The Seattle Mariners now have 2 pitchers named Luis Castillo
Jan 28, 2025, 4:03 PM
It wasn’t that long ago that it seemed possible the Seattle Mariners would go into the 2025 season without Luis Castillo.
Now that those trade rumors have died down, it appears they’re going into the year with not just one but two Luis Castillos.
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The Mariners signed Luis Felipe Castillo to a minor league contract on Tuesday, as reported by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. This Castillo is a 29-year-old right-hander with three games of MLB experience.
Seattle fans are obviously much more familiar with Luis Miguel Castillo, who is a 32-year righty with much weightier résumé to speak of. He’s a three-time All-Star with eight seasons and 211 career MLB starts under his belt.
The Mariners’ new Castillo made his MLB debut in 2022 with the Detroit Tigers, throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, no walks and two hits allowed over his three appearances. The 6-foot-3, 212-pound hurler spent the past two seasons playing in Japan’s Nippon Pro Baseball, first with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2023, then the the Orix Buffaloes last year. In Japan, Castillo posted a 3.01 ERA and 1.033 WHIP with 205 strikeouts and 50 walks over a combined 143 1/3 innings.
Luis Felipe Castillo made his pro debut in 2012 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system. He will now compete for a spot in Seattle’s bullpen with a number of other additions signed to minor league deals this offseason.
Both Luis Castillos are natives of the Dominican Republic. And believe it or not, there is actually a third player from the Dominican Republic named Luis Castillo that MLB fans may remember: a three-time All-Star second baseman for the Florida Marlins (1996-2005), Minnesota Twins (2006-07) and New York Mets (2007-10).
The Mariners will head to spring training next month, with pitchers and catchers set to report to the Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona on Feb. 12.
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