Quick Facts
Biography
Ramón Alfredo Castro Muñoz (born October 23, 1979 in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan infielder in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics.
Baseball career
Atlanta Braves
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.
Oakland Athletics
Castro 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 as a Pinch Hitter for Bobby Crosby. He played in his final game as a Defensive Replacement at Shortstop for Bobby Crosby for the Athletics a month later on July 26, 2004. He Wore #47 & 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.
Washington Nationals
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.
Newark Bears
He previously played for the Newark Bears from 2007 to 2008, being named the Most Valuable Player 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.
San Francisco Giants
On June 26, 2009 Castro signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants.
Guerreros de Oaxaca
He played in five games with the Guerreros de Oaxaca in 2010.
York Revolution
Castro set Revolution season records in 2010 with a .339 batting average, 37 doubles and a .437 on-base percentage, ranking second in the Atlantic 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 native also had a 68-game errorless streak from May 15, 2010 through July 29, 2010. Then, he went on to bat .375 in the 2010 postseason. His final highlight was driving in the championship-clinching run on a tenth-inning sacrifice fly during Game 3 of the Atlantic League Championship Series at Bridgeport Bluefish.
Rimini Baseball Club
Castro batted .328 (397-for-1396) in 1,396 Atlantic League games before joining the Rimini BBC in 2013.
Bridgeport Bluefish
Castro signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish for the 2014 season. Castro played in 127 games for the Bluefish.
Kansas City Royals
On March 24, 2015, Castro signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals for the 2015 season.
