Welington Castillo is a former professional baseball player who played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was born on April 24, 1987, in San Isidro, Dominican Republic. Castillo began his professional baseball career in 2004 when he signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent.
Castillo made his MLB debut on August 11, 2010, with the Chicago Cubs. He played for the Cubs until 2015, during which he established himself as a reliable catcher with a strong arm and good defensive skills. In 2013, he hit a career-high 8 home runs and had a batting average of .274. Castillo was also known for his ability to handle pitchers and call games behind the plate.
In 2015, Castillo was traded to the Seattle Mariners, but he was soon traded again to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played for the Diamondbacks for one season before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2017. Castillo had a solid season with the Orioles, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 53 runs in 96 games.
In 2018, Castillo signed a two-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. He played for the White Sox for one season before being traded to the Texas Rangers in 2019. However, his time with the Rangers was short-lived as he was released in August of that year.
Throughout his career, Castillo was known for his power hitting and defensive skills. He had a career batting average of .254 and hit a total of 86 home runs. Castillo was also a reliable catcher, with a career fielding percentage of .994 and a caught stealing percentage of 28.5%.
However, Castillo's career was not without controversy. In 2018, he was suspended for 80 games for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy. Castillo claimed that he had taken a substance that was not on the banned list, but he accepted the suspension and apologized to his teammates and fans.
In January 2020, Castillo was signed by the Washington Nationals, but he opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. He became a free agent at the end of the season and has not signed with a team since.
Overall, Welington Castillo had a successful career as a catcher in MLB. He was known for his power hitting and defensive skills, and he played for several teams throughout his career. While his career was not without controversy, Castillo was a respected player and a fan favorite.
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