Second baseman Harold Castro of the Colorado Rockies makes a throw on the run after fielding a ground ball for an out in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field on August 29, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Former Major League infielder Harold Castro signed with the Toros de Tijuana in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, the team announced on February 28.
Castro, 30, was born in Caracas, Venezuela. He has played six seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers from 2018-22 and the Colorado Rockies in 2023.
During the 2023 regular season with Colorado, Castro played in 99 games, making 270 plate appearances and hitting .252. He recorded 65 hits, 13 doubles, one home run, 31 RBI, nine walks, and 66 strikeouts with a .589 OPS.
Last winter, he played in Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional with Leones del Caracas for 34 games. He batted .315 with 41 hits, four doubles, two triples, five home runs, 21 RBI, four stolen bases, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts.
In the 2022-23 winter league season with Leones del Caracas, Castro played in 23 games and batted .374 with 37 hits, one double, four RBI, two stolen bases, two walks, and 12 strikeouts.
In game six of the 2022-23 Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional championship series, Castro hit a game-winning solo home run in the bottom of the eleventh. This gave the Leones a 7-6 win over the Tiburones de La Guaira and a four games to two series victory, sending the club to their 15th Caribbean Series and clinching their 21st LVBP championship title.
On Nov. 18, 2022, Castro elected free agency in Major League Baseball. Shortly after, on Jan. 19, 2023, Castro signed a minor league contract with the Rockies.
During the 2022 season in Detroit, Castro played in 120 games hitting .271 with 443 plate appearances. He recorded 114 hits, 21 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 47 RBI, 17 walks, 79 strikeouts, and a .681 OPS.
In his six seasons in MLB, Castro has an career average of .278 over 1,485 plate appearances in 450 games, 391 hits, 61 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs, 156 RBI, seven stolen bases, 54 walks, 316 strikeouts, and a .669 OPS.
Castro has played six seasons in Venezuela with the Leones del Caracas from 2015-19 and from 2022-24 in 243 games. He has a career average of .317 in 885 plate appearances with 257 hits, 37 doubles, eight triples, nine home runs, 84 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 43 walks, 115 strikeouts, and a .767 OPS.
The first game of the 2024 LMB regular season is scheduled for April 11 when the Diablos Rojos del México travel to Puebla, Mexico, to take on the Pericos de Puebla at Estadio Hermanos Serdán. The 2024 LMB season will be Castro’s first year playing in Mexico.
The Toros de Tijuana will play their first game of the 2024 LMB season against the Sultanes de Monterrey on the road on April 12 at Estadio Mobil Super in Monterrey, Mexico. The game start times have not yet been announced.