 23, 2017, the Reds promoted Castillo, who made his MLB debut against the Washington Nationals.{{cite web|url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2017/06/21/reds-luis-castillo-make-big-league-debut-friday/415566001|title=Reds' Luis Castillo to make big-league debut Friday|date=June 21, 2017|last=Rosecrans|first=C. Trent|publisher=The Cincinnati Enquirer|work=cincinnati.com|access-date=June 22, 2017}} Castillo pitched for the Reds the rest of the season, going 3–7 with a 3.12 ERA in 15 starts. He returned to Cincinnati's starting rotation in 2018: in 31 starts, he posted a record of 10–12 with an ERA of 4.30 in {{frac|169|2|3}} innings.

File:Luis Castillo (48266220866) (cropped).jpg]]

On March 19, 2019, Castillo was named the Reds' Opening Day starter.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-castillo-to-start-opening-day-for-reds|title=Castillo gets call on Opening Day for Reds|date=March 19, 2019|last=Sheldon|first=Mark|publisher=Major League Baseball|work=MLB.com|access-date=March 19, 2019}} He was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for April.{{Cite web |date=May 3, 2019 |title=Castillo talks NL pitcher of the month honors |url=https://www.mlb.com/video/castillo-on-pitcher-of-the-month |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}} He set career highs with 15 wins, 226 strikeouts, and 79 walks in 2019, posting a 3.40 ERA in {{Fraction|190|2|3}} innings.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castilu02.shtml |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} He was named to his first All-Star Game, where he pitched a clean inning, striking out Carlos Santana and J.D. Martinez.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D_76KkqbOI |title=Luis Castillo's full inning from the 2019 All-Star Game |date=July 9, 2021 |last=Cincinnati Reds |type=Television production |publisher=Fox Sports |access-date=November 18, 2024 |via=YouTube}}

In the abbreviated 2020 season, Castillo had a 4–6 record and a 3.21 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 70 innings of work.{{Cite web|url=https://www.redlegnation.com/2020/09/14/are-the-reds-seeing-a-new-and-improved-luis-castillo/|title=Are the Reds seeing a new and improved Luis Castillo?|date=September 14, 2020}} He started Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, picking up the loss against the Atlanta Braves after allowing one run in five innings in his postseason debut.{{Cite web |title=2020 National League Wild Card Series (NLWC) Game 2, Cincinnati Reds vs Atlanta Braves: October 1, 2020 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL202010010.shtml |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

In 2021, Castillo recorded a 3.98 ERA with 192 strikeouts in {{frac|187|2|3}} innings over 33 starts. He tied for the MLB lead with 16 losses and led the NL with 75 walks. He induced the most groundballs of all major league pitchers.{{Cite web |title=Major League Leaderboards » 2021 » Pitchers » Dashboard |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2021-01-01&enddate=2021-12-31&sortcol=13&sortdir=default&pagenum=1 |website=FanGraphs}}

On March 22, 2022, Castillo signed a $7.35 million contract with the Reds, avoiding salary arbitration.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/arbtracker2022|title=Arbitration Tracker For 2022|access-date=March 23, 2022|website=MLBTradeRumors}} He missed the first month of 2022 and started the year with a 4–4 record and 2.86 ERA in 14 starts with the Reds.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo 2022 Pitching Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=castilu02&t=p&year=2022 |access-date=November 16, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} He was the Reds' lone selection to the All-Star Game,{{Cite web |last=Wallner |first=Jeff |date=July 11, 2022 |title=Reds' ace Castillo earns 2nd All-Star nod |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-castillo-named-reds-lone-2022-all-star |access-date=November 16, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}} where he struck out two batters and allowed a single in an inning of work.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo fans in the All-Star Game {{!}} July 19, 2022 |url=https://www.mlb.com/video/luis-castillo-s-two-strikeouts |access-date=November 16, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}

On July 29, 2022, the Reds traded Castillo to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for prospects Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Andrew Moore, and Levi Stoudt.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=MLB trade deadline |url=https://theathletic.com/live-blogs/mlb-trade-deadline-news/pgqF6TIJYj89/ |access-date=July 30, 2022 |website=The Athletic |language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/seattle-mariners-trade-luis-castillo|first=Paul|last=Casella|title=Mariners acquire Castillo, top pitcher on market|website=MLB.com}} On September 24, Castillo signed a five-year, $108 million contract with a sixth-year option.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-castillo-extension-with-mariners|title=Luis Castillo, Mariners agree to 5-year extension|first=Daniel|last=Kramer|website=MLB.com|date=September 24, 2022|accessdate=September 29, 2022}}

Castillo had a 3.19 ERA in 11 starts with Seattle in 2022. He helped the Mariners end their 21-year playoff drought. In Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, he threw {{fraction|7|1|3}} scoreless innings, striking out 5 and allowing 6 hits in a 4–0 Mariners win.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401467518?platform=amp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008054335/https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap/_/gameId/401467518?platform=amp|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 8, 2022|title=Castillo sharp, Mariners blank Jays 4-0 in wild-card opener|access-date=July 30, 2022 |website=ESPN}} Castillo was the first Mariners starter to pitch at least 7 innings in the postseason without allowing a run.{{Cite web |title=Mariners Pitchers One Postseason Start 7 Innings Allowing No Runs |url=https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/mariners-pitchers-one-postseason-start-7-innings-allowing-no-runs |access-date=November 16, 2024 |website=StatMuse |language=en}} He started Game 2 of the American League Division Series and continued his scoreless postseason streak until allowing a two-run home run to Yordan Alvarez in the sixth inning and picking up the loss against the Houston Astros.{{Cite web |last=Matheson |first=Keegan |date=October 15, 2022 |title=Castillo's Game 2 heat doused by a bloop and a blast |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-castillo-allows-home-run-to-yordan-alvarez-in-alds |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=2022 American League Division Series (ALDS) Game 2, Seattle Mariners vs Houston Astros: October 13, 2022 |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU202210130.shtml |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

Castillo started on Opening Day in 2023, earning a win over the Cleveland Guardians after throwing six scoreless innings. Castillo had an ERA of 2.84 after three months{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo 2023 Pitching Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=castilu02&t=p&year=2023 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} and was named to his third All-Star Game, though he sat out the Midsummer Classic in Seattle.{{Cite web |title=How every player performed on All-Star stage |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-all-star-game-2023-player-roundup |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}} He faded slightly in the second half, finishing the year with a 14–9 record and 3.34 ERA, with 219 strikeouts in 197 innings. He finished fifth in American League Cy Young Award voting and had the fifth lowest ERA in the league.{{Cite web |title=Here are the Cy Young Award vote totals |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/2023-mlb-cy-young-award-voting-results |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Major League Leaderboards - 2023 - Pitching |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=al&qual=y&type=8&startdate=&enddate=&month=0&season1=2023&season=2023&sortcol=16&sortdir=default&pagenum=1 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=FanGraphs Baseball |language=en}}

Castillo was the Mariners Opening Day starter again in 2024, this time losing to the Boston Red Sox. After a rough first three starts, in which he gave up four earned runs in each outing and could not finish the sixth inning, Castillo returned to form the rest of the season, posting a 3.33 ERA after April 8, nearly matching his 2023 run prevention rate. His season ended early,{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo 2024 Pitching Game Logs |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=castilu02&t=p&year=2024 |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}} with a hamstring injury sending him to the injured list on September 10.{{Cite web |last=Divish |first=Ryan |date=September 10, 2024 |title=Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo lands on 15-day injured list |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-starting-pitcher-luis-castillo-lands-on-15-day-injured-list/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240911005620/https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/mariners-starting-pitcher-luis-castillo-lands-on-15-day-injured-list/ |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=The Seattle Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2024 |title=Luis Castillo discusses his hamstring injury |url=https://www.mlb.com/mariners/video/luis-castillo-discusses-his-hamstring-injury |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}} In 2024, he was 11–12 with a 3.64 ERA and 175 strikeouts in {{Fraction|175|1|3}} innings pitched.

Castillo pitches from a low arm slot, with his arm angle lower over the course of his career. Early in his career, he combined a good changeup to go along with a fastball that averaged between 95 and 97 miles per hour and a slider.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo - Stats - Pitching - Pitch Type Velo |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/players/luis-castillo/15689/stats?position=P#pitch-type-velo |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=FanGraphs Baseball |language=en}}{{cite web|url=https://blogs.fangraphs.com/luis-castillos-increasingly-lethal-changeup|title=Luis Castillo's Increasingly Lethal Changeup|date=September 16, 2019|last=Watt|first=Rian|publisher=FanGraphs|work=fangraphs.com|access-date=December 8, 2019}} In 2019, he had the most valuable changeup in baseball.{{Cite web |title=Major League Leaderboards - 2019 - Pitching |url=https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&stats=pit&lg=all&qual=y&type=20&month=0&ind=0&startdate=&enddate=&season1=2019&season=2019&sortcol=7&sortdir=default&pagenum=1 |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=FanGraphs Baseball |language=en}} He used four-seam fastballs and sliders against left-handers, while using two-seamers and changeups against right-handers as strikeout pitches.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tStKGqLU5M|title=Can the 3 starting pitchers of Cincinnati Reds make it to the playoffs in 2020?|last=五度|first=生啤C|website=YouTube|date=December 29, 2019 |language=zh-tw|access-date=December 30, 2019}}

Over time, Castillo's changeup became less effective and less used.{{Cite web |last=Ajeto |first=Mikey |date=December 28, 2023 |title=Best of BP: Luis Castillo's Disappearing Changeup |url=https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/87422/best-of-bp-luis-castillos-disappearing-changeup/ |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Baseball Prospectus}} While his changeup was his most frequently thrown pitch from 2019 to 2021, thrown at least 30 percent of the time each season, he relied more on his fastball starting in 2022, increasing his fastball usage from 29 percent in 2021 to 45 percent in 2024. He had one of the 10 most valuable fastballs in each season from 2022 to 2024.{{Cite web |title=Statcast Pitch Arsenal Stats 2022 |url=https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/pitch-arsenal-stats?type=pitcher&pitchType=FF&year=2022&team=&min=10 |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=baseballsavant.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Statcast Pitch Arsenal Stats 2023 |url=https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/pitch-arsenal-stats?type=pitcher&pitchType=FF&year=2023&team=&min=10 |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=baseballsavant.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Statcast Pitch Arsenal Stats 2024 |url=https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/pitch-arsenal-stats?type=pitcher&pitchType=FF&year=2024&team=&min=10 |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=baseballsavant.com |language=en-US}} His changeup dropped to his fourth most frequent pitch, thrown only 14 percent of the time in 2024.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics |url=https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/luis-castillo-622491?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb |access-date=November 17, 2024 |website=baseballsavant.com |language=en-US}}

Since joining the Mariners in 2022, Castillo has also limited his walks. He walked 8.8 percent of batters faced in his first five seasons with the Reds, leading the league in walks in 2021, but reduced his walk rate to 6.8 percent in his first two full seasons in Seattle.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo Pitching Stats |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castilu02-pitch.shtml#all_pitching_pitches |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

Castillo and his wife Elanyi have two daughters.{{Cite web |title=Luis Castillo Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News |url=https://www.mlb.com/player/luis-castillo-622491 |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}{{Cite Instagram |postid=CdTSfGfO7T1/ |user=luis58castillo |title=Le doy gracias a dios por aber puesto esta bella dama en mi vida. Una persona hermosa bella. Una madre ejemplar. Dios te bendiga mi bella esposa. Te amo amor 😘😘😘 |first=Luis |last=Castillo |date=May 8, 2022 |language=es |trans-title=I thank God for having placed this beautiful lady in my life. A beautiful beautiful person. An exemplary mother. God bless you my beautiful wife. I love you love 😘😘😘}} He enjoys fishing.{{Cite Instagram |postid=CTKaxjdgcgf |user=luis58castillo |title=@elnegronegro |first=Luis |last=Castillo |date=August 29, 2021}}

Castillo's baseball idol was Pedro Martínez,{{Cite web |date=March 15, 2021 |title=Luis Castillo on what player he looked up to as a kid |url=https://www.mlb.com/video/luis-castillo-on-childhood-idol |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=}} who gave him advice on throwing a changeup.{{Cite web |last=Jude |first=Adam |date=October 6, 2022 |title=What makes Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo so rock solid on the mound |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/06/what-makes-mariners-pitcher-luis-castillo-so-rock-/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241118090510/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/06/what-makes-mariners-pitcher-luis-castillo-so-rock-/ |archive-date=November 18, 2024 |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=The Spokesman-Review |agency=The Seattle Times}}{{Cite web |last=Nightengale |first=Bobby |title=The next Pedro Martinez? Pedro says Cincinnati Reds' Luis Castillo pitches just like he did |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2019/07/11/all-star-game-pedro-martinez-says-cincinnati-reds-luis-castillo-just-like-him-mlb/1690457001/ |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |language=en-US}}

Castillo is nicknamed "La Piedra" (Spanish for "The Rock.") He dressed up as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for a Mariners television commercial in 2024.{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Daniel |title=Mariners commercials are back! The how & why |url=https://www.mlb.com/mariners/news/mariners-bring-back-popular-commercials-series |access-date=November 18, 2024 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}

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